The Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) is a valuable tax benefit for U.S. taxpayers who pursue higher education, providing financial relief for tuition and other qualified expenses. While this credit can be highly beneficial, American students studying overseas may encounter unique challenges when claiming it. This post explores the Lifetime Learning Credit, its eligibility criteria, and…
Welcome to my year three recap of being a PhD student. It now feels like I have always been a PhD student. Was there ever a time when I was not? Was all of that life before a fever dream? Is THIS life a fever dream? I do not know. I reviewed the last two…
If you’re looking to choose an educational environment, you need to know what you’re looking for. You can’t just choose a random place and hope it’s a good fit, because nine times out of ten it isn’t. Instead, you’re going to need to look at all of the information about the various places, consider what…
If you’ve ever wished for a tool that captures the essence of your meetings, lectures, or discussions, Jamworks might be your next must-have app. Designed as an AI-powered note-taking and summarization tool, Jamworks listens, records, transcribes, and highlights the key points of conversations, offering a seamless way to retain and organize information. How I Discovered…
It’s officially the Christmas holidays, and if you’re home from college for the break, you’re probably wondering what to do with yourself before it’s time to head back. There’s a good chance you’ve already got some plans over Christmas, but have you thought about what you might do with the rest of your free time?…
Pursuing a PhD in the arts can be an expensive undertaking. Even if you manage to get you tuition covered, living expenses can be pretty costly, and for those of us studying theatre, you’ll likely be shelling out a pretty penny for tickets to performances and exhibits too. For American students, the opportunity to study…
There’s definitely a big thrill when it comes to starting something new, no matter what it might be, but at some point you might start to get a bit of a sinking feeling when your progress starts to slow (as it usually will) and your motivation starts to waver (again, it’s very common). The fact…
College can be a difficult time, but it’s also the kind of experience that can be genuinely enjoyable if you know how best to approach it. A big part of this, as it turns out, is simply doing all you acn to make sure you are getting ready for the experience in whatever way you…
I’m sitting at a coffee shop taking a break from inputting some interview data in a spreadsheet for my thesis and I’m a little stuck on what to write for my blog post this week. Money has gotten fairly weird for me. I do not feel remotely where I thought I might be by 40,…
I just got back from a pretty cool conference in Istanbul, Turkey. My university really pushes that you present your work at least once a year somewhere, so that generally means attending at least one conference. This push to present your work is a pretty common requirement of PhD programs. For some of you reading,…
There are so many factors that you need to try to get right when it comes to making the right changes when you are looking to run a school more effectively. It is vital to make sure you understand some of the best ways of being able to run a school in the best possible…
Just like everything else, the world of learning is changing. It’s not just about sitting in a classroom anymore. Nowadays, the learning landscape is this vibrant, buzzing ecosystem that’s all about giving us endless opportunities to grow—personally and professionally. Whether you’re looking to nail a new skill or climb the career ladder, this new learning…
CC0 Licensed Image Courtesy of Pexels Everyone learns at different rates, and school can be stressful. With everything going on, it can be hard to study like a pro and keep up your grades. But it isn’t impossible, and it’s even easy when you make some little changes, like making time for it and getting…
So, let’s talk today about mid-life PhDs and financial regret. My brother wants to go see a Broadway play while I’m home next month. I am getting absolutely walloped with expenses right now – many my fault. Some also are short term bigger expenses to lower expenses overall. And my first though, after this very…
You might ask, what does it cost to get a PhD? And to answer this question, you might find a school you like, look up the tuition cost, multiply it by 4 (or 5 or 6 or 7 or…. sometimes the number of years a PhD may take can be unclear) and go, ah, a…
On February 2nd I crossed the two year/half way mark in my PhD program. So it seems like time write a reflection piece on year two of the whole process. Going into the whole thing, someone was telling me about the overall process and they warned me the second year is the worst. It’s like…
If you’ve been following for a while, you know I’ve been a stage manager for most of my working life and that I am currently working on a PhD in drama. While I’ve talked a bit about how my PhD program works, things I did to get accepted, and plenty of moaning about the financial…
I have spent a lot of the last year complaining about my finances as a PhD student, but not much time talking about actual life as a PhD student – so today’s post is a review of what my first year as a theatre/drama PhD student has been like. It’s been a fairly strange journey.…
Between the recession and being right in the middle of this (possibly insane) decision to get a PhD, I have been dealing with more financial uncertainty than I’m used to. Every once in a while, I scroll through my old accountability updates and try to remind myself that I’ve weather periods of uncertainty just fine…
If you want to study far more effectively then you have come to the right place. This guide will show you how you can make the most of the hours you have, without making you feel as though you are constantly putting hours of effort into something that isn’t going to work for you. Space…
When you’re an adult going back to school, there are plenty of challenges. How do you manage work, family, and school responsibilities all at the same time? How do you find time for studying, homework and projects? How do you balance your personal life with all the demands of being a student again? You…
If you have already dipped your toes into the fast-moving waters of higher education or are preparing to attend, you know that there are factors at play that will help you on your way to collegiate success. They are varied and depend on your unique situation. Read on for some tips on how to be…
Leading up to my first week of school I spent hours Googling, trying to find an answer regarding what my first few days or weeks as a doctoral student were going to be like. I didn’t find much. A few posts, largely from scientists (a massive amount of information out there is geared towards STEM…
Photo courtesy of Unsplash With the cost of a degree getting higher every day, often making it impossible for students to pay for it without taking loans, it’s no surprise that undergraduates are looking toward majors that will help them get a return on their education investment. Paying for college doesn’t just mean paying tuition;…
When I was an undergrad, I had a really awesome design professor and I thought he had the best job. I went to a very small school that had two full time professors (the acting/directing professor and the design professor) and a contract lecturer (management). The two full time professors split teaching the history, literature,…