juilletmercredi

Versatile PhD also has very valuable advice on STEM fields and has an entire STEM forum, if one deigns to actually enter the site and read it thoroughly. They just recently had a very interesting panel discussion on STEM PhD holders getting jobs in consulting.

Is anyone one continually frustrated and angered by family and friends saying things like this? I'm in my fourth year of a PhD program, and naturally I'm thinking about the job market since I will be on it in the fall. I'm in a social science field that is kind of in the middle - not overflowing with jobs, but not bad either. I'm planning to do a postdoc and then apply for academic positions, or maybe research positions instead/in addition. I've also entertained the idea of acquiring a practical degree that's very related to my research - I do research on mental health and it is one that would allow me to practice - but I'm just toying with it. I'm a very risk-averse person, and the idea of having no job and struggling makes me very anxious. Anyway, whenever I try to bring up these anxieties with friends and family, I keep getting the wholly frustrating response in my subject line. They seem to think that employment is perfectly correlated with education, and that having a PhD means that you'll automatically get whatever job you want. I've mostly given up trying to explain the vagaries of the academic job market because the next statement is always "Don't worry, you're so smart!" I was the "nerd/smart one" in the family, so it's only natural for them to think I am some sort of special case, but *everyone* on the market was an above-average kid in school. I know that they are just trying to make me feel better, but they actually make me feel worse because I'm not getting any real help for my anxiety. I know that I am a worrier and I experience higher levels of anxiety than most, so perhaps I am barking up the wrong tree and should see a therapist (again). But is anyone else frustrated by family being blindly optimistic when you know the truth?

When I got into PhD programs I didn't get the desired reaction either. My mom was happy for me but very unsure - she wasn't sure what the job prospects were like. My dad was opposed, and still is. Last time I went home he was trying to get me to drop out of my program. He seems to misunderstand what I can do - for example, he keeps telling me that since I have an MA I could be a principal, even though I am not in education, do not have a teaching license, do not have an MA in a field that is commonly taught in schools and have absolutely zero desire to teach K-12. The rest of my family just keeps cracking jokes about how I have been in school "forever" (I am 25), asking me when I will graduate, and wondering when I will have children. When you are the first person in your family to get a graduate degree, or one of the few, it can be quite difficult. When the norm is for you to settle down and marry a nice boy, there can be a lot of confusion and even resentment if it seems like you're doing better than the ones who did do that. You just kind of have to take it in stride. Me, after I realized the mixed reactions I got, just minimized the amount of time I talk about school and work with my family. They get one sentence answers and we move onto something else. I save my passion for grad school and academia for those who understand and care.

I had the same thoughts as new_to_kin about locations and your SO selecting your next one - so it's good you thought about that. My second thought is that Option 1 actually seems like a better fit for you and your family, with the simple exception of a bigger short-term problem: relocation. I had the same thought that money is the number one conflict, and that you and your family will be a lot happier if you are not stressing over whether you will have funding for your next year of studies. The second option also has a pretty heavy teaching load - I'm assuming that's TAing 1/1, and not your own class, but never underestimate how time-consuming TAing can be. I did a 1/1 this year and it was a bad decision, IMO, and I am unmarried with no dependents. At Option 2, really it seems the only benefit is that the relocation will be easier, which IMO seems like a short-term gain with a lot of long-term costs. It seems like you will be happier at the Ivy, and that will in turn make your family happier. Graduate school is a draining and sometimes depressing enterprise, and it will be that much easier if you can at least remember that you are somewhere you love studying interesting, groundbreaking things. Moreover, I don't know your personality style - but you don't want to feel resentful 2-3 years down the road in that you didn't choose your 1st choice with better funding and opportunities for you. As to the interdisciplinary question: I'm in an interdisciplinary program. It's run rather like a joint program - one department is a very well established traditional field (psychology) whereas the other is an interdisciplinary field in and of itself (public health). I have LOVED it, and I don't care if I never get an academic job with it, I won't regret choosing it. (In fact, if the reason I don't get an academic job is because I am an interdisciplinary thinker with a strong background in two fields...I don't want that job, since this defines a lot of my scholarship.) I love thinking and researching this way, I love conversing with other students whose disciplinary focus is different than mine but whose research questions are similar, I love strategizing with other scholars who have different approaches to the same problems, and I especially love that my program's emphasis (at least on the public health side) has been learning multiple ways to think about a problem, and multiple angles from which a program should be analyzed. It has made me a stronger thinker and scholar, IMO. But, neither my psychology advisor nor my public health advisor seems to be particularly concerned about my marketability.

