A really basic funding question...

[Guest]

So, I have a really dumb question. After spending 2 years in an MA program, I probably should know this, but I don't. I never had to worry about funding because I've been on a teaching assistantship.

Consider this possible case scenario: I find out relatively near April 15 that I'm not getting funding from the only school I've gotten into so far, and I have to tell them whether I'm going or not before April 15. I've already decided that I don't want to take out loans for graduate school, for a variety of reasons including but not limited to the harsh realities of the job market in my field. I screwed up and didn't file my FAFSA until March 10 or so--because I thought I wouldn't need to file one if I didn't want to take out loans. I don't know if schools have earlier deadlines for that which I should've met, or what, so I may have blown something big there. I don't know if filing a FAFSA serves wider purposes than just making you qualify for loans.

I've sort of been passively observing the discussions of various fellowships in this forum, but most of it has been complete Greek to me. Are there any fellowships for people in the humanities from the US? How competitive are these things? And, is it pretty likely that I've already missed any and all deadlines that would've made getting fellowships possible for Fall 2006?

Basically, I guess I'm asking if I have any funding options at all at this point for Fall 2006 besides loans if I don't get a TAship or university fellowship from the school I've gotten into. I did a very poor job of planning this, thinking that funding was guaranteed at most of the places I applied.

The school I've gotten into is one of my top choice schools but they've been keeping me waiting to hear about funding and I'm getting increasingly worried about it. It's really going to suck if I have to tell them no and pass on this opportunity just because I didn't plan well to cover my bases in terms of funding.

Thanks much in advance.

[gradgirl]

Damn, that was me again. Once again I failed to notice I was logged out. Sorry.

[morfinx]

Well the only funding usually for graduate students are assistantships or fellowships. If you don't get either, then the next best option is probably Stafford loan. Once you get your foot in the door, you can try to get an assistantship position by the next semester.

[redice]

I would not go without funding. One of the objectives of funding students is to get them to come there in the first place. If they get you there with no funding they don't have alot of reason to offer funding at a later date. If you have no choice but to attend this school you will end up having to take out loans to pay the tuition. But, if the department is pretty large and has some external projects you may be able to get a part time job and that could turn into something significant later on, but you are not likely to be told this before you get there. If they have told you funding decisions are forthcoming, I would hold out as long as you can. If they didn't think you had a chance of funding they would probably have told you so or at least not mentioned forthcoming decisions. Chances are they don't know how much money they are going to get and they don't want to make promises they can't keep. Hold out committing as long as you can or at least until they tell you for sure. Just my thoughts on the matter. Also, what field are you going into?

[gradgirl]

I'm going into English.

I decided to call and ask, just to see if I could get a clearer picture of what was going on with the funding situation. Apparently they're only offering funding to 4 new PhDs this year and they've already made those 4 offers, so I have to wait and see if anyone will turn them down. The bad news is, those people have until April 15 to decide, and while the school told me they'd call me the minute they knew if they had an offer for me, I'm going to have to let other programs know by April 15 too. I can't turn other schools down in hopes that this one school will end up having an offer for me.

It really sucks. I don't have a ton of offers right now, and this school was my second choice so I was really hoping the funding would come through. Still waiting to hear back from 4 programs, but from what I've gathered from the message boards, they're looking pretty bleak.

[Guest guest]

I think if you don't get funding your first year, that's not to say you may not get it later on if you produce good work in the meantime. I can only imagine that if you enter and become a shining student, you'll be rewarded for it--literally. But what do I know. I plan to fund my first year, but I have enough faith in myself to think I can weasel out some funding later on. We'll see..