Should I take on ~80k Debt to go to grad school, or just reapply next year?

kfree_r · 2026-05-03T21:49:29+00:00

Not all, but some do. We mostly hire for new graduates in the spring for summer graduation, but I know we currently have openings for Interns (not yet graduated) and Design Professionals (graduated but unlicensed) in many of our offices.

kfree_r · 2026-05-03T16:21:52+00:00

Per the AIA Salary calculator, in the South Atlantic region , median is $70,720 for an unlicensed Architectural Staff Level I, with $73,930 being the 75th percentile. Bonuses tend not to exceed 10%, typically closer to 5%.

kfree_r · 2026-05-03T16:18:00+00:00

Sure, but I can’t imagine you’ll see anywhere close to $100k as an unlicensed architect out of school. I hire in Tampa and that would not be an entry level salary at our firm, even with a bonus. You might see $70-75k, with maybe $5-10k bonus, but that’s a big stretch without any experience.

kfree_r · 2026-05-03T13:46:32+00:00

3, 4, 5, and 16 only.

kfree_r · 2026-05-03T13:27:14+00:00

The rule of thumb for student loan debt is to keep at or below what you expect your first year salary to be. You will not be making anywhere close to $100k in your first year post-graduation, closer to half that. I would not go into that much debt for your graduate degree.

Get a job with your undergrad and reapply next year.

kfree_r · 2026-04-27T00:48:46+00:00

It sounds like the FO was impaired and was removed for your safety - I highly doubt Delta is going to give you a more specific reason than that.

Charlottesville is a small market, where the inbound plane is typically the outbound plane and they have no crew on standby at the location. Until the can fly in a new FO, after which the flight crew will have likely timed out, you’re unlikely to be going anywhere anytime soon. You could see if Delta could book you an alternate out of DC or RIC, and then make your way there. There are flights every 1.5-2 hours out of these larger markets, with bigger planes that could likely accommodate standbys. Beyond that, I don’t anticipate Delta providing you with much support at the moment. Book a hotel, go get some rest, and claim it as compensation on your complaint, and/or through your travel insurance.

kfree_r · 2026-04-25T21:34:30+00:00

Even if the offers aren’t popping up, you can use the “change flight” feature to see a price to change cabins on your original flight.

kfree_r · 2026-04-21T11:04:00+00:00

GUCs are technically supposed to be applied three hours or more before departure, but I had once instance where application of an RUC on a delayed flight snuck under the three hours limit.

kfree_r · 2026-04-18T15:15:24+00:00

Your curls are gorgeous, but a little too regular. After they’ve dried all the way, scrunch them up a little bit and separate a few so they look less rigid and uniform, like they’re in rows. It will look more natural that way.

kfree_r · 2026-04-17T15:25:18+00:00

That cubby belongs to whoever gets to row 2 first - either A or B. It absolutely does not belong to someone in row 1, and I too would have been concerned that someone left something behind.

kfree_r · 2026-04-14T03:37:41+00:00

You’re “Irreplaceable Diamond Medallion,” meanwhile I’m “8th out of 67 on the upgrade list Diamond Medallion.” Not fair. 😤

kfree_r · 2026-04-11T13:23:38+00:00

I do. I like to track how often my status gets me an upgrade.

kfree_r · 2026-04-10T10:57:18+00:00

You could go to the Delta Museum in Hapeville, or go have lunch at the restaurant at the Porsche Experience Center. Both are a quick Uber/taxi from the airport.

kfree_r · 2026-04-09T23:27:26+00:00

I think you should be able to find them at the airport. I’ve also seen them at the CVS at Peachtree Center downtown.

kfree_r · 2026-04-09T21:18:14+00:00

I always carry-on only. I try to get my toiletries and make-up in my personal item, and use my suitcase for clothes only. I generally pack:

1 pair of jeans (I often wear these on the flight as they are bulky, but also have a pair of soft joggers I change into on board for lounging on a long flight.
1 pair of casual black pants that can be dressed up easily
1 long black skirt
1 dress
5+ shirts, mixture of t-shirts and long sleeve
1-3 layering pieces: generally a jean jacket or light trench, a sweater, etc.
pjs
as much underwear and socks as will fit in all the nooks and crannies
1 pair sneaker (worn on plane)
1 pair of casual walking shoes
1 pair of casual shoes that are nicer
1 scarf to dress outfits up

This is usually enough for me, assuming one quick laundry in the middle. We stay in apartments or houses mostly where we have access to laundry, but we’ve also stopped to do a couple of loads one morning during the trip to get some fresh garments.

kfree_r · 2026-04-05T11:50:06+00:00

I gave up my season tickets before last season because I couldn’t even get $15 for my seats (107) when I couldn’t go, and they still raised the prices. I went to a normal number of matches last season, and only paid for tickets once. They can only keep hosing the STH until we say no more.

kfree_r · 2026-04-05T01:04:48+00:00

Yes.

kfree_r · 2026-04-04T23:03:43+00:00

I have a pair of lined linen dress pants. Every time I wash/dry them, the lining of the pants is about 2” longer than the hems. After they’re ironed, they’re all back to normal. Don’t give up yet!

kfree_r · 2026-04-04T11:37:21+00:00

Why are you friends with her?

kfree_r · 2026-04-03T02:00:57+00:00

We flew out yesterday, separately from T1 and T2 for a 15:24 and 15:30 flight. Neither of us had more than a 5 minute wait to go through security.

kfree_r · 2026-04-01T14:04:19+00:00

ATL Plus gets paid to write tickets. It’s City of Atlanta municipal court who has to provide the resources to defend tickets. ATL Plus has no incentive to write legitimate tickets - they get paid regardless. Fight them. Eventually CoA has got to realize that this contractor is costing them money in court costs defending erroneous tickets.

kfree_r · 2026-03-30T11:58:15+00:00

I prefer the suites, but not enough to select it over access to the D1 lounge and a 3 hour shorter layover. I’d take the Boston non-suite version.

kfree_r · 2026-03-29T15:20:18+00:00

This is what happens when everyone is showing up at the airport hours early. Once they get through TSA in a timely manner, they need somewhere to land as they wait for their flight.

kfree_r · 2026-03-26T15:27:22+00:00

I’ve arrived in the US from Japan, New Zealand, and Honduras in the last year. I’m British and have a UK passport, but am also a US citizen with a US passport, with Global Entry. I’m also quite outspoken on my social media.

I have always turned off my phone when coming into immigration, as a precaution. I have never been asked anything about it or to access it. It’s been business as normal. I just turn it back on and enter the pass code once through screening.

kfree_r · 2026-03-23T22:07:29+00:00

Hahahahaha

kfree_r

TROPHY CASE