CUNY

[kant's mistress]

Any news? I was told I'd hear "by April", but I have offers elsewhere that demand the typical April 15 deadline. I'm curious if those who already have been accepted have received funding packages?

[Niels]

I was accepted via postal around February 22. I have heard of no news concerning finance.

What do you think about the student health insurance problem at CUNY? Check out the debate (or rather, the students' demands) at http://gcadvocate.org/

Their insurance's high cost and the general high cost of living in NYC seem like serious inhibitors for matriculation, even if they offer full tuition and a $15K to $20K stipend.

What do you think?

Also, I have heard mixed reports on the quality of their recent graduates in terms of getting placement. What do you think?

[Niels]

Does anyone else think it's a bad sign that no writing sample was required for the application?

[Ferrero]

lol

[JordanJames]

A lot of reputable schools don't require a writing sample and Harvard even explicitly tells you not to send one.

[kant's mistress]

actually, CUNY did require a writing sample for those interested in being considered for a fellowship.

[Niels]

actually, CUNY did require a writing sample for those interested in being considered for a fellowship.

That's not what I was told. Prof. Tien, the deputy executive officer for the dept, told me via email: "No writing sample is required beyond your personal statement."

Financial aid, including fellowships, were made through the application from the office of financial aid that did not require a writing sample. Perhaps you were applying for a special, named fellowship? Or, maybe you are confusing the personal statement with a writing sample?

And I was unaware that some programs also did not require writing samples (supposedly Harvard, according to a previous post). It seems kind of silly not to require one.

[raraavisrealm]

I have been accepted into the PhD, and have been told numerous times that I should receive a letter indicating my financial grant (whether positive or negative)

Nothing until now. When I contacted the office, noone would tell me whether they will formally inform a student of his grant if any.

On the other hand, I heard that some students who were accepted for Fall 08 have received such letters.

Confusion galore :-(

[Niels]

I received a letter today, postmarked March 12, that indicates who my advisory will be if I matriculate.

It also indicates the reception date for accepted students (April 10).

And the kicker:

"Please note that our program has a limited number of five year funding packages available. We are in the process of making funding offers and we will notify you when all the awards have been allocated. Those students who do not receive a package are still entitled to tuition remission at the in-state rate during their first ten semesters by teaching as an adjunct at a CUNY campus."

Figures.

Good luck everybody.

[raraavisrealm]

Neils

I have received the same letter with that ambiguous and ominous paragraph.

Who is your advisor?

wish you good luck

[rebelrita]

Does anyone else know anything about FUNDING for for the WAITLIST? The dept secretary told me that the waitlist is not ranked, that the waitlist will be reviewed in March and we waitlisters should hear at the latest by May 2. I believe the already accepted should hear on funding by late March or the beginning of April before they assess the MA (who are non funded in April) and who knows for us waitlisters. I wonder what percent of the waitlist they usually take and how much funding they usually give for the accepted. According to Petersons.com detailed search (click on financial aid after plugging in CUNY poli sci), they fund most students, usually by fellowship, but how many applicants and how much funding is the question?

This is my final option school and one I really ID with on research interests so am on Pins and Needles. Any info on FUNDING or WAITLIST y'all Poli sci folks?

[rebelrita]

With my last post, I meant to ask, DOES ANYONE KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT FUNDING OR THE WAITLIST NOT FOR THE WAITLIST. SORRY

[kant's mistress]

I don't know anything about the waitlist, but in terms of funding, I've heard that about half of the admitted students will get funding that is significant (tuition, stipend, some combo with TA stuff, etc, for 5 years).

I am still waiting to hear about funding-- anyone else heard anything?

[rebelrita]

Thanks Kant's mistress. I wonder how much the funding for the other insignifcantly funded half? Do you or does anyone out there know what the TA or RA positons pay in the dept. for stipend or what the adjunct teachers in the undergrad CUNY system get paid?

I 'm asking about the latter due to their remitting tuition for doctoral students who teach in the CUNY system.

[neonmeatte]

I'm dying out here on the waitlist... I can only assume we'll begin to hear back after the 15th. Fingers crossed!

[mechis]

I received financial aid, but it is not very good: in state tuition award for 5 years TAing years 2-4 making around 16000 $. Im not sure if this is all they offer or i just got a bad package... :oops:

[rebelrita]

Dear neonmeatte and other CUNY poli sci grad applicants,

I e-mailed Dr. Tien this past week, who is a key faculty coordinator of the admit process, to ask if we waitlisted can expect to possibly hear before May 2. He told me that the admit committee is not meeting again until early May and that the waitlisted would not hear before May 2 (and seemed to infer that could be after May 2 possibly).

