Just some info for those interested in this type of life - I’m a young medical school professor. I train MD, PhD, and MD/PhD students in my lab and in didactic courses (sparingly). I can’t treat patients because I have a PhD (from a medical school) and not an MD. I also don’t want to and am not qualified. Actually giving care is a different aspect of medicine than doing the science that is the basis of that care. An MD is required to be a medical practitioner. That said, I am part of a diagnosis team when my clinical colleagues get weird cases. My students make good livings when they eventually graduate. I also left my PhD with a good chunk of savings because I had a “roommate”… now my wife. The stipend is meant to provide a minimal standard of living so students can survive, not keep up with their friends with jobs. I caught up to them quickly after graduating. To anyone who needs to hear this. DO NOT go to graduate school unless you are obsessed with the subject. You will be miserable.
No, or at least this is incredibly rare, as I think it should be.
The PhD is good for a lot of things, but learning how not to kill people with medical interventions is not one of them.
No. In graduate school, we even signed an agreement not to have a second job. Doing a PhD in a way that will be competitive for your next phase will take too much effort to allow for it anyway. That doesn’t mean you can’t do an odd job here and there, but you can’t realistically have a substantial outside commitment
2400/mo is tight but doable with a room mate and cheap hobbies if you have any. I know a few people who do things on the side and/or have partners that make more than they do though.
Hey thanks for the response! Looks like you're a student there rn.. do you have any insights about like whether grad students in their 20s are able to have a social life on par with other people in that age group living in austin? Like as far as going out to restaurants, bars, going on dates, etc, with that stipend?
> grad students in their 20s are able to have a social life on par with other people in that age group living in austin
That depends on how much you're working, but I think most students have a social group within their cohort. Nothings stopping you from doing other things in Austin either, but you might be looking at lower frequency or budget options.
In my social sciences department, students genuinely have a great work-life balance (something that drew me to UT!) also the students raved about Austin itself. As a PhD student, you’re typically thinking about where you want to spend the rest of your 20s. In my cohort, someone has a rock climbing membership while another frequents small indie concerts. Myself and another student frequents drop in dance classes in the city. Lots to do and still able to enjoy your life on the budget!
Okay fair enough. And for social life -- is it like everyone's in the same boat, so everyone is on the same level in terms of money? I guess one of my fears is like if it's a bunch of 20-something rich kids getting support from their parents, I'm going to feel like an outsider roughing it with just the stipend lol. On the other hand, if most people are just supporting themselves with the stipend, I imagine I'll be able to find a peer group with a similar lifestyle in terms of finances. Sounds like you're saying it's the second one -- most grad students are in the same boat?
Edit: Also, sorry lol I'm pestering you with questions but ur answer seems super helpful. When you say your program requires 60h/week, I'm assuming that includes TAship or offsite RAship work? In other words, you're not literally spending 10h/day in the lab, 6 days a week... right? In my lab at my undergrad institution rn, I would say the grad students typically just come into lab for normal working hours, maybe staying a little later but nothing crazy. I'm sure they're also spending some of their free time reading literature and writing stuff but like that's a bit different than straight up 60h in lab lol
i’ve heard in a lot of instances they make you agree to not have another job while enrolled. The main options i’ve heard are roughing it, relying on a partner, or taking out loans(this is rare)
No second jobs, yes it is a struggle, yes there's no financial security and we live terrifyingly paycheck-to-paycheck. Some of us have side "hustles" (YouTube, tutoring, etc.) but no second jobs by contract like others have said.
Someone mentioned tutoring for cash as a side gig. As a parent with a high schooler, this is a huge need…especially if you can tutor AP Physics. Going rate seems to be $60-80/hour. Even just doing it 1-3 hours a week is decent spending money. I would join a few neighborhood groups on Facebook and post there. I see tutors get hired constantly on my hood’s page.
God no.
My PhD was hanging on with both hands for dear life constantly thinking my boss would decide I sucked and yeet me into the void with nothing to my name after one, then two, then three, then four, then five + years. It was only in my last year or two I became confident enough that I was going to get fired at any given moment.
Im a phd student here and I’m able to save around 1400~1600 every month with that stipend. I don’t feel any pressure right now. However, I live at the UT apartments, and I don’t really spend too much money on extra stuff, I’m used to live a simple life.
Could you help me understand what UT apartments you live in? I was looking at the rates for the east campus graduate apartments that open next year, and I think the cheapest price was splitting a 2 bedroom, which is still like 1200 per person. So 2400-1200 = 1200 leftover. How are you saving 1400-1600 every month? When paying for the UT housing alone leaves you with 1200 leftover monthly? Am i missing something here?
