Unfunded Oxford PhD, should I accept or not?

[dianabruk]

I've been agonizing over this decision for the last 6 months and I need to give the department a final answer this week and STILL have no idea what I'm going to say.

I just finished a Masters in Comparative Literature (English and Russian) at Oxford, and I've been accepted into the PhD, but without funding. Now, at $20,000 a year for three years, it's manageable, especially since I got a loan for tuition and a teaching job that will roughly cover living expenses. But it's a lot of money and, despite weighing the options ad nauseum, I still don't know what to do.

The Pros for the PhD are as follows: I love Oxford, I have a great social life there, the name attracts a lot of scholars and opportunities so it's a very stimulating intellectual environment, and I have no doubt I want to be an academic, so the PhD is necessary for my career.

The Cons. I feel it's unfair for me to have to pay $60,000 (plus the 20,000 I already paid for my Masters) when the course really is just me doing research. There aren't many teaching jobs available, and I don't like the idea of putting myself into financial insecurity for the next few years to live in further financial insecurity.

There are other concerns as well, but these are the predominant ones. Everyone I meet keeps telling me to do the PhD, but I don't think they can really sympathize with the situation since they're not in academia. Because I'm an overseas student (American) not doing the DPhil means having to come back to NY, which is hard since I have such an established life in Ox now. If I can get a good job, flat, etc. here, then that's great, but I'm aware that it's incredibly difficult to get a job right now, and spending the next few months living at home with my parents with nothing to do will actually make me shoot myself.

I was considering perhaps deferring just for a term, this way I have time to explore other avenues in NY and then go back to Ox in January if that feels right. But the downside of that is that I am really tired of living in transition and that obviously makes things unstable and prolong my indecisiveness.

Sorry for the long post, but I'd appreciate any advice people have.

[Two Espressos]

My short answer: don't pay for a Ph.D. in English, so either defer or decline the offer. Paying for a Ph.D. is almost always a bad idea. Obviously, there are other circumstances you must weigh, but I'm of the opinion that in this job market, no one should pay for a graduate degree in the humanities.

[Phil Sparrow]

Where do you want to work after you complete the PhD? If you want to work in the US, you may be better served getting an American doctorate.

[TripWillis]

Could you possibly do your first year on loans and apply for external/alt. internal grants and fellowships for your remaining years? Sometimes there's attrition, grant money becomes available. It is a great school, depending on what you want to study, so it couldn't hurt to ask students and other POI how they've navigated the funding issue.

[Baudrillardist]

congrats on the acceptance!

I wouldn't pay for the PhD, though I was happy to pay for my mphil (at the other place). I would take a hard and sucky year out and re-apply next round. Try to get in on scholarships (take the time to explore the rich colleges and all the obscure scholarships oxbrige has to offer) and apply early. That's my plan anyways.

One question I would ask (because I had to ask myself this question) is that when I look at academic CV's, usually these people are awarded money to study, and they make sure to mention that on a CV. I wonder if there is any sort of taciturn snobbery/discrimination about paying for the DPhil (or any PhD), since there may be a situation where they interpret a lack of financial awards for the years you studied, and (wrongly) assume that your project was not interesting enough to attact outside funding. Again, I don't say this to be derisive, but that is what I thought about for my own particular application.

I'm back in the US, yes the economy is crappy, but then again I haven't really tried all that hard to obtain a job so far. I've got some possible teaching lined up for next semester (though who knows if it will come through). Also I think it is rather difficult with the new immigration laws for U.S. students to get jobs in the UK (I didnt look hard while there either). Kind of crepe-y all around.

Good luck with your decision!

[wreckofthehope]

Speaking as someone who has come out of the UK system to do my PhD in the States (and so as someone who is possibly somewhat biased?), I would argue for the pedagogical superiority of the US PhD. Putting aside whether or not you should pay for a PhD (I would say 'no,' but it's an issue with somewhat different implications in the U.K. than the US), you get a much, much, much more structured and professionally focused program in the US; if you want to teach, that is an incredibly valuable thing to have. The Oxford DPhil as cultural cachet will certainly open some doors, but the lack of formal training, robust teaching experience in the American style and total absence of course work will likely close as many, if not more.

If you feel certain that you can stay on in the U.K. and get a teaching job there, then it might be worth paying your way. If, however, you are likely to be heading back to the States after the DPhil, I would suggest not doing it...

You should also take into consideration what your field is and a) whether Oxford is actually strong in it, andb ) what the perception from the States is of Oxford's strength in the field. If you're a Medievalist, then an Oxford DPhil is probably an asset, despite the fees and the lack of structure; if you're a twentieth century Americanist, I wouldn't touch the offer with a barge pole.

Edited September 5, 2012 by wreckofthehope

[alistair0505]

Have you ever considered to work outside the states and the uk- let's say, australia, canada or at east asia?

You never know what lays ahead your life, and it's wise to finish your DPhil as you can. What I mean is all studies should be completed as you are being young, you don't want to finish your degree when you are over 40.