Doing math with the pre-doc
To fully appreciate a Ph.D. program, one must do math.
In order to graduate, I have to take 9 classes as well as two years worth of a foreign language. 13 classes.
Taking two classes a semester (full time for graduate school), that means I have six and a half semesters worth of classes. Let's say 3 and a half years.
On top of that, I am supposed to take a semester doing a qualifying exam (because I came in with a degree in English and not in American Studies). Add another half year to read the twenty five works for the QE and you're at four years (actually, it took two years to get them to okay my stuff for the QE but I did other things while I was waiting).
You're not done. You've still got to take the comps. That's 75 works. Give it a year, and that's 5 years. A semester to write and get your dissertation proposal worked through and you're at 5 1/2 years. Now to writing...no matter how fast you write, someone has to get around to reading it... so a year and a half. Good. Seven years.
Myself, I came in with a foreign language (lose a year of classes) and we're back down to six. My comps? Finished them in a semester rather than a year (read a whole bunch during the summer). Five and a half! Yeah.
But of course, I've only been funded for five. That's right, next year, no money. No childcare. No health insurance. And boy oh boy, I'm going to have to pay tuition. Now, quick question. Who thinks that it was designed like this? Who thinks that perhaps the powers that be decided to make you fight it out the last year trying to figure out how to write a dissertation while taking care of two kids who, if they get sick, can't go to the doctor. What kind of evil monster would design the program like that.
Well, never fear. They didn't design it on purpose. They just didn't think about it at all, and have not managed to fix the system after numerous years of complaints. They don't have the time to care about your petty life problems. Now, big question: which would be worse, their having designed a system that pulls you through the ringer on purpose, or their having designed it because they couldn't care enough about the students to make a system that actually works.
My graduate advisors suggestion: take a semester off (back up to six years now) and apply for fellowships to pay for year 6.
In order to graduate, I have to take 9 classes as well as two years worth of a foreign language. 13 classes.
Taking two classes a semester (full time for graduate school), that means I have six and a half semesters worth of classes. Let's say 3 and a half years.
On top of that, I am supposed to take a semester doing a qualifying exam (because I came in with a degree in English and not in American Studies). Add another half year to read the twenty five works for the QE and you're at four years (actually, it took two years to get them to okay my stuff for the QE but I did other things while I was waiting).
You're not done. You've still got to take the comps. That's 75 works. Give it a year, and that's 5 years. A semester to write and get your dissertation proposal worked through and you're at 5 1/2 years. Now to writing...no matter how fast you write, someone has to get around to reading it... so a year and a half. Good. Seven years.
Myself, I came in with a foreign language (lose a year of classes) and we're back down to six. My comps? Finished them in a semester rather than a year (read a whole bunch during the summer). Five and a half! Yeah.
But of course, I've only been funded for five. That's right, next year, no money. No childcare. No health insurance. And boy oh boy, I'm going to have to pay tuition. Now, quick question. Who thinks that it was designed like this? Who thinks that perhaps the powers that be decided to make you fight it out the last year trying to figure out how to write a dissertation while taking care of two kids who, if they get sick, can't go to the doctor. What kind of evil monster would design the program like that.
Well, never fear. They didn't design it on purpose. They just didn't think about it at all, and have not managed to fix the system after numerous years of complaints. They don't have the time to care about your petty life problems. Now, big question: which would be worse, their having designed a system that pulls you through the ringer on purpose, or their having designed it because they couldn't care enough about the students to make a system that actually works.
My graduate advisors suggestion: take a semester off (back up to six years now) and apply for fellowships to pay for year 6.
posted by Monstro D. Whale at
1:13 PM
2 Comments:
Ah yes... you must have some form of income and be child-free and unmarried in order to get a PhD. Isn't that clause somewhere in the documentation? Oh wait... they didn't need to write it because it is De Facto. If you have a life, you do not deserve a PhD.
Speaking of going back to school. I was intending to re-enter college and pursue an MA in something. Since I have a wide variety of interests, it didn't matter what subject I followed. However, since I don't want to pursue art any further, I would have to get a BA in the other field before doing the MA. Well, I discovered that financial aid will not assist you in getting that second BA. Thus, you have to pay for it yourself, while not being yet enrolled in the MA program.
Umm... I don't know about you, but who in the hell can pay for a semester of college out of their pocket without working? And, even if you work part-time, you still can't pay your rent plus the college fees. And if you work full-time, your grades suffer and the kids with a silver spoon in their mouth get all of the scholarships because mommy and daddy are paying the bills and they don't have to work.
Something is severely wrong when a person who wants to further their education cannot do so due to financial circumstances.
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