What are the chances of you getting funded in subsequent years? How successful have other students in your program been in getting funded beyond their first year? These are the questions I would be asking your PI, and the Director of Graduate Studies if appropriate. My program only provided funding for 3 years, but they have been historically successful wrt their students finding funding for the remaining years through a variety of public and private sources, so I decided to take a risk and come anyway (and indeed, I have funded the remainder of my time here, as has everyone else in my cohort). Edit: Whoops, didn't see that you had decided already. Congratulations on your decision and I really hope it works out for you!

Normally I am a risk averse person, but if the coordinator says they have exhausted the wait list every year and you have until late May to decide on your second-choice program…then I would decline B, and wait for D. $20,000 is actually a very small amount of loans for an MA program. I would take that risk. I also agree with Oregon Gal. I also am working an extra job for the university that provides free housing, for example. Of course there is no guarantee of funding, but I feel like chances can be good.

Before I switched to a Mac, I had lots of success with Toshiba Satellites. You can get an inexpensive but durable Toshiba for around $400, and they have comfortable keyboards and can run Windows programs. The battery life was okay for a PC - 2-3 hours. I had a 13" screen. If you are going to be using it mostly in the office, I would either get a 15" or I would buy an external monitor. I'm also going to second the IdeaPad - I had an IBM IdeaPad way back when before Lenovo bought them out - my first year in college, which was 2004 - and that mf'er is STILL RUNNING. My aunt has it. It's built like a brick, but the Lenovo version are much sleeker.

I was the youngest person in my primary cohort, and one of the youngest people in my secondary cohort. My primary field is also not one that normally accepts people straight out of undergrad. I'm doing just fine I had the same fears, but if they accepted you it's because they thought you had an appropriate background. Do the reading, take your time and build some confidence. As for socializing…that was different. I did hang out with the next oldest person in my cohort, but she had a habit of reminding me how young I was (among other undesirable traits) so we don't hang out much anymore. The other people in my program didn't really have the same recreational interests as me when I was just 22 - so while I would definitely say we were friends and I am still friendly with them all, and we got together for studying and at each other's houses, I sought out a base of friends outside my cohort to party with. The master's students at my institution were closer in age and more diverse racially, so I was able to find some peers who still wanted to party the way I did my first couple years here. Most of my friends are still master's students who are outside of my cohort, but closer in age to me. (Not as much partying, though. Mostly we study together, and chill out.) Jealousy wasn't really a problem, except from the one student who kept reminding me how much of a "baby" I am (really, she was only 3 years older than me, and everyone else in the program was older than her). All of the other students were friendly and welcoming and treated me like an equal. I will say, Ekans is right about the grapevine distorting things. I was never very forthcoming with my age - I would only share if people asked me - but somehow me being 22 and coming straight from undergrad managed to mutate into me being a child prodigy who was a 19-year-old doctoral student. (Seriously. An MPH student I did not know very well asked my name, and when I told her, another MPH student who I knew as an acquaintance told her that I was only 19 and a child prodigy. I have no idea where she got that from. This was also my second or third year in the program, lol.)

