rising_star

It could be a stepping stone to a funded PhD, but there are lots of other stepping stones that won't require going into as much, if any, debt. For example, getting more research experience, improving your GRE, taking a graduate course in your area of interest and doing well in it, improving your writing sample, etc.

Don't let the money sway you! Seriously. $17K/year is nowhere near $2K/month, unless you're planning on having outside work during the summer to supplement your income. Yes, it's ~$2K/month for 9 months, but rent and your need to eat don't stop just because classes have ended. Also, I think you're looking at the UF offer the wrong way. Really, it's $8.5K + $5K so $13.5K for your first year then goes up to $14K for the second year. You should think of the fellowship to help with moving as part of your overall financial package. And, given that and that you won't have to pay state income taxes in FL, the two stipends are actually very, very similar. In other words, Go Gators! At least in terms of money. Everyone else has already covered the research and faculty reasons for going to UF and they're right about those too.

This wasn't my experience at all. People were genuinely interested in where I was going, wished me luck, and have kept in touch with me. I see them annually at the major conference and they always ask me how things are going, what I'm doing research on, etc. YMMV obviously but, I had nothing but well wishes when I turned schools down. I always told them where I was going. My discipline is relatively small and people wanted to know. Even if I hadn't said, they would know as soon as I went to a conference. And some want to know so they can have a sense of where their program stands to applicants.

How much is tuition at school #2? If you can afford to take out the loans and pay them back in your intended career, then I guess you could go to school 2. But, I would go to the first school since it's offering some funding AND it has hired someone in your area of interest. The best way to figure out whether or not you want to do research is to give it a try.

Without a guarantee of funding that will be enough to survive (which $10K minus $7K for tuition is not!), I wouldn't go. Defer, beef up your application, and apply again.

I never visited the program where I'm now doing my PhD, though I did visit four other programs that accepted me with funding. What's great about going on those visits is that I still run into those people every year at the national meeting and have great conversations with them.

Duplicate post. See here:

I totally agree with everyone about seeing if you can either move with your advisor or if he can still serve as advisor while at the new university. If neither of those pans out, then you need to seriously evaluate your situation and employment prospects given who would become your advisor, the amount of advising and assistance you would receive, and whether that will lead you on the trajectory you want. If the answer is that you can still get where you want, then you'll be fine and should stay where you are. If the answer is that you won't be able to get what/where you want, then you probably need to find a new program.

I'm with jullietmercedi. I have the time to take as many big trips as I want (or, I did before I was under the pressure to finish my dissertation quickly). I typically take 1 week off at Christmas, 2-3 weeks in May/June, and then maybe another trip in the summer to go visit friends if I have the time/money. This year, the May/June trip will probably only be one week, and then I'll go see my sister for a week in July hopefully. Part of the reason I can go on these trips is because I have free places to stay, which definitely helps cut down on the cost.

I live alone. I spend probably $200/month on groceries and then another $75-100 on eating and drinking out normally. I save money by avoiding coffee shops (I don't drink coffee anyway), never eating breakfast or lunch outside of my house, and cooking for myself whenever possible. I go to my department's happy hour almost every week, plus play a pub quiz once a week, which accounts for most of my eating and drinking out spending. I try to go to places I like when they are having sales/coupons/specials/discounts. Like a restaurant near me has started doing a Monday night special where you can get a burger and a pint for $8, so I'll go there with a couple of friends.

This is going to sound crazy but, one of the best grad school roommates I ever had was a college senior finish ze's degree in education. Ze was basically never home and was really mature. We're still friends today, 6 years later. Some of the people in my department live together and they've never had a problem with it. I think that's because our department is kinda large (80+ students) and they have different interests so, other than the 2 required courses, they don't really take any classes together. The one time I did live with someone in my program, we had similar interests so we saw each other in the office, at home, and in class, which was a bit much to be honest. But really, YMMV and it all depends on finding someone whose lifestyle is compatible with yours.

FYI- Do not use Uhaul for truck rentals long distance. Google it if you want. But everyone I know that has used Uhaul for anything other than an in-town move has some sort of disaster story. One of my closest friends still gets angry thinking about the time she was stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere Texas when the Uhaul broke down and the company didn't want to send anyone to pick them up or tow the truck.

This is really field specific. Guys in my field usually wear khakis or maybe dress pants and a polo shirt. If they're feeling fancy, they'll go with a long-sleeved button-up shirt. I don't usually see anyone in blazers, to be honest. And, when I do, I and many other people think they are trying too hard. When they aren't presenting, guys wear khakis and a polo, decent jeans and a button-up shirt, etc. Footwear ranges from Chacos/Teva sandals (on non-presenting days, but sometimes faculty present in them), closed toe shoes, dress shoes (rare), and boots (depends on where the conference is, the weather, and the person). Some poeple, including my former department chair, wear cowboy boots basically daily, along with black/dark jeans, and a loose fitting long-sleeved button up shirt. Girls in my field tend to dress as fuzzylogician described. Some wear blazers or cardigans when they present but most stick with dress pants and a button-down or other nice shirt. For days when they aren't presenting, they wear khakis, dresses, skirts, basically whatever can be described as a bit professional. Flat shoes are definitely common, and aren't surprising when you consider how much walking there often is at conferences. Some people do wear heels but that's a personal choice more than anything else. All this is to say that I am not in a field where most people dress super-formally. We're an outdoorsy discipline based on fieldwork and/or spending hours designing and running computer models/programs, so people definitely do not typically wear suits to our conference (or at any other time outside of their job interview).

My current department is a bit of a mess and I can tell you that I strongly encourage visiting students to rethink whether or not they really want to come here. Now, I'm not at Calgary and we aren't in the same field but the same advice applies. Get out of UBC while you still can.

Well, do you want to be employed in whatever the joint field is at school B? Can you see yourself teaching intro courses in that field year after year and being happy? If so, then go to B. If not, go to A.

Are they really giving you the same amount of money? The cost of living in NYC is much higher than it is in Durham...

In my field, pretty much everyone enters the Ph.D. with a MA (there are like 3 departments that are exceptions to this) and PhD funding packages are 4 years.

I think I was student #12 when I came and #13 started in the spring. Now, we're not a lab based group so there weren't those sorts of space issues. There were/are issues, however, with getting personal attention. Basically, it ebbs and flows based on where you are in the program and based on the overall set of student needs. In my case, I have to be proactive if I really need help with something since it's unlikely my advisor will notice. This works fine for me since I don't mind working independently but, it can also be frustrating when you actually do need feedback to have to wait several weeks to get a meeting. I hope that makes sense.

I prefer SugarSync to Dropbox, though I realize I'm probably in the minority on this.

In my department, one class if you're teaching as instructor of record. Varies if you're just grading. If you're leading discussion sections or labs, then it's the equivalent of 4 hours/week with those students.

The order is B then A, if necessary, then C, again only if necessary.

Yes, you're being silly. Go to School A!!!

I feel like I make nothing at all compared to most of the people posting here. We make ~$15K/year after taxes and not counting any summer TA or research positions. It's fine. I, and most others, can afford to live alone, go out for drinks once a week, eat out once or twice a week, etc. I used to tutor part-time when I was still doing coursework but don't have the time anymore. So, I just make do with what I earn.

Why not start by taking additional sociology courses before you graduate?

School B, without a doubt.