ddsrph

Plus there is so much financial aid if you research it and on campus work study or teaching assistant positions. I saw a recent news blurb where a young female college freshman made scholarship application an obsession and rounded up 250k in scholarships

Rose tea

You can get your masters degree in the US or in the UK, certainly - but consider the benefit ot having a degree from a regional university rather than a degree from even a very well recognised UK one (no one here cares about my UK degree at all, only the US ones). Also consider the advantage of having experience with particular populations which are more numerous in California, such as undocumented immigrants, first gen youth, Hispanic and Southeast Asian clients. Also the bonus of having work experience in some of the clinics where you might want to work. US job markets can be very networky. Almost every job I've had here has been the result of a recommendation, or someone being a friend of a friend (obviously this can be very field-specific).

Do you know how much money you'll actually need for a US-based masters instead of a UK one? Have you looked up the cost of a degree at a state university, for the resident tuition rate? Eligible scholarships? As a green card holder you'd also be eligible for American student loans. Despite the horror stories, not everyone has six figures of loan debt. My US-based student loan for my masters from 2017 is almost the same amount to the penny as my UK undergraduate loan from 2001. My other US-based degree was paid for entirely by my employer, which was the university where I was studying. Some staff perks in the US can be great.

I'm not sure why this would happen, so I wouldn't worry about it. You're 20 and have ample time to retrain, re-educate, or move fields in your life. It's likely that, as a newlywed in a new country, you'd be unemployed for a while anyway, while you navigate the job market and your options. And that's not even factoring in our post-Covid imploded nightmare of an economy. A degree isn't the worst thing to start off doing.

Obviously, I can't say which route is best for you. The best thing you can do is have real numbers for the purpose of making comparisons.

ddsrph

Rose Tea
I see you live in New Mexico. I
like New Mexico, lived in Albuquerque to attend UNM. Got my BS in Pharmacy there in 77.

Rose tea

Ah, a rare find around here. Hope you can make it out for visits.

It's changed a lot in even the time I've lived here - I found photos of my in-laws' house from when it was built (1970) and there's nothing but open land around them. Now, you can drive for miles in any direction from them and still be firmly in the city.

ddsrph

I would probably barely recognize the place. I plan to take a long road trip when the virus is over. I bet UNM has changed a lot also.

Rose tea

I live nearby and walk the dogs up there at the weekend. It seems as though every time I go, there's a new building going up.

ddsrph

I lived in the Cidadel apartments when I lived there. I just looked online and they still go by that name. They were managed by a young British couple as I recall. I think they were on University Ave and fairly close to UNM.

steveq

We own a house in the south of NM, and our son is at school at New Mexico Tech. It would be neat to meet up next time Lizzyq and I swing through.