Back to School...but where?

I have recently been thinking about my need to go back to school to complete my degree. I have not really considered where I would like to attend school but I have had an interesting suggestion, Montreal. My best friend has attended college in Montreal for a few years now and she offered up the suggestion after I made an off hand comment about moving there (several people I know have moved there recently). It caught me by surprised when she suggested that I take my son and relocate to Canada. Nikki has always been my voice of reason and voices of reason usually don't suggest you pick up and move to another country. They especially don't when you told them earlier in that same conversation that your ex is moving to that same city.

I'm not one to ignore big, glaring signs and this was a sign to, at the very least, consider it. The biggest thing holding me back in this venture is finances. American financial aid will only cover so much. Even if I decide to stay in the lower 48, the far more practical decision, I will still need to take at least year off from work to complete the last leg of my degree. Unfortunately, this is not only an enormous expense but one that I would need the semester's worth of up front.

Of course, saving the money I'm currently making is the first step but will only cover a book or one credit of tuition. I simply don't have enough income. The next place to look is student loans, which I already have. The problem is there is a maximum amount on student loans. Besides, drowning in debt for a history degree is not the smartest course. Scholarships are on my to do list. I am hoping I can find some that I qualify for and they make a dent in my overall cost. It will have to wait until I have decided when and where this will all happen.

I haven't decided if Montreal is the place for me but it is on the list. It is a beautiful city I've been told, I speak conversation French and where better for a kid to gain a different world perspective and learn another language than another country. I'll be researching some other, more reasonable choices as well. I'll just have to see how this plays out.