Funding vs Fit

[anthropologygeek]

Kenny- part of the way you get jobs is getting funding for your research. Thus you should be able to fund yourself at least half the time your there. Universities look to see if you can get funding during the hiring process. If you haven't gotten funding for your research you may have a lot of trouble on the job market. And seriously why not out in a little more effort for the perfect fit which will provide you with better opportunities. I know a lot of people who go with no funding and within one month get funding either in the department or different department. And most of the time the funding is better in different departments since anthro is one of the lowest paid departments at the university

[sarab]

anthropologygeek, I don't think anyone is saying that you shouldn't seek outside funding. I think most of us can agree that we should all do that and apply to different fellowships and grants. The thing is that some of us want financial stability and feel that that stability would allow us to perform better and focus more, and that would make a good fit program into a great fit program.

[anthropologygeek]

Sarab- what I am saying is funding has no influence on fit. Fit is what it is and the better the fit, the better your research will be, the better job you can land. People on here so no one should go without funding. I know I am in the minority here but in real life I'm in the majority. A lot of people don't have funding and spend a little more effort and obtain funding within a month of moving to the school. Most profs give funding based on various reasons which most of the time involve politics and not merit. But within a month, a lot of times the advisor hooks the advisee up with funding in the department. One of my advisor's advisee has funding only because someone else got external funding and was told in late July they got it. If person went someplace else with a lesser fit they wouldn't be in their ideal fit school and came here since it was their fist choice.

[sarab]

Sarab- what I am saying is funding has no influence on fit. Fit is what it is and the better the fit, the better your research will be, the better job you can land. People on here so no one should go without funding. I know I am in the minority here but in real life I'm in the majority. A lot of people don't have funding and spend a little more effort and obtain funding within a month of moving to the school. Most profs give funding based on various reasons which most of the time involve politics and not merit. But within a month, a lot of times the advisor hooks the advisee up with funding in the department. One of my advisor's advisee has funding only because someone else got external funding and was told in late July they got it. If person went someplace else with a lesser fit they wouldn't be in their ideal fit school and came here since it was their fist choice.

 

Sure, that's great, but not everyone can rely of "maybe's", you know? "Maybe I'll get funding a month in" is that, a maybe.

[anthropologygeek]

Sarab- That's up to the person but to me, why wouldn't a person want to set themselves up for the best chance to get a good job since now a days it is so tough to get jobs? Each of us has our own specific niche, so why not go to the very best advisor you can that can train you to be the very best anthropologist in that niche? This will lead you to more connections which can lead you to a foot in the dorr with jobs.i guess the way I see it why worry about 20-40k a year of funding, including tuition, for what two years while your at the university before you leave for research when most likely you find funding at the better fit and gives you the best odds to make 80k a year job vs 25k a year job which is what a lot of phd graduates are applying for today.

[strudelle]

Everyone has different priorities. The fact is that some people going into grad school don't have any money. For some people, including myself, funding is the only way they can attend graduate school at all. In my situation, I would not choose between funding and fit. It is both or it is nothing.

Of course everyone wants to give themselves the best possible chance of success after graduate school, and for many people funding is a huge part of that because it enables you to focus on school, not have to get an outside job, and not have to go into more debt that you will have to repay later. But no matter how amazing the fit is or how prestigious the department, there is never any guarantee that you will get an amazing, highly paid job afterward. So you really have to think about how important fit AND funding are.

If you have the financial ability to go to your dream program without any guaranteed funding, go for it. But everyone has different life circumstances so this questions of funding vs. fit completely depends on the individual.

You will hopefully be applying for external funding for research no matter what kind of funding package you're offered, so I don't think that receiving funding is in any way related to an inability to learn to apply for outside funds. Especially if you have received a fellowship - which you do have to apply for separately most of the time.

[anthropologygeek]

Strud- what I am saying is anyone can get funding at a university. It may take a good 10 hr of man power but funding opportunities thru the university is available and easily gotten. The point I'm trying to make is go where you truly want since funding will always be available even if it isn't just offered with acceptance. Plus that guarantees nothing. Every year the reevaluate the funding and can take it away, doesn't happen most of the time but is a possibility. That's why you must resign your contract every year even though supposedly it was for four years its not but most likely will be

[cotterw]

This discussion is comical/bordering on absurd.