I'm a graduate student in NYC. I moved here from Atlanta (grew up in the 'burbs, went to college in the city). I was born in NYC, but I moved out of the city before I was old enough to remember it. My stipend is $30K (12 months) but I make additional money TAing and working as a graduate hall director on campus. The city is nice but I would not live here long-term. I don't have to live in NJ. Rent-controlled apartments pass down through family lines, so unless you have an uncle who has lived in NYC for decades you are unlikely to get one. You can, however, find a rent-stabilized apartment. I lived in upper Manhattan (a neighborhood called Washington Heights) for the first 3 years of my program; I shared a 2 bedroom apartment with one other student. We paid $1800 a month for it. It was relatively large by Manhattan standards, but you can get that when you live uptown. Sometimes I miss it (current place is tiny). Location was perfect for me school-wise, as it was a 10 minute walk from my primary department and a 20-minute subway ride from the main campus. Groceries are expensive everywhere in the city, but if you are so inclined you can carpool to Fairway or Trader Joe's and buy a lot, or even out to Costco. The grocery store 4 blocks from me was ridiculously priced. At the beginning of my fourth year I got a job as a graduate hall director supervising RAs in the res halls (I was an RA in college, and loved it). In exchange for free housing and an extra $5,000 a year I work "20 hours a week" (really comes out to 10-15, I would say) supervising RAs and working on duty. I love the job, and not paying rent means I can afford a lot more. But I also live in a tiny place. I am moving to a slightly less tiny place (sharing a 2-bedroom apartment with another GHD friend instead of living in a single room that undergrads live in) next year, so hopefully I will be happier with my living arrangements. I have not found New Yorkers to be particularly rude or uncouth. Most I have met are simply indifferent, and many are friendly and helpful. They simply do not dislay it in quite the same way Southerners do. My parents are born-and-raised New Yorkers, my entire family is from the Northeast and I grew up in the Northeast until I was about 12 years old, so I'm sort of use to the indifference of Northeasterners/New Yorkers. It is, however, loud and dirty. I think that's one of the reasons I want to move the most - the dirt. I would not do it on a stipend of less than $25,000. Things are quite expensive here. You also have to realize that most New Yorkers live without the amenities that people in other cities expect from their apartments. You definitely won't have a W/D in your apartment, and there might not be laundry in your building. Your closet will be 1/2 to 1/3 the size of a normal closet elsewhere. No carpet. No central air conditioning/or heating - you will buy a window unit air conditioner in the summer and in the winter, you will either use the radiator or purchase a space heater. You will walk outside in 20 degree weather to get to the bus/train. (Buy a good bubble coat.) You will rant at a half-gallon of milk for being so damn expensive. And IMO, the amenities of the city aren't really enough to make up for it. Don't get me wrong - there is LOTS to do here. Much of it is very fun. But there's so much that it's overwhelming, and this is from an adventurer who loves trying new things and gets swept up in novelty. Not to mention that it's all expensive, except for the few museums you can get into with your student discount. I do love summer in New York, though, as there are more free fun things. Summer in New York is wonderful - I always look forward to the summers. Living in New York has shown me that while I do like city life, I am much better suited to a smaller, more manageable city. I don't think it's all bad, and if I had to choose to come here again to do my PhD here in a program I love, I would. I've had great experiences, and more importantly, I love my program. Yes, the living arrangements are a bit cramped, but it's only for a little while. A better fitting program may give you more options later. No roadkill involved.

I've never heard anyone say it but I have lived it. My Rx has never gotten so worse so fast, and my eyes are often sore (either from lack of sleep or staring at a screen so long). That reminds me, I need to make an appointment for the eye doctor because my distance vision is going. And oddly, yes, I have found that the printed page hurts worse than the screen. I can dim my screen to acceptable levels, and my Mac has ambient light adjustments. The problems with books is the word size. Like I said...distance vision is going. I have to hold the book about 3 inches in front of my face to read the words. On my computer I can simply enlarge them. I feel like I'm 60 years old or something.

