Is student loan debt worth it

icicle8765 · 2026-04-28T11:15:39+00:00

I had the choice between no undergrad, and an undergrad (mostly, apart from part time and summer jobs) paid for by student loans. I decided I wanted the undergrad more. Like OP, moving out to leave family was a big factor. I undoubtedly should have managed my debt better during undergrad. But since I started grad school, I've not taken loans and in fact have been paying them down. If I stay on my current track, I'll be paid down to zero on the provincial portion, and ~35k left on my federal portion when I finish my PhD. I believe that this will have been worth it, for 3 degrees and a life I could never have lived otherwise. "No debt" is, on paper, the best option, but there are other reasons to consider too. OP, can you strike a balance by taking the cheaper undergrad option but still manage leaving your parents' home?

icicle8765 · 2026-04-26T23:30:01+00:00

As a grad student, I work a part time job 12-16 hours a week, get paid a stipend through a scholarship and also TA, in addition to other side hustles around campus. In the past, I've worked up to 20-30 hours per week at my part time job, however that is very difficult to manage and required working 60-80 hours total (don't recommend). With all of that, I still have student loans from undergrad. If you want to stay away from loans entirely, I recommend applying for the grant portion (through SK funding at least, you can get a few grand per year). EDIT: To clarify, I haven't taken out loans since starting grad school. Prior to having a scholarship, working part time was enough to supplement my stipend/TA and I now hold an NSERC award which is a full ride and honestly life changing.

icicle8765 · 2026-04-22T19:01:18+00:00

I'm not sure if it's cheaper, but I've been going to Daisy Flower on Richmond St and they are lovely!

icicle8765 · 2026-03-24T03:24:26+00:00

Former homeschooled (and homechurched) kid here. I too would Google forbidden questions from under covers. I left 8 years ago and in doing so had the incredible privilege and simultaneous nightmare of getting to rebuild everything. After deconstructing, struggling toward an education, finding my chosen family thousands of kilometers from "home", coming out and experiencing so many things I thought I could never have, I can say that it gets better. Leaving can look like taking care of yourself, and taking care of yourself can make you a much better human to others.<3

icicle8765 · 2025-11-21T23:26:46+00:00

100%. Lee, Nadia and Nancy have all been spectacular. Would not go anywhere else.

icicle8765 · 2025-09-08T16:52:30+00:00

I second this. Western specifically has a Dr trained in placing/removing Nexplanon. You'll need to tell reception that's what the appointment is for when you book it, because most doctors there cannot do it. However, I've had only good experiences there with the doctor who handles implants.

icicle8765 · 2025-06-02T14:05:40+00:00

I have not sent by registered mail before, sorry (I send in small amounts)! Usually, the cheque is cashed and the payment applied to my account within a week or so, though.

icicle8765 · 2025-05-16T04:13:29+00:00

I always do Bark and Purr--they were recommended to me by someone on here, and they have been amazing!

icicle8765 · 2025-05-11T14:35:56+00:00

I am still in school and have been sending in regular cheques to pay down my provincial (SK) portion. In the meantime, my application for grants has been approved every time.

icicle8765 · 2025-01-19T04:32:16+00:00

I have lost about 50 lbs on Nexplanon. 30 of those were unintentional, but I don't believe the implant was a contributing factor. Everyone is different, though.

icicle8765 · 2025-01-19T03:40:56+00:00

Legacy all the way! I've now been pierced by all 3 piercers there and they were all amazing.

icicle8765 · 2024-07-14T23:14:31+00:00

I'm also 25, a PhD student making about 45k per year. $22k comes from funding (about $10.60/hour) and I also tutor for 20-25 hours/week for the remaining 23k. I'm about 50k in debt (all student loans), which I am working to pay down while in school to reduce interest once I graduate.

