Stipend of Fellowship

[EEB]

Hey everyone, I have a question need your kind clarification. What is the difference between 9-month period stipend and 12-month period stipend？ Is there any vacation in the institution which offers a 12-month period stipend? Or it would demand students to do research work even during normal vacation?

I look forward to your kind answer.

[BioTurboNick]

Hey everyone, I have a question need your kind clarification. What is the difference between 9-month period stipend and 12-month period stipend？ Is there any vacation in the institution which offers a 12-month period stipend? Or it would demand students to do research work even during normal vacation?

I look forward to your kind answer.

I don't know about 9-month stipends, but generally in grad school, at least when you get a 12-month stipend, its like having a full time job (and possibly then some), and usually the program or university has a policy about vacation time like any workplace. Or at least, it should. Definitely something to ask about. My program officially gives me 2 weeks off per year, but because grad students don't always keep 'normal business hours', the timing and whether you can take any extra can be highly dependent on the type of work you will be doing, how well you're working, can you work extra before and after to make up for it, how flexible your advisor is, etc.

[iLikeTrees]

In my experience, "vacation" time is between you and your advisor/supervisor. If you're TAing, taking classes, etc., you will of course be expected to be there during classes and take vacation during holidays or between summer commitments (if any). My research requires me to do fieldwork for all of the spring, summer, and fall, but my advisor strongly encouraged me to take time off from fieldwork for time to relax and clear my head. (I went to Australia for 2 weeks plus lots of smaller trips throughout the summer.) My advisor is really laid back though and doesn't mind me taking long weekends whenever I want or not coming in to the office a lot as long as my work gets done and done well. It's totally up to the advisor though and I know some that aren't quite as flexible, but most are understanding and expect you to take vacation time. I even know some people (mostly internationals) that go away for all of the summer, so it really varies a lot based on your advisor's/program's/school's expectations.

Talk to your potential advisors and programs and make sure you know what their expectations are!

[Espoir]

I have been offered a funding of 11 month 50% support - I have a fellowship that covers half my stipend and an RA(reads 25%) to cover the other half..how do I interpret that??