Gyroscopic Investing

This was inspired by Tyler not knowing that him and MediumTex were fellow alums of the same school (Southern Methodist University). Thought it'd be interesting to hear where people went and for what.

Pennsylvania State University Main Campus - Bachelor of Science - Mechanical Engineering, Minor in Engineering Mechanics 2010
Georgia Institute of Technology - Master of Science - Mechanical Engineering, focusing on robotics and controls 2012

Shimer College, BA in "Natural Sciences", 1971.

Sarah Lawrence College, BA in 2009 with no specific major (there are no majors at that whackadoodle hippie college, though I tell people Computer Science since that's what I studied the most and nobody understands the concept of going to college and not majoring in anything). So yes, that would be a BA in Computer Science.

Southern Methodist University, BS Mechanical Engineering, 2000

University of Vermont, BS Environmental Studies, 1990.

Not an official minor, but Army ROTC was a big part of my time there as well.

University of Illinois, BS Electrical Engineering, 1989.

Any of you UIUC grads, did you happen to take any courses in anthropology or creative writing? My parents were professors there in those subjects, starting in 1985 or so.

Penncrest High School in Media, PA. Class of 1976. Never thought I'd be slumming around with a crowd like this!

Undergrad somewhere in Ithaca
Grad somewhere in Boston

Southern Methodist University, BA, Political Science, 1992

University of Texas School of Law, JD, 1999

On the path to my bachelors, I also attended Mountainview Community College, Cedar Valley Community College, Dallas Baptist University, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of North Texas, and the American University.

Stevens Institute of Technology, B.S. Computer Science, 2002

Purdue University BS Biology 1979
Indiana University DDS 1984

UCSD - physics, economics and Spanish Lit in '83 if I had graduated.  Unfortunately, my mom moved after 3 years and I had to get a job to feed myself.

Niagara University,  BBA in Accounting, 1977.

Total cost for 4 years: $14,000, including room and board (all-you-can-eat at the cafeteria).

My father gave me the student loan coupon book when payments started 6 months after graduation, $5,500.  After 2 masters degrees, I paid off the loans with a lump sum.  Those masters degrees were at public colleges in New York City.  It was not that burdensome.

But… our 2 kiddies with their advanced degrees are costing.  We are committed to paying their ways through grad school and emancipating them from student loan debt.  So far, so good.

My father was 55 when he shook the dust of college responsibility from his sandals.  I turn 61 next month and anticipate paying for the younger one when she returns to school for yet more.  Looks like our check book will be back in action.

Isn't the "Wayne's World" mantra "Party On!"?

Oh, yeah.  The inheritance from my civil service parents went to the colleges and our Honda Accord is 25 years old.  I wear some of my son's cast-off clothing.

My primary grad school professor once said their is a Yiddish curse, uttered thusly: "May you be blessed with gifted children."  My in-laws have 4 Ph.Ds in bio, organic chem and physics.  My wife's uncle led the development of the first space shuttle heat shield down in Texas.

These kids cost!  Since the start of private pre-K in 1993, $1.1 million on a gross salary basis.  (I.e., not actual cash but based on the amount before deductions.  Put another way, this is 15 years of salary I ain't got).  When the little one goes back, north of $1.2 million.

Many laughs!  Unbridled fun!  Life has been kind to us and this is a way of giving back to society.  It is all good.

Especially be wary of unsubsidized school loans.  The interest accumulates on the unwary.


Cheers.  (And I think I wandered a bit).

Johns Hopkins BS in EE.
University of Pennsylvania MD/PhD

Bedraggled, I can't imagine going through the graduate work grind while paying full price.  I got very lucky with costs.  Hopkins had low tuition at the time plus I had a merit scholarship, graduate work was covered by college (i.e. grant funds), I worked a few years in between schools, then NIH loan repayment program took care of the MD loans.

WiseOne,

You have been and are there.

THe younger one earned  a $15,000 per year scholarship, $60,000 total, for the undergrad bio degree.  I hope that clarifies.  She just got hired to work as a surgical ICU nurse right out of college.  Apparently this hire is rare for a new graduate.  In clinical courses and part-time floor assistant work, she has shown ability.

On to nurse practitioner in anaesthesia?  Scholarship $$$ here?  I am learning the joy of paying for the next step, too!  And how 'bout a Ph.D and a professor's position at a nursing school when she finishes the next step.  I dare not chuckle.  With this crew, all is possible!    My son thought organic chemistry was amusing.

As Gopher said to Owl and Whinnie-The-Pooh, when Pooh Bear got stuck: "This is going to run into money."
 
Thanks.

I went to school with actresses Jennifer Beals and Daryl Hannah. I remember Beals being a middle schooler with braces, she was a cute kid!

WiseOne,

THis nursing masters has a small scholarship with it.

I have been told that a Ph.D is usually financed by grants, etc.  When my son's intended was thinking Ph.D, she did not expect to pay much at all.

We will see what future academic endeavors will cost.

Back to the origin of this thread: when my wife graduated  from Columbia University in 1981, her senior year cost $5,000.  It appears 4 years at Columbia cost approx. $18,000 then.  My 2nd tier college cost almost as much.  It is a strange world.

Broome Community College AA in Liberal Arts  1999.
State University of New York BA in European History (cum laude) 2001
Albany University (SUNY) MA in US History & MLS (Library & Information Science) 2003

ochotona wrote: I went to school with actresses Jennifer Beals and Daryl Hannah. I remember Beals being a middle schooler with braces, she was a cute kid!

Hah! Was Daryl Hannah good looking back then, or did she grow into it more slowly like Barbara Eden?

West Virginia University - BS Chemical Engineering - 1968

Total expenses for 5 years (tuition, fees, off-campus apartment, food, books, gas and maintenance for a VW beetle, entertainment):  ~$5000 paid for by two scholarships and my summer jobs.  Cost to my parents - zero.  Wow, have times changed.

... M

Bedraggled,

Not sure what your question is.  The rule in my family was that my parents picked up the costs for the first college degree, and we were on our own after that.  With that as motivation, your kids may find that they don't need parental help for graduate work after all - not only are there grants held by the mentors but also independent fellowships that can be applied for.

In fact, I encourage my students to apply for independent funding for several reasons.  First, it's good grant-writing experience.  Second, if they get the grants I can use the funds thus freed up to hire more students.  Third, it tells me exactly how serious they are.  It's a lot of time & effort to get a student up to speed on the workings in my lab, and after I had a couple of people vanish away without producing anything I'm on high alert for students who might do the same.

All those costs may be worthwhile, but it depends on what your kids want to accomplish with it.

California State University, Chico.  B.A. in Biological Sciences 1978 (G.I. Bill, tuition about $98 per semester for all the units you could stand, if I recall correctly).
California State University, Chico.  M.A. in Botany 1980
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  Ph.D. in Botany 1983

WildAboutHarry wrote: (G.I. Bill, tuition about $98 per semester for all the units you could stand, if I recall correctly).

Nice!

WildAboutHarry wrote: California State University, Chico.  B.A. in Biological Sciences 1978 (G.I. Bill, tuition about $98 per semester for all the units you could stand, if I recall correctly).
California State University, Chico.  M.A. in Botany 1980
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  Ph.D. in Botany 1983

So is Bernie Sanders onto a good thing then?

Government paying tuition might actually stop the vicious cycle of tuition increases, egged on by the easy availability of student loans.  And it would be far less painful than the only other way to stop the cycle:  stop providing student loans.