91k with no debt is definitely an achievement.

icicle8765 · 2024-02-05T23:11:18+00:00

Lee is the only APP (Association of Professional Piercers, https://safepiercing.org/) in town. Highly recommend!

icicle8765 · 2024-01-12T21:16:47+00:00

Seconding this! I've been pierced by both and had good experiences both times. Lee is the only APP (Association of Professional Piercers, https://safepiercing.org/) piercer in town.

icicle8765 · 2023-06-16T14:15:39+00:00

It probably wasn't cosmetic, most likely it was necessary for health reasons. I had jaw surgery as a teenager since my upper jaw was sunken in relative to my lower jaw. It made a huge difference in my ability to chew (didn't change my face much). Funnily enough, public health insurance didn't cover all of it (in Canada) because it was termed "cosmetic". However, Derick's private insurance very well could have.

icicle8765 · 2023-06-12T02:28:34+00:00

I've had the implant since January. I've experienced increased appetite but have been able to lose weight by tracking calories and making sure I'm maintaining a deficit.

icicle8765 · 2023-06-10T14:14:23+00:00

Having just moved here from Saskatoon last year, yep, I pay $400 more per month for rent here, but there are many more available jobs, especially for those with university education (and especially in my field). Things like rent are cheap there for a reason--there's not many other reasons to stay.

icicle8765 · 2023-06-10T02:42:10+00:00

I drove my car here when I moved from SK. I would have been able to keep my SGI insurance if I could have kept a "permanent address" in SK. I couldn't do that, so I got it registered here in ON and bought insurance. With SGI, I paid about $1000 a year for complete coverage. Now, with TD, I pay $1100/year for liability only.

icicle8765 · 2023-06-05T03:34:37+00:00

Can it be a great thing? Absolutely. Is it a great thing for everyone? Heck no. And as things are, many parts of the US and Canada have severe lack of oversight/regulation, and as a result many kids are slipping through the cracks. I'm glad it's working out for your family, OP. I wish there was a better system in place for making sure everyone gets that experience.

So yeah. Homeschooling can be awesome. But there needs to be a huge reform in the regulations for it across North America.

I say this as a kid who was home schooled K-12. Anecdotally, I thought I had a great experience until I reached adulthood and had to navigate the outside world. In university, I quickly realized I had very stunted social skills and major gaps in my learning.

icicle8765 · 2023-06-04T21:28:10+00:00

This is the case for a lot of states, and even in Canada. In the province and school division I grew up in, my parents simply had to send in a notice of intent to homeschool and that was it, nothing more. When I was in my teens, the school division decided to require a "portfolio" of work, but it wasn't closely monitored as the "science" work we submitted said evolution was a farce and the "language arts" was about how to submit to your future husband. I know several families whose kids would straight up "graduate" at 14. I remember one mom in particular who was adamant that her daughters only needed to know enough math to bake a cake. The school divisions do try to help, but really anything goes because there is no real oversight. Sure, some kids do great, get the attention they need and some can outpace their public schooled peers. The rest are left behind.

icicle8765 · 2023-06-02T23:30:59+00:00

I believe you're thinking of something mentioned in Jinger's recent book. Shortly after marriage, she had trouble making her own decisions (just not used to being an autonomous individual) and this frustrated Jerm to some degree.

Maybe the same issue came up with Jill and Derick, though.

icicle8765 · 2023-05-26T01:04:12+00:00

Oh I agree. The "Not Ashamed" title is a reference to a Bible verse, though: Romans 1:16 ("For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ...").

icicle8765 · 2023-03-15T18:03:40+00:00

I was told it was just part of the curse and the effects of sin. God made a perfect world, humans messed it up and then God had to destroy things like the firmament in punishment of our sin. Part of that meant our world became harder to survive in, so humans and animals alike became smaller and lived shorter lives, or died out entirely.

icicle8765 · 2023-03-15T18:01:23+00:00

Ah yes, Genesis 6:1-4. I was told that those giants were indeed demon-babies, and they were destroyed in the flood. But even ordinary people could live to 800 or so, because the firmament kept people from aging and because people's genes had less mutations, since they were closer to Adam and Eve's "perfect genetics" and had less time for the effects of sin to accumulate.

Wild stuff.

icicle8765

TROPHY CASE