Ph.D with Not Enough Funding

[mr.oykot]

I have been accepted to two Ph.D programs so far and deciding which one I should attend. Or I should say, I am debating if I should just follow my heart... I'll list pros and cons about the two programs below:

School A (Small Private University)

Funding - R.A. ($20,000/year) + Tuition ($10,000) for 2 years (ALL from my POA's research grant)

[pros]

- My potential advisor and his research group's research best fit my research background and interests

- Potential advisor is well regarded in his research areas

- Potential advisor is very easy going and considerate (based on phone and email conversations)

- Relatively less coursework which allows me to advance to candidacy quickly while being able to spend more time on research

- Small Program (Low Faculty-Student Ratio)

- School location and weather

[cons]

- Tuition costs about $35,000/year (!) so my funding cannot even cover my tuition

- Living cost

- School reputation not as good as School B

School B (Large Public University)

Funding - R.A. ($10,000/year) + Full Tuition Waiver OR Instructorship (Not T.A., 12,000/year) with Full Tuition Waiver OR No Funding (still possible)

[pros]

- School Reputation

- Living Cost (very cheap) & No debt

- Large Program (Alumni Network)

[cons]

- Not sure if I'm a good fit for the program

- No interest in the assigned advisor's research. Will need to find a new advisor

- Heavy course load

- Teach 3 classes/year, if teaching position given

- School location & weather....

Obviously, School A is my top choice and I really raelly want to go; however, as everyone will surely point out, I am afraid of going to a Ph.D w/o full funding (Just FYI, I have no debt on CC, Cars, Mortgage, Educational Loan, etc.) Well, considering the amount my PA is willing to give me from his own grant (RA for $20,000 + Tuition $10,000), the financial package from School A is not that too bad, I believe. But, neither the University nor the department can waive my tuitions..... Do you guys think I would be stupid should I just follow my heart, while having a chance of fully funded from School B? Or is it wise to take an offer from School B? Any inputs/advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Edited March 24, 2010 by mr.oykot

[instinct71]

- Not sure if I'm a good fit for the program

- No interest in the assigned advisor's research. Will need to find a new advisor

- Heavy course load

Are you straight out of UG or have you worked for a while ? Do you have prior research experience in your field of interest? It might be better to go through some course-work if the answers to the above questions are no. You can also choose your advisor while you do some of these courses.

However, if you already share a very good rapport with your School A prof., and you are pretty sure about your field/sub-field, then it would be more sensible to go to school A. Have you worked with him before ? Also, if School B doesn't have faculty active in your research area (?), then School A would be the choice.

I have been accepted to two Ph.D programs so far and deciding which one I should attend. Or I should say, I am debating if I should just follow my heart... I'll list pros and cons about the two programs below:

School A (Small Private University)

Funding - R.A. ($20,000/year) + Tuition ($10,000) for 2 years (ALL from my POA's research grant)

[pros]

- My potential advisor and his research group's research best fit my research background and interests

- Potential advisor is well regarded in his research areas

- Potential advisor is very easy going and considerate (based on phone and email conversations)

- Relatively less coursework which allows me to advance to candidacy quickly while being able to spend more time on research

- Small Program (Low Faculty-Student Ratio)

- School location and weather

[cons]

- Tuition costs about $35,000/year (!) so my funding cannot even cover my tuition

- Living cost

- School reputation not as good as School B

School B (Large Public University)

Funding - R.A. ($10,000/year) + Full Tuition Waiver OR Instructorship (Not T.A., 12,000/year) with Full Tuition Waiver OR No Funding (still possible)

[pros]

- School Reputation

- Living Cost (very cheap) & No debt

- Large Program (Alumni Network)

[cons]

- Not sure if I'm a good fit for the program

- No interest in the assigned advisor's research. Will need to find a new advisor

- Heavy course load

- Teach 3 classes/year, if teaching position given

- School location & weather....

Obviously, School A is my top choice and I really raelly want to go; however, as everyone will surely point out, I am afraid of going to a Ph.D w/o full funding (Just FYI, I have no debt on CC, Cars, Mortgage, Educational Loan, etc.) Well, considering the amount my PA is willing to give me from his own grant (RA for $20,000 + Tuition $10,000), the financial package from School A is not that too bad, I believe. But, neither the University nor the department can waive my tuitions..... Do you guys think I would be stupid should I just follow my heart, while having a chance of fully funded from School B? Or is it wise to take an offer from School B? Any inputs/advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[mbs191]

This is definitely one of those "hard choices" without a doubt, and, while numerous people have said "never pay for your PhD" or make sure your PhD is funded....you may be walking that thin line of when it may be best to take on a little debt.

If I am understanding correctly, you are going to be getting about $30,000 in funding a year, but the tuition itself is $35,000. Meaning, you'll be paying $5,000 a year out of your pocket + whatever you need to pay for food/rent/etc (something that a stipend would normally cover.) So, let's say for simplicity that you'll be paying $20,000 a year out of pocket....if you are there for 4-5 years will you have $100,000 in debt (you say $30,000 funding is only for first two years).

Now that I am writing this, I may be shifting to taking School "B" in fact - - - why don't you simply email them now saying "I'm really interested, blah blah blah, I'm so excited, blah blah blah, and I would like to know the ease of incoming PhD students switching advisors, since I feel Professor XYZ would be an excellent fit for me.........." Depending on your field, this could be an easy thing or not.

Anyway, sorry that my answer is inconclusive, but I hope my loquaciousness helps you vet which option may be best for you.

Best of luck!

[waldorf1975]

It sounds like you've already chosen option A. You should be commended on not having any debt before you go into grad school. If you were already carrying debt, I'd recommend going with the better funding option.

That said, before you make your final call, you should grill Options A and B about how much people can be expected to make after leaving the program. Then you'll need to look at your loan options and figure out how long it will take you to pay off the grad school leans. If Option A will lead to a better job, then your risk isn't as high, as long as you don't mind a few more years or Ramen while paying off the loans. Good luck!