you don't go to grad school if you aren't funded. Period.

It makes sense for those going to law school, it makes sense for those getting their MBA, it makes sense for teachers getting their Masters in teaching, it makes sense for professional degrees where there is a realistic expectation of being financially compensated for the degree within five to ten years. It absolutely does not make sense for someone pursuing a doctorate to teach at the college level.

I mean, student loans for a PhD? In the humanities? That's crazy. It's a pretty banal fact that getting in but not getting funded, on the doctoral level, is a lot closer to getting rejected than to getting in with funding. In other words, departments don't expect you to accept the offer, and you shouldn't.

Freddie:

you don't go to grad school if you aren't funded. Period.

It makes sense for those going to law school, it makes sense for those getting their MBA, it makes sense for teachers getting their Masters in teaching, it makes sense for professional degrees where there is a realistic expectation of being financially compensated for the degree within five to ten years. It absolutely does not make sense for someone pursuing a doctorate to teach at the college level.

I mean, student loans for a PhD? In the humanities? That's crazy. It's a pretty banal fact that getting in but not getting funded, on the doctoral level, is a lot closer to getting rejected than to getting in with funding. In other words, departments don't expect you to accept the offer, and you shouldn't.

That's certainly how it works in physics, chemistry, optics, fields like that -- you are paid to earn your degree (in exchange for more or less teaching/researching). I wasn't aware that humanities students were <i>ever</i> paid, though.

Yeah, every hard science program I'm aware of, at least in this country, pays their students...usually through a teaching or research fellowship. You don't generally get accepted unless you're funded. But I thought humanities people always pretty much had to pay.

It depends somewhat on the grad school, but most places have funding for humanities students. It's usually not as generous as science funding, but it's available.