I don't think the location of your PhD program has any bearing on where you get a job. Assuming that the programs were equal, you would be just as likely to get a job in Florida from Miami as you would from Scripps or Davis. U.S. News rankings are not very useful. Better are NRC rankings and opinions of your professors. Commute - different people will say different things. Personally, I would not want to commute an hour to school - I am a night owl who likes to work in the late afternoons and often stays in the library, or uses print services, or eats at campus haunts at night before skulking home to my on-campus apartment (and I frequently study in my office until 1 am). But I know some people who have a commute that long and don't mind it because they love their neighborhoods. Really, you are listing the wrong information. What's most important is fit, opportunities, resources. Which one of the schools has the best one for you?

You didn't specify your field…but it's possible that you did absolutely nothing wrong. Most graduate programs have more qualified applicants apply than they can accommodate, and sometimes it simply comes down to fit or funding or who's going on sabbatical that year or who's advisor they know. I would say that for many programs, not knowing at this late date does indeed mean you were informally waitlisted. But some programs simply take a long time to decide things.

I am going to agree with Cici Beanz and say that I do not think it is worth it to live in NYC and commute to Newark. It's certainly doable - a monthly student ticket from Newark to Penn Station is $104, which is the same price as an unlimited monthly Metrocard in NYC. I ride NJ Transit frequently and it's quite pleasant; the crowds at Penn Station are not so bad once you get used to them, and there are plentiful trains going back and forth especially during rush hour. Or you could do PATH. But given the cost of living in New York compared to Newark - not worth it, especially not on a graduate stipend. A lot of people have dreams of living in NYC (including myself) but the reality is often far different from the dream. Popular conceptions of NYC don't take into account that those starving artists/young professionals/starry eyed graduate students really don't make enough to really enjoy the city, especially if your graduate stipend is less than about $25,000 a year. That said, given how easy it is to come into Manhattan from Newark, you can easily enjoy everything the city has to offer on the weekends and on an off day without paying the rent premium for living here. For example, NJ Transit + the C train will get you to the Met in about 55 minutes (23 minutes on NJ Transit + 28 minutes on C train). From Columbia, it'll take me about 40 minutes - only 15 minutes less. You're closer than some people in Brooklyn and Queens. As for the person thinking about I-House - I had a friend who lived there for the 3 years you are allowed, and he loved it. For his final years in the PhD program, he's living with 3 friends he met at I-House who have also hit their three year limit - they moved into a 4-bedroom apartment together. I investigated living there my first year, but I think it's ridiculously expensive even for the UWS. A single dorm room, with a sink and without a view, is anywhere from $950 to $1050. And by the looks of them those dorm rooms are tiny. For just a $100-150 more than the high end of that you can get a small studio by yourself in Harlem, Washington Heights or Inwood and not have to share a kitchen and bathroom with an entire corridor of people. And their apartment rates are a bit ridiculous - nearly $1500 to live in a 3-bedroom apartment? You could find a 1-bedroom by yourself for that much. Hell, you could live in a studio or 1-bedroom in Columbia's graduate school housing and not pay that much. That's the average rent for a furnished 1-bedroom there. They have amenities, but a lot of those amenities are part of going to a university anyway. If you go to Columbia and pay the university fee, you get access to the gym there, all of the computer labs on campus. There are many dining options on campus and in the neighborhood, there's free wireless in all of the residence halls at Columbia and laundry rooms in all of them, too. And even if you live in off-campus housing nearby, most NYC buildings have laundry rooms or laundromats close by.

You're not legally obligated to go. Accepting offers is not like signing a contract; even after the April 15 deadline you are not obligated and the school will not go after you for the first year of tuition, although it is considered bad form to withdraw. (Even if you dropped out on the first day of classes, the school is very unlikely to go after you for the first year of tuition.) However, before the April 15 deadline for CGS schools (and many others) it's fair game. You can withdraw and accept a better offer.

