Question about funding option

[nirvanaandsoul]

Hi.

I hope everyone's getting results they have hoped for.

I have some "basic" questions about socio phd programs in general. The questions may reflect my ignorance as a newbie, but I need some clear answers for them.

I went to a liberal arts college in the U.S., majoring in political science, but came back to my home country and is currently finishing my master's dissertation in organization/economic sociology.

So while I'm pretty familiar with what daily lives would be like in American colleges, but I am unaware of what to really expect from phd programs.

I am getting results for my application right now. I haven't got all the decisions at my hand, but I probably may have to decide from 3-4 schools that I had applied.

Here's the question that I'd like to ask you guys:

What would you consider as "standard" for phd funding package in socio? 

I got offers of 5 years of funding (tuition+health+stipend) from two schools, one with 2yr fellowship (first and last)+ 3yr TA/RA, and the other with the whole 5yr as TA/RA.

My question is... what would be a "standard", or "average" condition of financial offer that you would normally expect? I definitely know that the conditions may differ widely from one person to another. But I just want to know what you guys think. I guess I sort of want a "point of reference" with which I would be able to objectively view my offer. 

The related next question is... would you say there's a huge difference between the two offers that I have stated above (2yr fellowship+3yr TA/RA vs 5yr TA/RA). If you were me, and you slightly preferred academic programs/professors of the latter, would you go for the former or the latter? I am pretty unfamiliar with how intense TA/RA experiences would be like, so I want to know. 

Thanks!

[socchi92]

I’ve always thought that 2 year fellowship, 3 year TA/RA was the norm, but I’ve received offers with 0 fellowship years. Check out phdstipends.com for lots of data on funding offers. 

[lkaitlyn]

Just from perusing several program websites, many programs don't offer fellowship years to most students they accept. However, when they do, they tend to be in the first year. It might be nice to have a couple years without teaching duties so you can focus on research, but I wouldn't go there over another school you like more based on that. Also check out which schools have grad student unions, because that can make a huge difference when it comes to working conditions.

[high_hopes]

I strongly recommend asking to talk to other international students at these universities about their funding packages. My experience has been that RA and TA positions can vary widely in the number of hours of expected work, but each university should have some baseline figures on what is required. (For example, perhaps you would be required to TA or RA in both fall and winter semesters at the university where you need to do it for 3 years, but only one semester a year for the university where you have responsibilities for all five years. Or the hours expected might be very different.) Also, at times, some universities will match the offers from other places.