Funding Experiences at CUNY

[gomezdm]

After being 0-2 of 3 for weeks, I finally got an offer from CUNY. The catch? It's unfunded. The graduate director tells me that only half of incoming students are funded, and all of it has already been allocated. My chances of getting funding for my first year - 2009-1010 - are slim. This is a problem, but it isn't an insurmountable one. My husband and I are NYC residents, so we don't have the inconvenience of moving and I'll get to pay in-state tuition. I can take out a small amount of student loans to cover the year's tuition, and adding $6,000 to $61,000 seems so marginal as to barely have an impact.

My big worry is that the graduate director's assurances that most students can find work as adjuncts after the first year won't come true for me - and then the amount I have to take out in loans turns into $12,000 and that's not so marginal. And then what about the year after that, and the year after that? Not to mention that my husband is a graduate student, too, so even though his stipend is enough to support the two of us it's barely enough - and he needs it to support his research abroad in addition to supporting us!

I'm taking my time and thinking this offer through. I feel like I can take the first year unfunded only if I can get a stipend for the others, but I have no idea how realistic this is. Does anyone have experience with the CUNY funding craziness? How likely is it that I would get funding in later years? Is the department super competitive with so many unfunded students fighting each other for what little money there is?

Anyone have any stories to share or words of wisdom for me? Anything you've got would be appreciated!

[blukorea]

I don't have an insider's perspective from CUNY, so I hope you don't mind my comment: it is probably a bad idea to commit yourself to a program with no funding guarantees in this economy. I can't help but to suspect that CUNY, too, is hurting in terms of finances and its administrators (perhaps the DGS in question included) are wanting to recruit as many students as possible who will pay their tuition through the program. Please be super wary!

In any case, it is a horrible idea to go in debt to do a humanities PhD, because the degree will by no means guarantee you a job when you get out and, even if you do land on a position, the salary won't be much (recall the infamous Chronicles article). I would personally try to get a temporary job and try again this fall, dramatically improving your SOP and writing sample. If you are willing to go to Camden or New Haven, there are certainly more schools which you can apply for?

[gomezdm]

That's certainly the conclusion my thinking is leading me to, with the caveat that though my SOP and writing sample can certainly be improved, they probably can't be dramatically improved. I'm also geographically tied - my husband will be a 3rd year at Rutgers, so even if we decide that we can move, we can only move so far.

I was so excited to get into CUNY, and I desperately want to go. But the more I consider it the more it seems like a bad idea. I just also worry that I won't have any better luck getting funding (hell, what if I don't even get in!) next year, and finding a job in this economy in NYC is not easy. We'll see. I'm going to the prospective student thing in a few weeks, and I plan to have a serious discussion with the graduate coordinator about this whole thing.

Anyone else?

[MaT]

Hi gomezdm:

I had a quick question in regards to your message thread. I was accepted to CUNY last week and my letter seemed to indicate that funding decisions, having been made by the History department, would be mailed by the Office of Financial Aid. How were you able to find out that your first year would likely be unfunded? Was that information included in your letter, or did you contact someone directly?

[gomezdm]

Hi gomezdm:

I had a quick question in regards to your message thread. I was accepted to CUNY last week and my letter seemed to indicate that funding decisions, having been made by the History department, would be mailed by the Office of Financial Aid. How were you able to find out that your first year would likely be unfunded? Was that information included in your letter, or did you contact someone directly?

When there was no mention of funding in the letter, I emailed the grad director. He's the one who told me that all of the funding has already been allocated, and I am one of the unlucky who did not receive it.

EDIT: I should have specified that I got two letters - one from the department, then one from the grad school a week later. The first one said nothing about funding, and that's when I emailed.