My secondary adviser went on sabbatical during my third year of my program. He was here all the time, in his office - he just didn't teach and didn't attend any meetings. He was preparing a book for publication, but he still met with me every other week. The first year is kind of critical, but it's a lot of coursework and just getting started in research. Is there anyone else who can sort of informally mentor you, or will your PoI be around meet with you? Are you the independent type?

Depends on how much you think you can make. The Occupational Outlook Handbook says that the 2010 median pay for SLPs was $66,920 per year, and the job outlook is faster than the average. Most likely you will find a decently-paying job after graduate school. It's generally recommended that you don't borrow more than your first year earnings, so I would say no more than $70,000? There's probably some leeway in that if you live frugally in your first years and pay down your loan quickly, so you may be able to reasonably borrow a little more than that. (Also may be difficult to keep the costs down below $70K if you are already $33K in debt - means you can only borrow $47K, which may only be enough to afford one year. You have to be realistic, too.)

I'm happy. I live in an interesting city, I have a comfortable stipend, I'm working on problems I really like and I can see myself developing into a more independent scholar, capable of maintaining my own research agenda. I'm still passionate about my research, and I'm looking forward to doing a postdoctoral fellowship in about a year and a half's time (I should be finishing up by this time next year). I do have bouts of unhappiness, but I don't think any more than any other young professional (they're pretty standard things: relationship issues, occasionally identity crises, etc.) It was worse when I was still in my classwork, though, and I did have a stretch of rather serious depression. I also think I have some seasonal depression, so I'm much happier now that it's warmer and sunnier. I get kind of miserable during the winter.

The other thing is that you have to get comfortable in who you are and what you are doing. Like others said, it's only natural to compare yourself to others - but if that other person is a superstar, realize that there's a reason for the word "superstar." They're unusual. I, personally, have become content with the fact that I am a great but not superstar-esque graduate student. I also ask my advisor to evaluate my progress periodically and he has no negative comments, instead saying that I am in the right place for my advancement. The more confident and comfortable with your own abilities you become, the less threatened you will feel by someone new doing more work than you. Besides, that person may motivate you to work a little harder. Who knows, you may become friends! Or at least civil colleagues.

I think it's reasonable to have your non-work income (e.g. fellowship/scholarships/bursaries) be non-taxable. Doing your coursework is not "work" like any other person, and it's not really "school" like undergrad was. It's more of an apprenticeship since we are required to learn this stuff in order to do our job! However, RA work and TA work is actual work like "regular people" so it makes sense to tax that. This is pretty much the reason I was getting at. At my university, my fellowship income is counted as both income and financial aid. The entire amount is counted in my financial aid package (which limits the amount of supplementary scholarships and loans I can get/borrow - because of cost of attendance rules) but it's also taxed, so I can't actually use the entire amount of it. This led to some complications during a few years during which they were telling me that my award exceeded the CoA, so I couldn't get paid for TAing (ummm what) or take out additional loans. One could also argue that tax-exempt fellowships are an incentive to encourage people to go into doctoral programs, which can build the science and research workforce and the educated workforce, especially since the administration is always hyping that we need to produce more scientists at a high level to compete with other schools. Graduate students are also often not eligible for a lot of the credits that low-income workers are eligible for, because our income is often not counted as wages (mine is a "stipend" and goes in other income, and not a "wage" with a W-2). I also don't think making our fellowships non-taxable would take away the idea that they are not "real work" - university administrators are going to believe that regardless of whether our stipends are taxed or not, because it is in their best interest to label our work as "not work." Then they don't have to pay us or treat us well. But I do think that the nature of some of work (at least the stuff that's not work for pay, like a research assistantship or teaching assistantship) IS different. For example, I am on an external fellowship, and I am not an employee of the university. I don't think I should be an employee of the university just by virtue of being a graduate student that does research for my own benefit, nor do I think I should be eligible for things like maternity leave - especially since given that I am not an employee, I can arrange my affairs personally with my advisor if I needed to (or take a leave of absence). Even when I was employed by the university as a GRA, it was a half-time appointment (20 hours a week) I think part-time laborers do deserve rights - I believe strongly in labor rights - but they're not going to get the same kind of leave and benefits as full-time university employees. I also do not get to deduct tuition remission. In fact, you cannot deduct tuition remission from your taxes; you can deduct your tuition *payments* if you are paying your own tuition. But you don't get to deduct tuition unless you are actually paying it. If the school pays it, you don't deduct it. Why would you be able to deduct something that you don't pay? In any case, the petition is there - you don't have to sign it, if you don't want to. (Not that I'm stifling discussion, but I don't have an answer to "Why should I sign it?" That's a personal decision.)

