Turning down an offer from a poorly funded PhD program - advice appreciated!

[RM5]

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I applied to 10+ Clinical Psych PhD programs and I am lucky enough to have received three interview offers and one acceptance so far. This has been my first year applying.

My issue with the school that accepted me is that it is very poorly funded; they cover 1/2 of your tuition and cannot offer a stipend. Most of the students live in pricey neighborhoods, which makes me wonder just how much debt they incur by the time they earn their PhD (I have been seeking out info on current grad students financial situations, to no avail). The folks I interviewed with even subtly mentioned that some students "find the time" to hold other jobs on weekends, "but never full-time ones, of course."

My economical sensibilities are telling me to turn down this offer and apply again later this year (assuming I receive no other offers), this time applying only to schools that are more financially secure. I have interviewed at a very well-funded institution that offers full tuition remission for at least four years (no word from them just yet, however), so I would afford myself the luxury of a bit more optimism this next time around.

Any advice is appreciated. Am I naive in thinking that I can do better, financially? Isn't this part of what getting a PhD vs. a Masters/PsyD (which are impressive credentials, just typically more expensive to attain) is all about? How many PhD programs can only offer 1/2 tuition remission and no stipend? I have applied to other programs that can only guarantee 1/2 tuition remission, but assure applicants that the other half is usually covered by assistantships.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer 🙂

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I applied to 10+ Clinical Psych PhD programs and I am lucky enough to have received three interview offers and one acceptance so far. This has been my first year applying.

My issue with the school that accepted me is that it is very poorly funded; they cover 1/2 of your tuition and cannot offer a stipend. Most of the students live in pricey neighborhoods, which makes me wonder just how much debt they incur by the time they earn their PhD (I have been seeking out info on current grad students financial situations, to no avail). The folks I interviewed with even subtly mentioned that some students "find the time" to hold other jobs on weekends, "but never full-time ones, of course."

My economical sensibilities are telling me to turn down this offer and apply again later this year (assuming I receive no other offers), this time applying only to schools that are more financially secure. I have interviewed at a very well-funded institution that offers full tuition remission for at least four years (no word from them just yet, however), so I would afford myself the luxury of a bit more optimism this next time around.

Any advice is appreciated. Am I naive in thinking that I can do better, financially? Isn't this part of what getting a PhD vs. a Masters/PsyD (which are impressive credentials, just typically more expensive to attain) is all about? How many PhD programs can only offer 1/2 tuition remission and no stipend? I have applied to other programs that can only guarantee 1/2 tuition remission, but assure applicants that the other half is usually covered by assistantships.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer 🙂

I'd say it's very financially-responsible of you to be considering the funding issue, and that's definitely a viable reason for declining an offer. Heck, I attend/attended a fully-funded program, and (owing to prior financial obligations and generally horrible financial management) even I had to take out loans. Can't imagine what situation I'd be in without having had a tuition waiver and stipend.

As for how to decline, I'd suggest doing it in nearly the exact same manner you would if you'd received a better offer elsewhere--kindly thank them for their offer while respectfully saying that you've decided to pursue other opportunities.

 

[emily621]

I did the exact same thing last year - it was my second year applying, and I applied to 10 programs, got 3 interviews, and only one acceptance, to a program that offered even less than yours. They could only offer $5000 towards tuition for the first year, and even smaller sums in subsequent years, with no stipend to speak of. This program was also in a pretty pricey area, and students ended up with a ton of debt. To compound the problem, I was pretty unsure of the reputation of this school in the academic community - now of course, this doesn't necessarily mean as much in some careers as it does in others, but it mattered to me. So I decided to politely decline (after holding on to the offer for quite a while), and reapply this year. It felt very wrong, considering that all I had wanted from the beginning of this whole process, was AN OFFER, but I do not regret it one bit.

I took the year in between to expand my CV, research better programs, and now have 5 interviews and 1 offer already. So as long as the mentor and/or research that you'd be doing at this program isn't EXACTLY what you're looking for (i.e., something that you couldn't find ANYWHERE else), then I think it's perfectly fine to turn it down, if that's what you're comfortable with.

 

[678886]

I concur with what everyone has said-- I don't know if anyone would disagree. When I applied straight out of college with no research experience to speak of, I got into a Clinical Psych masters program for which I would have to incur debt, while living in New York City. My adviser told me "absolutely not, they should be paying you," so I took a research job opportunity instead. I don't regret it for a minute (and now hold an offer from a fully funded PhD program with stipend-- I also have significant savings in the bank from the job). I can't imagine going into several times more debt over years. A PhD isn't the ticket to a high-paying job that an MD is; you could be tied down by this debt for years. You sound like a good candidate already and more time can only make you stronger.

 

[RM5]

I concur with what everyone has said-- I don't know if anyone would disagree. When I applied straight out of college with no research experience to speak of, I got into a Clinical Psych masters program for which I would have to incur debt, while living in New York City. My adviser told me "absolutely not, they should be paying you," so I took a research job opportunity instead. I don't regret it for a minute (and now hold an offer from a fully funded PhD program with stipend-- I also have significant savings in the bank from the job). I can't imagine going into several times more debt over years. A PhD isn't the ticket to a high-paying job that an MD is; you could be tied down by this debt for years. You sound like a good candidate already and more time can only make you stronger.

