I am extremely excited. I found out that I got into the Insitute of Design @ IIT in Chicago. I am going to try to apply for a scholarship/assistantship or fellowship though because I frankly have no way of affording 30K a year in tuition for 3 years! (more $ if I want to go to business school in addition)
Now comes the tough part… making the decision about whether to go. I am 99% sure that I want to do it.. but I just don’t want to go into massive debt (especially if I want to be doing social/nonprofit work afterwards), because then I’m *never* going to be able to pay it off. More importantly, Vinita wants to go back to school soon too, and I know we’d be swimming in student loans forever.
I have a feeling this is one of those leap-of-faith kindsa things that needs to happen.. but man, is this a big one. I don’t want to strain my hamstrings either! Its too bad that ID doesnt have the type of endowment that Stanford does and would be able to institute some sort of Loan Forgiveness program.. because I’d be all over that. Maybe I should just wait and apply to BSchool at Stanford, where I could take some ancillary classes in human centered design? But from what I hear, the design classes at Stanford aren’t as good.. and you’re paying for the “tag”. Personally, I don’t want to pay for a tag, largely because I dont think I need/want one. Maybe that’s a little cocky for me to say..I dont know. Tags can open doors… but tags can also set expectations. When it comes down to it…skill, talent, and determination go much further than a tag… At the same time, an advisor told me recently that an MBA from a top tier Bschool is a license to have a conversation with a VC– Which is also true.. And lots of very respectable social entrepreneurs came from Stanford.
This is damn confusing and its late. I’ll get back soon on what I decide.
As I told you on the phone, don’t second guess yourself and go for it! Congrats again!
Interesting site bhoopat. Congrats. You should just go. I’ll come visit to find tang in the windy city.