Harvard or Fully Funded Fellowship at UNC?

[Mommy is Worried]

Would you go into $50 debt to attend HGSE or accept a fully funded fellowship/stipend/internship at UNC’s GSE? Remember, we are in COVID times, and not all of Harvard’s classes will be in-person for 2021-22. 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Mommy is Worried
Misspell

[abay91]

I thought Harvard was planning to be fully in-person in the Fall?

[JuniusBattius]

On 4/25/2021 at 9:57 AM, Mommy is Worried said:

Would you go into $50 debt to attend HGSE or accept a fully funded fellowship/stipend/internship at UNC’s GSE? Remember, we are in COVID times, and not all of Harvard’s classes will be in-person for 2021-22. 

So, I'm a current grad student at UNC with not one, but two department chairs on my committee. I can confidently say that the university does not value grad labor or research, both from personal experience and from the insight that each of them have shared with me. This may not present as much of a problem, but when it comes to institutional opportunities or securing support for any sort of endeavor from within the university, know that things will be slimming down tremendously for graduate students. 

If the funding you are getting is through the Royster society, you will at least have guaranteed funding with additional benefits, but a big cost of that program is that they expect students to do a lot of theater to make the university look good.

[Mommy is Worried]

Are in the grad school of education? This is an outside fellowship. 

[JuniusBattius]

On 5/1/2021 at 8:12 PM, Mommy is Worried said:

Are in the grad school of education? This is an outside fellowship. 

I'm not, however, a friend is and they regularly do not provide graduate student funding there. However, if you'd landed something external, and can deal with a university that is operated by politicians (not even businessmen at this point) instead of scholars, then go for it.