I did the exact same thing last year - it was my second year applying, and I applied to 10 programs, got 3 interviews, and only one acceptance, to a program that offered even less than yours. They could only offer $5000 towards tuition for the first year, and even smaller sums in subsequent years, with no stipend to speak of. This program was also in a pretty pricey area, and students ended up with a ton of debt. To compound the problem, I was pretty unsure of the reputation of this school in the academic community - now of course, this doesn't necessarily mean as much in some careers as it does in others, but it mattered to me. So I decided to politely decline (after holding on to the offer for quite a while), and reapply this year. It felt very wrong, considering that all I had wanted from the beginning of this whole process, was AN OFFER, but I do not regret it one bit.

I took the year in between to expand my CV, research better programs, and now have 5 interviews and 1 offer already. So as long as the mentor and/or research that you'd be doing at this program isn't EXACTLY what you're looking for (i.e., something that you couldn't find ANYWHERE else), then I think it's perfectly fine to turn it down, if that's what you're comfortable with.

I'd say it's very financially-responsible of you to be considering the funding issue, and that's definitely a viable reason for declining an offer. Heck, I attend/attended a fully-funded program, and (owing to prior financial obligations and generally horrible financial management) even I had to take out loans. Can't imagine what situation I'd be in without having had a tuition waiver and stipend.

As for how to decline, I'd suggest doing it in nearly the exact same manner you would if you'd received a better offer elsewhere--kindly thank them for their offer while respectfully saying that you've decided to pursue other opportunities.

Thank you all for the wonderful insight and advice!

 

[deleted176373]

Any advice is appreciated. Am I naive in thinking that I can do better, financially? Isn't this part of what getting a PhD vs. a Masters/PsyD (which are impressive credentials, just typically more expensive to attain) is all about? How many PhD programs can only offer 1/2 tuition remission and no stipend? I have applied to other programs that can only guarantee 1/2 tuition remission, but assure applicants that the other half is usually covered by assistantships.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer 🙂

There are some good programs in this boat... however, IF I liked the program, I would indicate that I would like to go but that unfortunately, due to the funding issue, I would not be able to accept their offer. If there was some way to find additional funding, that I would reconsider. This is better than just burning the bridge if you like the program.

 

[PsychPhDone]

It's up to you whether you are willing to attend a school that will send you into debt or not. For me, an offer without full funding + livable stipend = not an offer. But some people don't care about that so much.

 

[MsBella13]

I applied to 10+ Clinical Psych PhD programs and I am lucky enough to have received three interview offers and one acceptance so far. This has been my first year applying.

My issue with the school that accepted me is that it is very poorly funded; they cover 1/2 of your tuition and cannot offer a stipend. Most of the students live in pricey neighborhoods, which makes me wonder just how much debt they incur by the time they earn their PhD (I have been seeking out info on current grad students financial situations, to no avail). The folks I interviewed with even subtly mentioned that some students "find the time" to hold other jobs on weekends, "but never full-time ones, of course."

My economical sensibilities are telling me to turn down this offer and apply again later this year (assuming I receive no other offers), this time applying only to schools that are more financially secure. I have interviewed at a very well-funded institution that offers full tuition remission for at least four years (no word from them just yet, however), so I would afford myself the luxury of a bit more optimism this next time around.

Any advice is appreciated. Am I naive in thinking that I can do better, financially? Isn't this part of what getting a PhD vs. a Masters/PsyD (which are impressive credentials, just typically more expensive to attain) is all about? How many PhD programs can only offer 1/2 tuition remission and no stipend? I have applied to other programs that can only guarantee 1/2 tuition remission, but assure applicants that the other half is usually covered by assistantships.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer 🙂

I'm in a Psy.D. program with no funding besides a couple dozen meager teaching/graduate assistantships, so my perspective is a little different - when I read "cover half your tuition" I was like whoohooo lucky you! 😛

It's so hard to give advice because everyone's circumstances and what they value are so different! For me, I took the offer from my school because it was already my 2nd time applying to grad school and I did not want to postpone my career any longer. Yes, my education has been super expensive, but it also would have been super stressful and a lower quality of life living with my parents for another year & commuting the 1hr drive to the inpatient hospital I was working at that was only paying me $11/hr 🙂

Also, I grew up very blue collar, so hearing things growing up like "nothing in this world is free" "if you want something, you have to work hard and pay for it" may have also contributed to me expecting to take out loans for school and not expecting somebody else to pay for my education.

I have seen graduates from my program go on to make 6 figures/yearly in private practice, and the debt that they have incurred has not prevented them from having weddings, going on vacation, getting loans for houses, cars, etc. You can still have a desirable life with the debt you get from grad school, it's all about how you manage it.

Fingers crossed, though, for the school that offers a full remission