Unfunded and Accepting

[neverstop]

Anyone accepted an unfunded position this year or in the past? Any words of wisdom that go beyond "the job field sucks, don't borrow for a PhD", and if that's all you got how 'bout any specific examples as to why you're so hardline on that position?

BTW, for me, it's Purdue (pretty good school) and it's an interdisciplinary PhD (Philosophy and Lit).

[crystalleem]

I am on a waitlist for funding, and I'm not sure what to do. I can't imagine paying out-of-state tuition and having no TAship, therefore, no money. I have always wanted to get my PhD, but I don't want student loans (I have none, as of now).

I'm still waiting to hear from a few programs, but if my waitlist doesn't come through, I am seriously contemplating going for round 2. My graduate coordinator told me not to turn a program down just because there is no funding because usually something will come through the second year in the program; however, I'm not a gambler, and the thought of $30,000 in tuition makes me a bit nauseous.

[neverstop]

This was my third year applying after my MA and this was my only offer (though I still haven't heard from 4 of 16 schools). I've heard from everyone that I shouldn't accept, except one professor whose response was "I hope their not expecting you to pay for tuition"--I never responded I'm really glad to hear there are some professors recommending this course of action. I can tell you that once you've established in-state residency the bill is usually cut nearly in half, and that I've already got $70,000 in loans if that makes you feel better. I've also heard that a lot of schools test their students for the first year and you're more likely to receive it after. So, if you only take $30,000 out in loans for your entire education you came out way ahead of most of us.

If you're a BA entering an MA/PhD combined program, it's unlikely you'll get funded anywhere for at least the first few years from what I can deduce (unless you get into one of the top tier schools, like the Ivy's with large endowments). However, if you have your MA and your entering a PhD I've been told that if you work your butt off and publish like crazy you may be able to swipe a funding spot the next year. However, after talking to students in my program they say that's unlikely for me. I'd suggest you talk to some people in the program and feel them out about the program's funding situation.

[Stately Plump]

I know a professor who will be paying off her loans until she's in her 60s :/ She's only 36 right now. And she was lucky enough to get a tenure-track job right after graduating.

It's an enormous risk, and I don't say this to scare you, but it can literally ruin your life. If it's worth it for you, do it. I wouldn't go anywhere without funding.

All that being said, it can be done, and plenty of people do it. Just know the risks going in: there's a great chance you won't get a good job afterwards, your probably won't be able to start a family, and you will very likely be paying off loans for 15-20 years after you graduate.

[rainy_day]

If you're a BA entering an MA/PhD combined program, it's unlikely you'll get funded anywhere for at least the first few years from what I can deduce (unless you get into one of the top tier schools, like the Ivy's with large endowments).

This is untrue. A majority of the top seventy five programs provide funding to admitted students.

5-7 years of loans for tuition and and living expenses will add up frighteningly fast. If I were in your shoes, I would wait, spend the next year working on my SOP and writing sample and researching fit like crazy, and then I would reapply. You can save up money during the next year, and Purdue will remember you and likely offer you money with an acceptance the next go-around.

Take a very serious look at the numbers before making this kind of a decision.

Edited March 6, 2012 by rainy_day

[lyonessrampant]

Don't do it. I know you want a Ph.D. right now, but do not pay for your Ph.D. Absolutely not. I paid partially for my MA and regret it, even though that is much more common. Reapply until you get a funded position. Worst-case scenario: you get admitted to a Ph.D. program who wants you to pay the first year and then you get funded (Indiana and UWashington, as far as I'm aware, do this). Even that is questionable, but do not pay for a Ph.D.

[intextrovert]

Just to back up what everyone is saying, do not pay for a PhD. To be blunt, a PhD acceptance with no funding is a rejection. Programs fund the students they want, despite what you seem to have heard - it is actually quite uncommon for them not to fund in some form, whether it's a public or private university, and whether you're coming in with a BA or MA (terminal MAs are a different story, but even doing that unfunded is generally discouraged if it can be avoided). There's a lot of talk (on forums like The Chronicle) about whether it's even ethical to admit PhD students in the humanities without funding, even for just the first year. If you don't even have guaranteed funding after a year, you should not even be considering it. I considered it when I was on a first-year funding waitlist at UW-Madison a couple years ago (I eventually got off and was awarded a fellowship, but accepted at another program anyway), but only because I had guaranteed funding for five years after, and because my grandfather had just died and left me just enough money to get by for a year without going into debt, and because Madison has a great placement record. But the DGS at the time was very wary of my doing it even then, and in retrospect that would have been terrible.

DO NOT TAKE ON DEBT to do this. Especially since you already have a lot. I know money can often seem abstract, but eventually that much debt will come to be very real, and crushing. You will not be able to pay that much off, even if you are one of the lucky less-than-50% of PhDs to get a TT job. I don't think you'll be able to find a single well-informed person who thinks it's not a horrible idea.

Sorry if this is harsh, but I think it's one of the few situations that warrants it. I know rejections are awful, and I've been there, but listen to people and don't do it. Re-apply - if they want you, they'll accept you with funding next time around.

[Jbarks]

My advice, which echoes the advice of everyone else, is not to take on the debt, especially since you already have $70,000 piled up. To be blunt, it's irresponsible. Debt is not an abstract concept. It will follow you forever. Unless you're waiting on a millionaire great-great aunt to pass away and leave you a couple hundred thousand, I would seriously reconsider attending an unfunded program. I also strongly agree with intextrovert. If a PhD program really wants you, they will fund you. If this is your dream, please reapply and wait for a funded offer. I don't think you'll regret it; however, there is a stronger possibility that ten years from now you'll regret taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans. And, yes, the job market is terrible, but even if the placement rate was 95%, I still wouldn't attend an unfunded PhD program, especially in the humanities. It's not like getting your MBA. You're not going to pay off your debt after working for 18 months.

Edited March 6, 2012 by Jbarks

[Datatape]

I feel a bit like I'm piling on here, but to echo everyone else: you should not under any circumstances take an unfunded offer. Even if it's your dream program, even if it's exactly what you want to study, do not take the unfunded offer. I have a professor in my Master's program who ended up taking an unfunded offer and she's still paying off her student loans nearly 20 years after getting her Ph.D. The sheer amount of debt that will rack up is truly astonishing - you are much better off just waiting a year and applying again.

[antecedent]

I would suck it up, cry it out, and reapply next year. I didn't get any PhD acceptances this year either, and I'm just lucky I don't have my Masters yet so I can go do that while I regroup for the next round. Someone around here was mentioning paying off their loans at like $735 a month, and I cannot imagine a point in the near (or even remote) future when I will have so much disposable income per month that I can give to loan repayment. Particularly while trying to raise a family, buy a house, or invest in anything other than my education (which I assume I will want to happen once I make it past 30).

Short answer: taking on huge debt to pay for a PhD may seem like it's a decision that is only relevant to your present situation, but you are actually making a decision with a quantifiable outcome that will affect your quality of life for the rest of your life (potentially).

Obviously, in the end, that's your choice to make.