bonegirl

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments. I meet with my graduate advisor this week and will keep you posted!

After 20 years of adjunct teaching, researching and publishing with only a Master's degree in my field, I have decided to go for my PhD. Happily, I was admitted to the PhD program of my choice, with guaranteed funding for years 2,3,4. This includes a yearly tuition waiver and $20,000 TA-ship, but NO funding for year 1. I am so grateful for the funding that was offered, but I was naive enough to think that a PhD would be fully funded! The University is 2 hours from my house, so my plan was to relocate (which requires selling my house and moving my family), but now with no funding for the first year, my plan must change. Should I ask for a deferral? (This would be so frustrating bc I just want to dig in!) Or, should I ask my advisor for a part-time arrangement and commute 2-3x/week? (This would be grueling, but save me a ton of money and hassle). I could then relocate for year 2 and be full-time. How common is it for a program to grant part-time status to a PhD, even if self-funded? I am afraid if I ask for this part-time accommodation, the committee might just move to the next student on the waitlist. Also, what is the dynamic in a department between the funded and self-funded grad students? Last, does this mean that the department is "trying me out" for the first year because their confidence in my success is low? Thank you for your input!