

My friend was a homeless grad student this past year - terramars
http://lupestan.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/homeless-living-in-graduate-school

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GuiA
I know this is a controversial point of view, but the recommendation I
consistently give friends is: don't go to grad school unless you get a stipend
and tuition waiver (that's how my PhD program was funded). If you can't get
into a grad school program that offers you this, then perhaps you're not
academically good enough for it. Work for a bit and re apply later.

If you're starting your career with debt in a field that can't even pay for
the value you will add, how do you expect things to get any better?

Especially if you're American, you have two things going on for you: you speak
English fluently, and American universities tend to be better recognized
internationally (for example, my European undergrad was not recognized by
American grad schools, and I had to spend a year in the UK to round off an
"official" BSc.) Leverage that to go to grad school abroad: your profile will
be desirable there.

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fancyketchup
> don't go to grad school unless you get a stipend and tuition waiver

That actually sounds like some of the _least_ controversial advice I've every
heard about grad school, at least on the science-y side (maybe things are
different in the humanities?). In fact, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find
someone with a Ph.D. who didn't agree with that statement.

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rubyn00bie
Brilliant; and an unfortunate reality for her. Not in the sense of sacrifice,
but in why she had to make the sacrifice.

I have no doubt she'll get that dream though... :)

