Stevie K

I was offered a graduate assistant ship and tuition waiver for 5 years. The GA salary amount was much lower than I was expecting, and I'm worried about making ends meet. I decided to contact some current students and ask them if what I was offered was the standard offer (I'm sensitive about his because I was offered admission after being on the wait-list, so I'm afraid I was offered less than everyone else), and if they think that it is enough to get by. While I received forthcoming responses from all of them, I'm worried of "stepping on people's toes," and alienating them before I even meet them. As an incoming student, is it appropriate to ask current students about funding?

I'll be starting in Anthropology at UMN in the fall. A friend of mine familiar with Minneapolis said that housing is relatively easy to find, and that if you start looking in May/June for an August move-in, that should be more than enough time. I'd be interested in getting a house/larger apartment with other incoming students to keep costs down (ideally looking for $450 or less).