grad school funding?
Question by amy: grad school funding?
I’m pretty sure I’ve made up my mind where I want to go for my PhD. I like the town, the school and the faculty. They are also offering enough money.
However, I feel that, my application was probably stronger than most of their applicants. I know they are also trying to recruit me. They know that if I accept, their “annual statistics” for the new class would look better. Basically, they will have me and my accomplishments to show off on their website.
Is there any way I can ask for more funding? Or perks? If so, how do I go about it?
Thanks.
Best answer:
Answer by J1
I seriously doubt it. Not at least for your first year. At the school I’ve decided to go to (yes, I think I’ve made up my mind too), we get a ,000 raise every year if we apply for it–assuming we are doing well. You’re in the same boat as everyone else. It doesn’t matter where you were ranked on their list of acceptances AFTER you accept…you are bascially all equal. So no, I doubt they would give you more money. I could same the same about 3 or 4 schools I got into. Would I ask them for more money? No. Definintely not…even though I’m a well qualified applicant, and two of these schools anyone with a pulse could get into.
My advice is to enjoy your acceptance (because some people did NOT get in that did want to) and to budget your money wisely. They will probably increase your stipend every year to adjust for inflation anyways.
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funding, grad, school
Probably not, and neither asking for more money nor suggesting that you’re better than the other grad students would make a very good impression.
What you can ask about as you continue to communicate with faculty in making your decision are things you can apply for later like fellowships, grant opportunities for research, extra teaching (e.g. summer school or sometimes you can get extra for proposing and teaching a class of your own design), funding for research/training-related travel, summer programs, etc. related to your goals and interests. These are things that the school or department may offer or will support your application for later. You’re more likely to be among the first to hear about such opportunities and be nominated for them if they know you’re interested up front. More importantly, it shows you’re prepared to take advantage of every academic opportunity you can, a good thing, rather than committing a potential faux pas and coming across as arrogant or “entitled” (even if you’re not). Having a strong application is only the first step–if you start off on the wrong foot on a personal level, it’s not going to be a good year for you.