As far as I know, social work salaries don't range into the low six figures, which is what you'll have to borrow to attend NYU. I think the tuition is about $40K alone, and then you're going to have to borrow at least $20K for living expenses. That's $120K over two years. How are you going to pay that back? The University of Washington is a great school, and although your university ties do have some bearing on location of job, they don't tie you to a specific location. You can always move to NYC after finishing your MSW, and you'll be a lot happier if you don't have a huge dragon of debt on your shoulder. Long term, your experiences will matter more than where your graduate degree comes from. If you go to UW, and you start working at - let's say - Seattle's child services department, and you establish a 5-year history there - your next placement is likely going to hire you mostly on the strength of your experiences at that child services department. Your prior degree will be a factor - but like I said, UW is a great school and you don't have to worry about it being some unknown MSW program. I also think that in most fields, people are aware of the strengths of certain schools not in their area. Social work may be a more localized field, but I think the need for social workers is so great that if you are properly licensed and come from a decent school, you can find work. Coming from a great school? I don't think you have to worry. I'd go to UW. I would not go $120,000 into debt for an MSW from NYU.

I don't think that your question should be "what are my chances?" but instead, "should I be applying to grad school?" With your current GPA, I'd say, "no." Even if you do somehow find a school that will accept you with a 2.35 GPA, if you could only manage a 2.35 in undergrad you're likely going to fail out of grad school pretty quickly. I disagree. That was 7 years ago. Lots of people have an unsuccessful first attempt at college because they didn't apply themselves and then get on track later. It would be one thing if OP were just graduating from college this year and was getting Bs and Cs, but 7 years is a long time to change. But taking classes was what I was going to suggest - take some non-degree graduate classes in international affairs to prove that you can succeed in graduate level classes. I would not do a second bachelor's, as that seems a waste of money. You want to prove that you can succeed in graduate level classes, so take some of those.

You can probably get a letter from the dean of your original school saying that you have successfully completed all requirements for the baccalaureate degree and will officially receive the degree this August.

If I saw grades from 20 years ago that were bad, and then a more recent record that was very good including some publications and strong research experience, I would assume that this was a person who has matured over time into a strong candidate. Maybe initially they weren't ready for school or something happened the first time they were in school that disrupted their abilities - but that was 20 years ago, and their most recent efforts are stellar with grade turnout. Especially if the first degree was unrelated to my master's program field, they'd be almost irrelevant. So I would focus primarily on the grades from the current degree. I would wager that a .01 difference in GPA doesn't matter even for Harvard, Caltech, or Berkeley (or the equivalent). They're also going to be more focused on LORs and personal statements, as well as research experience.

I had a 3.4 GPA and I'm in a top 20 program in my field... Your exact cumulative GPA is of secondary importance to other things - your major GPA, how you did in specific foundational courses in your field, your research experiences, and your letters of recommendation. If you have strong letters from professors doing continuous research in your field and have strong a research background, and you have a compelling SoP that outlines why you are a perfect fit for the department - a 3.5 GPA indicates success in your previous curriculum and so those things will become more important and will weigh in your favor.

They don't work that way. If the school offers funding to someone who turns down their offer, they can usually offer that funding to someone else if the funding belongs to the department. Sometimes if it's a *university* fellowship and their top choice for it turns it down, they can lose that. But usually the department doesn't lose any money if someone rejects them.