Student Doctor Network Forums - View Single Post - When is a good time to discuss summer funding

Member 441958 · 05-23-2012, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dumbledoresgirl

Hello fellow SDNers,

I'll be starting a Clinical Psychology PhD program at Northern Illinois University this August.I know I'm thinking WAY ahead, but honestly my financial situation for the next few years is stressing me out

so I thought I'd go ahead and see if anyone has any insight.

I was lucky enough to get into a fully (?) funded program right out of undergrad. The question mark is because I'm not sure if it counts as fully funded--they say that in the last 10 years all of their students received a stipend and tuition waiver every year, but they can only guarantee two years at a time due to state law. Anyway, while the stipend and tuition waivers are great (and I am very grateful!!), they are unfortunately not enough for me to cover all of my expenses (I am buying a car, and that's the main reason).

So, my question is--is it too early to ask my advisor about summer funding (summer after first year)? Our stipend only covers 9 months, and I would much rather spend my time working in the lab than finding some random barista job (not that there's anything wrong with that!) However, if she doesn't think there will be any money for it, I would rather know ahead of time so that I can maybe start looking for a job (and possibly start working part-time before the summer so I don't feel too bad about getting a job for 3 months and then quitting). I am trying to avoid taking out extra loans for as long as possible (because I'll already have a loan out for car payments).

Also, how long does it usually take to secure a grant (assuming you get what you apply for)? I just want to make sure that I am covering all of my bases, and if my advisor doesn't have funding for me over the summer then maybe I would suggest applying for some sort of grant. If it makes a difference at all, my advisor is new and we will be starting up a lab this year--not sure how that plays into getting grant money.

Thank you in advance for any advice--this has been making me super anxious, so I would really appreciate any insight you guys have!

I'd say February or March-ish.

As to what others have said about outwside employment, it varies by program. I knew lots of people in my program that did work outside of the program, particularly during the summer, and often people never got permission even though we were "technically" supposed to. The culture of our department was more liberal about that as long as you were on track. If you were behind, they might look at your activities more closely.