I've got a PhD admission in mechanical engineering last week. No hint of funding in the letter, I asked the admission office and heard
Dear OOO,
Congratulations on your acceptance to Columbia University. The Mechanical Engineering department will contact you to let you know if you have been awarded departmental financial assistance. However, please rest assured that typically our PhD students receive full and adequate support.
Best,
Office of Graduate Student Affairs
But I wasn't sure about it, so asked the department. They said support is not offered in this case. WTH?? What now? What am I supposed to do? Any external sources I can apply as an international?