Angela

How She’s Paying for Her MBA

Fellowships, personal savings, international student loans

Her Story

As a health care management student, Angela received three related fellowships: Kaiser, Hermon West, and Kinney Scholarships. After taking stock of her personal savings, she borrowed 40% of the student budget from Prodigy Finance.

“This is the amount I calculated I needed to be relatively comfortable after discounting saved amount and scholarships,” she said.

Angela wanted to be sure to have money to travel, so she saved money on housing. “To stretch my budget to as many trips as possible during the MBA, I opted to live slightly further from Rittenhouse Square (where most Wharton students live) and pay cheaper rent,” she said.

The downside is that she spent more than she planned on getting around. “I have also spent more on Uber and Lyft than I intended because the semester has been so busy that public transport or walking is not always feasible.”

Her travel budget also took a hit from her Philadelphia experience. “Everyday social life costs a lot!” she said. “I did not budget for the cost of exploring the amazing Philly restaurants one or more times a week.”