SUNY Albany HELLLLLLLLLLLP! Defer for a year or more?

[MPHprospect]

Hi people. First I want to say thanks to all the folks that answer questions here.
I've been accepted to the MPH program at SUNY Albany. I plan to defer my enrollment/acceptance for a year or more (Fall 08)-- crazy right? Thing is if I defer for 1 year i.e till Spring 08, It's the Spring and everybody knows the Fall semester is the best time to get Financial support-- and God knows I need that.
1. Does the School permit students to defer? And what's the maximum amount of time one can defer for?

2. The reason I need to take the time off is to work and save some money so I don't drown in debt.

I looked on their website but couldn't find this info. I will call the school but I wanted to hear from you guys first.
THANKS!

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[namazu]

I don't know the specifics at SUNY-Albany, but here's my two cents anyway...

- Schools vary in their willingness to allow deferrals, some do, some don't, some do but only in very special circumstances.

- The shorter the period of time you wish to defer, the better. You're unlikely to get more than a year unless there are very compelling circumstances - and even then it's iffy.

- That's because schools are much happier to give you a deferral if they are reasonably confident you'll come back. Therefore, if you can give them a clear plan of what you'll be doing in the interim, they may be more likely to let you defer. I don't know if they'll respond well to the "I'm going to look for a job to pay for school" idea; they may decide you should have thought of that before applying or that it's too risky that you won't come back. That said, you shouldn't invent something.

- Have you spoken with the school about all of the financial aid possibilities, some of which may not require additional loans? I don't know if SUNY-Albany is a school that does this, but at many schools they'll waive your tuition or at least give you a discount if you work as a TA or research assistant. If you can convince them to let you attend part-time and work at the school, that might allow you not to fall too far behind, and it would allow you to be engaged with the program so that they don't write you off as a no-show.

Good luck with everything!

 

[MPHprospect]

Thanks for your input Namazu. Thing is, when I applied my financial situation was OK, quite a lot has changed in my family since then and I am forced now to take (almost) complete responsibility for my finances. I am not complaining. I know what I have to do to keep my head up and I'm going to do it, even if it means my dreams would be put on hold for a while.

I applied for their assistantships but didn't get any info on that with my acceptance. Most schools usually have less funds for the Spring semester cos they usually give out most monies at the beginning of the school year. Maybe that's why I didn't get anything.

 

[namazu]

Depending on the situation, some schools might be able to give you or help you get additional financial aid when things change greatly. But again, this usually only applies in certain circumstances.

I misread something and didn't understand that you had applied to begin the program in the spring. Is that for spring 2007 or spring 2008? Either way, if they admitted you for the spring, you might successfully be able to defer until the subsequent fall term, which would give you all spring and summer to work. If it's just a matter of deferring for 1 semester, then you might have better luck than if you tried to defer for a year or more.

Schools usually don't mention assistantships directly when they admit you. I would highly recommend contacting the student employment office if they have one, and/or faculty whose work interests you to see if they anticipate having positions available either during the period of deferment or when you would be starting classes, since those are two potential sources of jobs. (But they may not have too much advance notice, so it might be hard to find something you can commit to begin several months in the future.)

Again, good luck in making the best of a difficult situation - I admire your attitude and hope everything works out! Take care, and happy holidays.