Urgent help needed....CMU PhD partially funded

[Chaitanya90]

I mailed a prof. at CMU mechanical engineering department and he replied me back as follows:

Your background could be a very good fit for our flapping wing based flying robot project or other miniature mobile robotics projects.

I don't have any fully funded open positions left at this point. I can only offer you a partially funded position with the below scenario if you are interested:

I can support you first year fully (stipend+tuition). Then, you need to take care of stipend and tuition in 2nd and 3rd years. In your final year, there is a way to be waived from most of the tuition. Thus, you just need to support your living expenses in the 4th year. If you do a great job, you can have your PhD degree in 4 years.

Please let me know above financial scenario is feasible to you or not.

I wish to accept this offer (as the area of work is v.good...CMU is the best in robotics) but am really worried about the finances. By the way, is this an admit for sure??

Can someone kindly comment on the following?

1. How much money would I need to spend as per the above calculation?

2. How is the placement scenario after Phd in mech at CMU, can I pay back such a huge amount?

3. Please also suggest me what could I reply to the prof. (can I persuade him for a TA?)

4. Are there some ways by which I can manage atleast some part of funding for 2nd and 3rd years.

Seeking help from both seniors and equals as early as possible....coz I need to reply back the prof. within 1-2 days frm now.

Thank you all v.much in advance,

Chaitanya

PS. I also have unfunded MS Aerospace offer from UIUC and MS Robotics, systems and control from ETH Zurich (unfunded for 1st year), but I prefer a direct PhD mech admit my ultimate objective is a PhD in mech as aero requires security clearance to work.

Edited April 20, 2011 by Chaitanya90

[newms]

You haven't yet received a formal admit from CMU?

From the prof's email, he seems to be saying that he would recommend you for admission if you are able to accept the funding that he is able to offer. Keep in mind that without funding you will have to find at least $50,000 per year (likely more) in tuition and living expenses for years 2-3. And then you'd have to find living expenses in year 4. So you're looking at having to find upwards of $110,000 (possibly significantly more) over the length of the PhD.

Do you have a master's degree already? Because 4 years is a tight timeline to complete a PhD. Usually in my field (Computer Science) and I'm assuming the timeframe is similar in your field, PhD's take around 5-6 years to complete if you enter with a BS, and 4-5 years if you enter with a MS. So you may end up taking more than 4 years to complete. How would you fund those additional years?

In short, unless you have a lot of money at your disposal, this really isn't a good deal for you, as you'd be taking on significant debt.

In order to make this work you'd likely have to find a TA position. Perhaps you can ask the prof how likely it is that you would be able to find a TA position at CMU. Also see if you can ask current students how easy it is to get a TA. I wouldn't take this offer unless it seemed very likely that I would be getting a TA.

CMU is a fantastic school for Robotics, so congrats on the prof's interest in you and good luck seeing if you could get this worked out.

[Chaitanya90]

You haven't yet received a formal admit from CMU?

From the prof's email, he seems to be saying that he would recommend you for admission if you are able to accept the funding that he is able to offer. Keep in mind that without funding you will have to find at least $50,000 per year (likely more) in tuition and living expenses for years 2-3. And then you'd have to find living expenses in year 4. So you're looking at having to find upwards of $110,000 (possibly significantly more) over the length of the PhD.

Do you have a master's degree already? Because 4 years is a tight timeline to complete a PhD. Usually in my field (Computer Science) and I'm assuming the timeframe is similar in your field, PhD's take around 5-6 years to complete if you enter with a BS, and 4-5 years if you enter with a MS. So you may end up taking more than 4 years to complete. How would you fund those additional years?

In short, unless you have a lot of money at your disposal, this really isn't a good deal for you, as you'd be taking on significant debt.

In order to make this work you'd likely have to find a TA position. Perhaps you can ask the prof how likely it is that you would be able to find a TA position at CMU. Also see if you can ask current students how easy it is to get a TA. I wouldn't take this offer unless it seemed very likely that I would be getting a TA.

CMU is a fantastic school for Robotics, so congrats on the prof's interest in you and good luck seeing if you could get this worked out.

Thank you v.much for the insightful reply.

No, I don't have any master's degree . Can you please tell me if the placements are good, can I repay the amount back in 2 years or so?

@others: should you wish to give me some advice, please do it kindly...

Regards,

Chaitanya

[newms]

How quickly you'd be able to repay would depend on how much you borrowed as well. You should try to find out if you need to pay tuition after you've finished your coursework. In a lot of science programs you take courses for the first 2 years and then you only work on research for the remainder of the PhD program. In these cases, tuition charges aren't as high after you've finished the coursework part of the program. So if that's the case for this program, then the total amount you'd have to borrow might be less than I said above.

