Money Trouble

Tonight I finally got my financial aid package from Yale. Or I should say, my estimation of debt package. I'm delighted to be admitted to Yale, I really am...but I struggle with what the point is if I can't even dream of affording it. For what Yale estimates the cost will be to me over the two years I would attend, I could put a down payment on a (good) house. For a Master's degree in an environmental field, which everyone knows does not pay itself back, like a JD or an MBA would.

That's really all I've got for tonight. How can you tell someone who grossed barely over $30K last year that they should be able to pay almost $10K out of pocket? How can you expect them to pick up $50K of debt over the next two years (and that's just for the nine months of the school year)???

I am mystified. What happened to the cost of education in America? Are we INSANE to even discuss paying this much for a two year degree in a field that, like all altruistic fields, will only ever pay just enough to live on? How could I even possibly dream of paying that $50K back, on top of the $10K I owe from college (after the $5K I've already paid)??

Maybe they should do our financial aid estimates before they admit us. That way we can look at the numbers, sigh, and say, "Oh, nevermind. I'd rather have housing."

This is nuts. That's all I've got for tonight. This is nuts.