idle daydreaming: PG study in US?

Vlad the Frog

the point is you cannot be a Phd student without a sponsor...

Reply 2

not1

Vlad the Frog

the point is you cannot be a Phd student without a sponsor...

Care to elaborate?

Reply 3

Vlad the Frog

OK

For example in France if you wanna be a 'doctorant', you need to secure a 'bourse' from a research council or a private firm, unless what the university will refuse your application, not only because you won't have enough money to sustain yourself but because you have to show that you have found someone who believe enough in your project to fund it. It is not compulsory by law but it is part of every university policy. In general the reseacher you will work for help you to find the finacial support, with his lab's money or with government's money. This is the toughest part of the application for a Phd.

In the UK if you want to be a a Phd student the same thing is true and you need to find a scholarship. You can check that with Imperial if you don't believe me.

And I'm 99% sure it's true also for the US.

Reply 4

Vlad the Frog

to sum up applying for a Phd is like applying for a scholarship...

Reply 5

not1

How does this relate to the affordability of PhD study in the US though? You're saying as long as I can find a sponsor it should be as affordable as studying here?

Reply 6

Vlad the Frog

I'm saying that there is no difference between the affordability of a Phd here or in the States because anyway you need a sponsor to be allowed to apply, or you apply to a place as a Phd student along with a scholarship.

Reply 7

Craigy_Boy

Vlad the Frog

the point is you cannot be a Phd student without a sponsor...

I don't know what you mean by this, perhaps it applies only to the sciences. I am British, and I am about to start a PhD in the US in political science, and I certainly didn't need a "sponsor" in order to apply, and I received a full financial aid package on equal terms with domestic US applicants (fees paid + stipend in exchange for teaching/research responsibilities).

As for the OP's question, I was under the impression that at the top schools (certainly those you mentioned), as a doctoral student, you will usually be fully funded, through a combination of scholarships and assistantships (i.e. teaching obligations) provided by the university (in the sciences, I assume home US students will also apply for outside grants from their government, though as an international you may well be ineligible). From my experience (and I must warn you, this is mainly humanities/social sciences), generally speaking you will compete for admission and funding on equal terms with American applicants, though each college will have its own policies, so look at their websites.

EDIT:

The following sites may be of interest:

MIT

http://web.mit.edu/physics/graduate/applicants/fundinginfo.html

UC Berkeley

http://www.physics.berkeley.edu/academics/grad/prospectintro.shtml

"If you are accepted and choose to attend Berkeley, you will receive financial support in the form of a fellowship, teaching assistantship, or research assistantship. Tuition and fee support is provided for all of our graduate students throughout their program of study."

Caltech

http://www.pma.caltech.edu/GSR/faqapplnt.html

"All students admitted into the Physics Graduate Program are awarded a (GRA) Graduate Research Assistantship, (GTA) Graduate Teaching Assistantship or Graduate Fellowship and full tuition. Caltech Fellowships are awarded at the discretion of the Physics Graduate Admissions Committee, no additional application is required ..."

Princeton

http://www.physics.princeton.edu/www/jh/financial_aid.html

"Students are supported from three sources, in roughly equal numbers: fellowships (either from outside sources or departmental funds), Assistantships in Research (AR) in both theory and experiment, and Assistantships in Instruction (AI). All students remain supported by these sources for as long as they continue to make progress toward their degree."

Stanford

http://www.stanford.edu/dept/physics/academics/grad.html#financial

"All of our incoming Physics Ph.D. students are supported financially by Research and Teaching Assistantships, which provide a salary during the academic year and a tuition grant for 9 units per quarter. Each year the department is allowed to nominate top students for Stanford Graduate Fellowships. It is highly recommended for students to apply for fellowships from outside sources such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and the Hertz Foundation."

Reply 8

Vlad the Frog

in that case your "sponsor" is your university...

Reply 9

Craigy_Boy

I'm not sure that I follow, or at least I think the distinction you are trying to draw is a little meaningless, or just a roundabout way of saying that the university is paying your fees (which I don't deny, since that indeed is the point I am making, that if you are offered admission the university will most likely fund you, and you won't need to worry about finding the money for fees yourself). And in addition, what I am saying is that at the top colleges, this is the norm, so it shouldn't concern you too much when thinking of putting in an application - if you get in, they will ensure you have enough funds for you to make it through the degree (the thinking being that if you are good enough to be offered a place, they want you to attend, and don't want you to turn them down because you can't afford it!).

Reply 10

Vlad the Frog

I wasn't trying to draw any distinction and I do agree with what you said

Reply 11

Craigy_Boy

Vlad the Frog

I wasn't trying to draw any distinction and I do agree with what you said

Oh, sorry!

Reply 12

not1

Excellent reply, Craigy_boy! :smile:

Much thanks for all that information. Looks like I'll probably be giving the US a shot then. :wink:

Best of luck with your PolSci PhD, where are you doing it? I'm a bit of a political hack in my spare time, so in a way I envy you. :p:

Reply 13

Craigy_Boy

edders

Excellent reply, Craigy_boy! :smile:

Much thanks for all that information. Looks like I'll probably be giving the US a shot then. :wink:

Best of luck with your PolSci PhD, where are you doing it? I'm a bit of a political hack in my spare time, so in a way I envy you. :p:

thanks, i'm going to georgetown in washington, leaving for dc in 3 weeks time! a bit like you, I haven't a bean, and it's only possible for me to go at all because of the funding im getting to do it.

Reply 14

not1

Craigy_Boy

thanks, i'm going to georgetown in washington, leaving for dc in 3 weeks time! a bit like you, I haven't a bean, and it's only possible for me to go at all because of the funding im getting to do it.