You should keep in mind that while it is possible to finish a PhD in 4 years, you'd have to do really well to do so and it's not usually the case that people finish in 4 years. Sometimes it's not even desirable to finish in 4 years, since that extra year of PhD gives you the chance to pad your CV by pushing out more papers to prepare for the job market.

Maybe someone with experience with having student loans could give you an idea of how long it would take you to pay them off should you get a good paying job after graduation. Good luck.

[Chaitanya90]

How quickly you'd be able to repay would depend on how much you borrowed as well. You should try to find out if you need to pay tuition after you've finished your coursework. In a lot of science programs you take courses for the first 2 years and then you only work on research for the remainder of the PhD program. In these cases, tuition charges aren't as high after you've finished the coursework part of the program. So if that's the case for this program, then the total amount you'd have to borrow might be less than I said above.

You should keep in mind that while it is possible to finish a PhD in 4 years, you'd have to do really well to do so and it's not usually the case that people finish in 4 years. Sometimes it's not even desirable to finish in 4 years, since that extra year of PhD gives you the chance to pad your CV by pushing out more papers to prepare for the job market.

Maybe someone with experience with having student loans could give you an idea of how long it would take you to pay them off should you get a good paying job after graduation. Good luck.

I have found out some ways to attack this problem.... can someone give me your valuable opinions on these?

1. Can I ask the prof. if I could join for an MS/PhD and commit myself atleast for an MS (2 years with 1 year financial support as he said) and depending on the scenario decide for a PhD later under same/different advisor/department?

2. One more prof B had replied that he doesn't have any open positions for fall 2011. He told me that he will consider my application for fall 2012 (but he won't be able to guarentee a position). Can I contact both the profs and let them knw of my situation and ask them if both of them combined would be able to fund me and can I jointly work under both of them for a PhD?

3. Should I ask Prof. A (the one who is willing to fund me for 1st year) if he can defer my case to the next fall so that I could get some financial support as well? (Last mail if nothing turns out positive)

4. Is it also possible that if he is impressed with my work in the first year, would he fund me (or) is he fixed in not giving me any funding in the consequent years no matter what the situation might me ?

Thank you,

Chaitanya

[Teelee]

1. Doesn't hurt to ask if you can be considered for MS/PhD because straight to PhD will take at least 5 years to complete since the first two years, you will be taking a lot of classes and will not have as much time to dedicate to research.

2. Having two advisers can become a problem especially if they don't like each other or have a very different way of advising students. Unless you are getting involved in an interdisciplinary research, it will be harder to convince them to combine their funds and support you.

3. Asking won't hurt I suppose, although I feel like he might just accept another student this year who will actually take the offer instead of giving all these provisional conditions.

4. In many cases, it's common to see first year fellowship offered to an entering grad student with a condition that they find their own funding after the first year. Usually they expect you to find TA position within or outside of the department or find external funding opportunities. Worst case you need to take out a huge loan and pay your way through.

If you really can't afford to go to school maybe you need to seriously reconsider. Maybe try reapplying next year and try to acquire full funding.

[OH YEAH]

Paying for a PhD is a very bad idea! Plus, "out in 4 years" isn't necessarily a good thing -- you won't have time to relax, explore interesting research directions, take classes, etc. Finishing as quickly as possible is not advantageous.

[Chaitanya90]

<br />Paying for a PhD is a very bad idea! Plus, &quot;out in 4 years&quot; isn't necessarily a good thing -- you won't have time to relax, explore interesting research directions, take classes, etc. Finishing as quickly as possible is not advantageous.<br />

<br /><br /><br />

Thank you all of your advice. I had actually contacted the prof. about the funding aspect. He told me that:

"If we get new funding in your project, you would be funded after 1st year for sure. But, I can't promise funding after 1 year right now since funding situations are very tough in USA these days and it takes long time to get new funding. Therefore, it is your decision to take that risk or not, and you should have a financial backup solution yourself if there is no new funding."

I had actually told him that I am trying to find out alternatives for funding and that I am ready to accept his offer.

Can I drop out with an MS after 2 years in case of lack of funding and then continue when I get funding? Should I tell the prof. at this point of time about my MS/PhD plans (or) will he understand my position if I let him know of this after my 1st year of study at the university? (He is ready to fund me fully for the first year).

Please reply soon.

Truly,

Chaitanya

[oldfogey]

<br /><br /><br />

Thank you all of your advice. I had actually contacted the prof. about the funding aspect. He told me that:

"If we get new funding in your project, you would be funded after 1st year for sure. But, I can't promise funding after 1 year right now since funding situations are very tough in USA these days and it takes long time to get new funding. Therefore, it is your decision to take that risk or not, and you should have a financial backup solution yourself if there is no new funding."

