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Re:How America's universities became debt factories by Telemakhos on Sunday September 15, 2024 @06:17AM (#41546547)
> Are either of you even former humanities PhD students?

I have my PhD in Greek and Latin. I applied to many schools for my PhD program and, on the advice of professors who had told me what I repeated above, accepted admission to the department that gave me the best aid offer, not necessarily the one with the best reputation. They were right, and I never paid a dime for my education.

Re:How America's universities became debt factories by lapcat on Sunday September 15, 2024 @07:19AM (#41546780)
> accepted admission to the department that gave me the best aid offer, not necessarily the one with the best reputation.

That's a personal choice, but it's an obvious tradeoff with downsides. If you have a non-monetary goal — after all, pursuing a PhD in the humanities would be a crazy way to make money — then why would you let money stand in your way?

> They were right, and I never paid a dime for my education.

They were right in what sense? You could also never pay a dime for your education by never pursuing a PhD. Regardless, you spent valuable years of your life on it. That's a big investment, and time is more precious than money.

I am glad that you admitted, though, that some more prestigious schools may have less financial aid. There appeared to be a kind of denial of this reality before.

Re:How America's universities became debt factories by bumby on Sunday September 15, 2024 @02:19PM (#41549246)
>then why would you let money stand in your way?

Just because money isn’t a primary motivation doesn’t mean it isn’t a consideration.