Studying in a bad economy

yllihp3
Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:38:56 +0000

I will be graduating from a British university with a BSc after this year, and am planning to go to do a Masters in engineering in the US afterwards.

However, I am having second thoughts about moving to the US because of their current economy. Furthermore, my preferred schools are in California (e.g. Stanford, USC, the UC’s), and people have been labeling California as a ‘failed state’ in the news recently.

Now, I don’t know much about economics, so I was wondering:

As a grad student, would I really notice anything? How bad is the economy really (especially in California)? Is it just slightly higher living expenses, slightly higher tuition fees, and schools giving out slightly less financial aid? I am willing to pay full tuition anyway, as long as the tuition rates don’t rise drastically. Also, since I will be a student, rather than someone who has just graduated and is looking for a job, I don’t imagine the high unemployment rate making much difference to me.

Or I am underestimating the severity of the US economy? Have living expenses raised so drastically that typical living situations have become unbearable? Would schools become run-down because of lack of funds? Is it hard to get decent health care?