I had actually told him that I am trying to find out alternatives for funding and that I am ready to accept his offer.

Can I drop out with an MS after 2 years in case of lack of funding and then continue when I get funding? Should I tell the prof. at this point of time about my MS/PhD plans (or) will he understand my position if I let him know of this after my 1st year of study at the university? (He is ready to fund me fully for the first year).

Please reply soon.

Truly,

Chaitanya

Dropping out after an MS, would require you to go through the entire process of getting into a PhD program and it is not automatic that the same professor will take you as a student. He might, but if his funding dries out then, he will not be able to take on any students. The funding cycles vary, depending on where the professor has applied for funding. There can be a time lag from the time you finish your MS and wait to get into a PhD program and if you are an international student, I don't know what impact that has on your visa.

Typically, there are TA positions that you can apply for, but you need to find out from the Graduate Student Office of any available and put in your application for that asap. There are also other jobs on campus, but they are highly competitive and if you plan to finish your PhD in 4 years, you will not have the time anyway, because your program of study will be very intense.

You can find out if the professor has grant applications for which he is waiting for funding. You could check with him about the options of doing a master's given the funding. You could check with him about the options of doing a master's given the funding situation. Your question of job prospects and being able to pay off a large debt, if difficult for any of us to answer. Who knows what will happen in a year's time let alone 4 years. Besides as an international student, I don't know what the implications are for visa, don't you require a different kind of visa?

[Chaitanya90]

Dropping out after an MS, would require you to go through the entire process of getting into a PhD program and it is not automatic that the same professor will take you as a student. He might, but if his funding dries out then, he will not be able to take on any students. The funding cycles vary, depending on where the professor has applied for funding. There can be a time lag from the time you finish your MS and wait to get into a PhD program and if you are an international student, I don't know what impact that has on your visa.

Typically, there are TA positions that you can apply for, but you need to find out from the Graduate Student Office of any available and put in your application for that asap. There are also other jobs on campus, but they are highly competitive and if you plan to finish your PhD in 4 years, you will not have the time anyway, because your program of study will be very intense.

You can find out if the professor has grant applications for which he is waiting for funding. You could check with him about the options of doing a master's given the funding. You could check with him about the options of doing a master's given the funding situation. Your question of job prospects and being able to pay off a large debt, if difficult for any of us to answer. Who knows what will happen in a year's time let alone 4 years. Besides as an international student, I don't know what the implications are for visa, don't you require a different kind of visa?

1. I wish to complete my PhD and really don't want to quit after MS, but if circumstances force (due to financial reasons), I might have to back out with an MS (for time being) and later apply for PhD.

2. I have accepted the offer for a PhD but I have not revealed my prof. about my MS/PhD plans. Is this wrong to not let him know of my intentions right now?

3. One of his students told me that there was a boy who did the same due to lack of funds. He switched to an other lab for his PhD after MS......... so I thought that this option is the worst case. Is it alright to think this way??

4. TA is a compulsory job for PhDs and they are not paid for it.... this is what the prof. says

5. I will ask him about his wait for any kind of funds.

Thank you,

Chaitanya

Edited April 22, 2011 by Chaitanya90

[hbgrad]

Hi Chaitanya90

This is my first post on the forum! I read about your offer, and I know you are excited about the prospect but truth is its unjust. PhD students should be fully funded period! Do not underestimate your capabilities, I was in the same position as you were recently. I am also an undergrad planning to pursue a PhD, I was in serious doubt about myself until I got a FULLY funded offer from CMU. Its unfair that someone like me is fully funded and you are not. Please be aware that robotics research is a BILLION dollar industry and professors always have the option of funding especially at CMU.

Good Luck!

[hbgrad]

"If we get new funding in your project, you would be funded after 1st year for sure. But, I can't promise funding after 1 year right now since funding situations are very tough in USA these days and it takes long time to get new funding. Therefore, it is your decision to take that risk or not, and you should have a financial backup solution yourself if there is no new funding."

OK! I did not see that port when I posted my earlier message. This sounds more like it. Prof is BS'ing a bit. He has money, no question. He is just afraid to promise a full ride and you don't end up that good, remember this probably the best place to do this kind of research on the planet. So accept it and go prove yourself!! Work passionately! So I recommend not worrying about later on, do not tell him you took care of the other years or else he will think: Oh good, that's a load off.

My point: "If he likes you, he WILL fund you for the rest of your stay. Got the funding he talked about or not." Relax he has money, he just needs to see you are good.

See you in CMU

Ps once you tell him I'm coming you will get a formal admission offer within a day! \

I love CMU for that, they are so progressive!