Has any study been done on the effect of student loan debt and whether undergraduates decide to continue to grad school or do research? When I think back, I almost certainly would have gone into a computational neuroscience research track if I didn't have debts worrying me or if I was as sure I could pay them off doing research as working professionally as a software engineer.
The particulars may be different for others, but I have a hunch others made similar choices. There are, undoubtedly, a number of other factors influencing decisions like that, but I'd submit that personal finances are bound to be a major one.
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