Altho the wait is arduous, I am consoling myself with the fact that the longer adcom waits to peel more accepted off the waitlist, the smaller the waitlist will become from those on it taking alternative offers from other schools. I wish I could at least find out how many are on the list and what our chances are. Dr. Tien declined to answer my question on whether he thought the odds were more in my favor or not. It all seems QUITE MYSTERIOUS. I can't escape the paranoid thought that witholding info from us (grad secretary seems perpetually in the dark) is a little like a hazing into an secret erudite fraternity.

IN SHORT, TRY TO RELAX A LITTLE TIL THE FIRST WEEK IN MAY- if possible resist checking mail and e-mail ten times a day, as likely nothing is forthcoming til MAY 2ND OR EVEN LATER. :roll: :wink: hope to see ya'll at cuny in the fall.

[rebelrita]

dear mechis,

from what I can gather from this forum, petersons.com and the dept website for cuny, that is considered a pretty decent package for cuny social science phD- not the topmost and not the bottom either, but above what the average grad student gets in the poli sci dept. some PhD candidates only get tuition remission if teach at a cuny school and no stipend for RA or TA. My guess is you were considered a pretty strong candidate. Altho, NYC is tough with standard of living- I believe and hope cuny offers its grad students chances for additional summer funding for RA work.

[raraavisrealm]

hey all

mechanis, aren't you admitted into a literature programme? Your profile states so, and therefore it is kinda confusing to see the package you've got

Can you clarify it to us which programme you've been admitted to?

Thank you

[Niels]

Make your decision carefully, my friends. I really love CUNY's polisci faculty and the students seem great. But, cost of living in NYC is outrageous (I speak as a native), their teaching load is comparatively heavy, and the CUNY health insurance issue is huge (although I think it is likely to change in the next couple of years, check out the opening post on this thread).

I was fortunate enough to get a great offer from one of my top choices, so I actually turned down CUNY's $16K aid offer. I hope they pass one on to all of you!

Good luck in all your endeavors!

[rebelrita]

Dear Niels,

When you said "their teaching load is heavy", were you referring to TAs or the profs teaching the PhD program?

I lived in NYC years ago going to school and know it has gotten much harder with housing - doesn't seem to bad with food and there's always off off broadway, lots to do for cheap. If I'm accepted, I was hoping after living in Philly a year commuting, I would find a couple political activists to split rent with.

I also assumed mechis was poli sci due to posting on this subforum- sorry mechis- so I don't know how relevant the info I mentioned on funding would be to language majors- might still be considered a good package for cuny spanish/portug.

Thanks niels for lookin out for us waitlisters by letting them know.

[Niels]

When you said "their teaching load is heavy", were you referring to TAs or the profs teaching the PhD program?

TA's have a very heavy teaching load. Sometimes instructing up to two courses per semester every semester starting second year (the deal they offered me).

Living on 18K in NYC is do-able, but you're gonna have roomies and live far (in terms of time of commute) from the CUNY Grad center. Also, your teaching stint can be at ANY CUNY campus throughout the city. God help you if you get sent out to the College of Staten Island and you live in the Bronx. But more importantly, their INDIVIDUAL health insurance plan is over $2000 a year. That's outrageous given the fact that SUNY grad students pay about $110. ALl things to consider...

[mechis]

hey there, Mechis here. Yes, I have been admitted into the Spanish PhD program. I got the Chancellor's Fellowship that covers in-state tuition and I will teach years 2, 3 and 4, and it seems a lot because it is four 3 credits courses or three 4 credits courses over the year... :evil: Hopefully my department is paying all my tuition and is going to look for a job for me during my first year. I guess that is all they offer or at least that was what I was told by the chair of my department "you got a very good package, the best we have" :wink: who knows??? It was my only offer so I accepted it.

[rebelrita]

mechis, niels and other cuny folks-

I thought a TA load of two courses was pretty standard for grad schools and cuny, or has that not been your experience Niels?

As far as student courseload, don't the PhD students at CUNY, have a minimum no. of credits to take per semester if on fellowship, TA or RA?

I was hoping the min would be 9 credits since a 12 credit courseload is about a 48 hour work week (min) and with a TA an extra 18 hours onto this - yeah, I agree that's too heavy mechis.

Niels, thanks for the info on the travel headaches as CUNY TA.

Do you have any other info on TAs or RAs? Or on adjunct work? (e.g do all adjunct profs in cuny system get tuition remission at GRAD center)

Mechis, congratulations on chancellors- that is their jackpot. I'd ask about flexibility on the 9 versus 12 credit courseload minimum with the grad advisor (or grad union if cuny has one). If you don't now, could be sorry later.