Columbia ME PhD, no funding yet

[couchpotato]

I got a tough decision here. Last week Columbia accepted me to their Mechanical Engineering PhD program(I am having my master this summer), but didn't say anything about funding. I've been trying to email the professors there, hoping they could offer me a RA/TA position. Apparently, I have been ignored..(no reply since last Tuesday). All my friends seem more excited than I do, saying I should go for it even without funding, but i am still debating. Since the tuition and living expenses together is a huge number, should I go? Does the ME program in Columbia worth it?

Also, I applied to 6 other schools, haven't heard anything from them yet...(worried)

Thanks for your opinion

[Europeanbaba]

I got a tough decision here. Last week Columbia accepted me to their Mechanical Engineering PhD program(I am having my master this summer), but didn't say anything about funding. I've been trying to email the professors there, hoping they could offer me a RA/TA position. Apparently, I have been ignored..(no reply since last Tuesday). All my friends seem more excited than I do, saying I should go for it even without funding, but i am still debating. Since the tuition and living expenses together is a huge number, should I go? Does the ME program in Columbia worth it?

Also, I applied to 6 other schools, haven't heard anything from them yet...(worried)

Thanks for your opinion

I am quite in the same situation as you. I have been accepted to their ME phD program (masters leading to PhD track which is basically a phD) via Postal Letter. They wrote that they will notice us funding later... I emailed the staff but no answer. Are you an international student? It seems quite unlikely that we got into the program without funding as we are doing a PhD there .. meaning research for them!

[couchpotato]

I am quite in the same situation as you. I have been accepted to their ME phD program (masters leading to PhD track which is basically a phD) via Postal Letter. They wrote that they will notice us funding later... I emailed the staff but no answer. Are you an international student? It seems quite unlikely that we got into the program without funding as we are doing a PhD there .. meaning research for them!

yes, i'm in the same shoe as you. I have been trying to email them, but they never reply back... my friends were telling me that i should def go to CU, but I doubt it. I cannot imagine doing a PhD without funding....(sigh)

hopefully there will be some good news for both of us before 4/15