College

[Vampyr]

I know several people here are around the same age as me, and in the same school year (or used to be, anyway), and I was wondering if anyone else just graduated or is graduating very soon.

My last exam was May 6th...so I'm done with college forever. Ended up graduating summa cum laude with a degree in computer science and a minor in math from the University of Kentucky. Working as a software engineer at Dell Services now.

Anyone else done with the abomination known as school? If so, what are you getting into afterwords?

I'm pretty excited to have time to work on my own software projects (will post links as they become presentable), play video games, and catch up on my reading.

I've also decided not to immediately go for a house. Instead of getting a mortgage, I'm just going to save up until I can pay for the house in cash. I want to try to live a completely debt free life, as I don't have any school loans to pay back. So I'll be in an apartment for the next 8 - 10 years.

[Xantar]

I've also decided not to immediately go for a house. Instead of getting a mortgage, I'm just going to save up until I can pay for the house in cash. I want to try to live a completely debt free life, as I don't have any school loans to pay back. So I'll be in an apartment for the next 8 - 10 years.

I know that seems like a good idea, but generally it really isn't. You get significant tax breaks when you are paying a mortgage, and depending on what kind of house you buy, you could end up with just a 10 year mortgage (lasting as long as you plan to save up for the house anyway). In addition, you can defray the cost of your mortgage by renting out rooms.

Meanwhile, if you want to buy a house outright, you would be saving up for it while paying rent on your apartment at the same time, and remember that no matter how much time you spend in that apartment, you will never own it. The rent you pay on the apartment is lost whereas money you pay into your mortgage is equity which boosts your credit rating.

It makes sense to rent an apartment if you're young and still likely to move around. Once you feel that your situation has stabilized, though, you shouldn't be saving up to try to buy a house outright. The math doesn't really work out in your favor.

[Vampyr]

That stuff is true, and something I have considered, but there is also a large amount of risk and maintenance cost associated with owning a house - in an apartment I really don't have anything to worry about or any extra costs associated with it.

Also, if my plan is to buy everything up front (house, car, etc), then having a credit rating really wouldn't be very important to me.

I may change my mind on this, though...mostly for the same reasons you've mentioned. I'm not set in stone on it, but if nothing else I will at least save up until I can pay for 20% - 30% of the house.

[Acebot44]

Graduating from UCLA in about 3 weeks with Dean's and College Honors, degree in History, Summa Cum Laude.

Planning a road trip for the week after with my oldest friends, catching up before adulthood seeps in.

Will maintain my position at the UCLA Anderson Business School throughout the summer, managing our two summer programs in Entertainment/Media and Sports Marketing/Business until August. May decide to stay on and help out with our Music Experience and Interactive and Social Media programs for the remainder of the summer if I care to.

Serving as a research assistant at the Burning Man festival for a couple of weeks.

May head up to Portland for a bit to take initial steps in a project I am working on with some folks from the business school and Virgin Records. Can't say what just yet, but should be fun to be a part of.

Prepping for the LSAT right now and all the way until I take it in October. From then on, I have no plans after sending in all my Law School applications sometime in November.

Maybe play a video game after that...

[Fox 6]

Im in my 5th week of internship. I have only 2 weeks left until i graduate!

[Dylflon]

Two classes this summer and then I'm done forever. So school ends for me in August.

Glad I'm not back in the fall and therefore can't be classified as a 6th year student.

[KillerGremlin]

I'm falling through uncertainty, perhaps my recurring elevator dreams have been a metaphor. Oh wait....I'm not emo....what the fuck!

I dunno what's going on so much. I have one more semester left, making my total years spent in undergrad equal to 4.5. It's more like 4.5+ if you account for the summer school I took last summer, but that does fit on the 4.5-year lineage so it is a minor technicality I am willing to ignore.

I'm currently on the hunt for an internship which I hope to work along with my last semester in college. The pay outlook for someone graduating with a BA in Psychology is depressing. I guess what you don't get in salary you make up for in feeling good about helping people. That's ~34,000 outta the gate, if you hit it right.

My plan after graduation next December is to see if I get into Graduate school. So come August or September this year I will be taking the GRE. I will be preparing starting in June. That means I need to get letters of recommendation together (easy) and get a decent GRE score (moderate) and hope the Grad schools I want to go to overlook my GPA (hard). You see, as an ex-engineer, I have put myself in the position of owning a 2.88 GPA. It is rather shitty, I do admit. My Psych GPA is a 3.38/4.0 and my Minor GPA is a 4.0/4.0. Also, my last 60 hour's GPA is going to be somewhere around 3.5/4.0.

But still, I have big aspirations hoping to applying into a PHD program at a good psych school. My plan is to one day secure a higher degree in Psychology. Where that will lead me I do not know, but I can only hope it will involve helping people and doing some fun psych research. Perhaps I can bring back the lobotomy.

If I do not get into grad school I will work for 1.5 years. Then I will reapply for a Masters rather than a PHD. And then I will get my Masters. And if I still have motivation.....maybe I'll go for the PHD.

Life is kind of 'up in the air' for me. And I have a philosophy anyway...which is enjoy the little things now and go with the flow. To be honest I wish I could plan for the future, but I know there are about 14,000,000 variables right now so I'm just enjoying my summer, prospectively enjoying my last semester in school, and enjoying the time I get to spend with friends and family. The way I see it...you're never too old for an education...as long as you get paid. And fortunately, in higher education you often do. :D

Caveat emptor: I realize planning is good, so I'm not totally winging it. And once I secure a job with salary I suspect my planning will take more priority as I open up some savings accounts to start saving for my future.

Edit: DAMN. Can you believe the past 17.5 years of my life have been in school? And that's excluding shit-my-pants and vandalize-the-desk preschool.