Accepting a less than ideal offer v. Taking Time Off

Mar 28, 2010 21:06

This situation is pretty particular and personal, but I wanted to solicit advice from those of you who may have faced a similar situation.

I'm about to finish undergrad in May. I applied to six programs in Art History during fall semester, four PhD and two MA. I realize now that being admitted to a PhD program with substantial funding, especially in this climate, was perhaps an absurdly lofty goal. In any case, I was admitted to one MA program, the Courtauld Institute of Art, with absolutely zero funding, making attending totally impossible. I was admitted to a PhD-track program with a full tuition waiver, but no stipend or fellowship. This program was near the end of my list, and to be honest, I'm not terribly excited about the department or the topics favored by my potential advisor.

I am willing to give this program real consideration because it also grants a terminal MA, meaning that I could finish that degree there and then reapply to PhD programs with the intention of securing a spot with better funding. I realize that this is not really a good reason to accept an offer, because I hardly think attending a PhD-track program with the intention of leaving after the MA is the wisest of ideas. That being said, I am also finishing undergrad with a significant amount of debt, and am unwilling to take out additional student loans in order to keep myself afloat in the absence of a fellowship. I've been told by the department that I'm an alternate for a fellowship, but they are being less than-forthcoming about whether I might get additional funding. They've suggested I might look for work elsewhere on campus, but supporting myself on the wages of a part-time campus job seems a but ludicrous.

In short, has anyone worked while also functioning as a full-time student? I'm (perhaps selfishly) unwilling to make myself totally miserable for two years. Is there any reason to think this might work? My hunch is to start looking for jobs and reapply in two years, but I want to know if I'm foolish for not taking an offer that at least pays my tuition.

taking time off, funding

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