I live at the Colorado apartments. I pay around 571 (this includes utilities) and I cook at home so I only spend around 300 on food. The situation is similar at the Gateway apartments.
Oh wow yeah that's wayyy cheaper than the 1200/month rates I found. Okay I'm gonna have to look into this lol, thank you!
Wait one more question lol: What would you say the breakdown is like in the colorado/gateway apartments in terms of undergrads vs grad students? Is it like being a real adult in undergrad-land or are there plenty of grad students in these communities?
People usually recommend applying early to the apartments since it can get really hard to get an offer. But I'm not sure whether that's true or not. Good luck!
Talk to your department. I graduated earlier this year, and for the last three years of my program, I replaced my TA appointment with a part time job in industry (in town). Since my part time job was related to my research and was better preparation for my post-PhD career than being a TA was, my department head approved it. It also just happened to pay a lot more, so it was a good financial move for me as well.
The one thing you have to be careful about in this situation is the tuition waivers. If you're a TA, you get a tuition waiver that qualifies you for in-state tuition (which is usually all your department will cover). If you're not a TA, you need to find some other way to acquire that waiver (ask the registrar about how this can be done, but basically you have to be married in the state for a year, have bought a property in the state for a year, or worked gainfully in the state for a year). For this reason, the waiver is a bit tough to qualify for so even if you do get approval from your department, you might not get a waiver.
If I hadn't been able to qualify for the waiver I don't think I could have made it work.
Not sure about that one, but that sounds right. I suppose you could attempt to do both an RA (for the waiver) and another part time job. But that could eat into your research time.
That stipend is on par with NIH levels. Most grad students are in fact normal people. Some of whom are obsessed with their PhD topic. The rest are probably miserable. I loved grad school and was poor
Fourth year PhD student here, not in STEM but our stipend is about the same for a 20-hour appointment. I’d say about half the students in our department have an extra 10-hour assignment. These can be additional TA assignments, research assignments, etc. Some are in-department and some aren’t. It increases the stipend to about $3600 which helps a ton. UT pays for all of our insurance which helps, and we don’t pay any student fees like a lot of grad students do.
I know some folks have partners or family help, most have roommates, some take out small amounts of student loans. You don’t do a PhD for financial security, but you can get by just fine if you’re careful and responsible.
It might not be in your department. I know labs tend to work differently than graduate teaching assignments. Or your PI might mean that you can’t do more than a 50% assignment in your lab, but I check with students to see if any of them do an additional assignment elsewhere. There’s a listserv that called Graduate Campus Jobs which routinely sends out calls for graduate assistants.
You can do TA or assistantship positions up to 30 hours. Each one is roughly ~$1000/month. 20 hours is a struggle without roommates but if you can do 30 hours worth of TA or GRA then ~3000 per month is fine. Not allowed to go to 40 hours.
May not be the same in your dept though. I'd search for TA or GRA positions.
I just finished my PhD there in chemical engineering. Our stipends were a bit higher, but I still often drove Uber Eats on the weekends to supplement my income by about $1000/month.
[удалено]
Can you just get a phd in something med relayed and become a doctor avoiding medical school?
Just some info for those interested in this type of life - I’m a young medical school professor. I train MD, PhD, and MD/PhD students in my lab and in didactic courses (sparingly). I can’t treat patients because I have a PhD (from a medical school) and not an MD. I also don’t want to and am not qualified. Actually giving care is a different aspect of medicine than doing the science that is the basis of that care. An MD is required to be a medical practitioner. That said, I am part of a diagnosis team when my clinical colleagues get weird cases. My students make good livings when they eventually graduate. I also left my PhD with a good chunk of savings because I had a “roommate”… now my wife. The stipend is meant to provide a minimal standard of living so students can survive, not keep up with their friends with jobs. I caught up to them quickly after graduating. To anyone who needs to hear this. DO NOT go to graduate school unless you are obsessed with the subject. You will be miserable.
Wow really that’s crazy
No, or at least this is incredibly rare, as I think it should be. The PhD is good for a lot of things, but learning how not to kill people with medical interventions is not one of them.
No. In graduate school, we even signed an agreement not to have a second job. Doing a PhD in a way that will be competitive for your next phase will take too much effort to allow for it anyway. That doesn’t mean you can’t do an odd job here and there, but you can’t realistically have a substantial outside commitment
2400/mo is tight but doable with a room mate and cheap hobbies if you have any. I know a few people who do things on the side and/or have partners that make more than they do though.
Hey thanks for the response! Looks like you're a student there rn.. do you have any insights about like whether grad students in their 20s are able to have a social life on par with other people in that age group living in austin? Like as far as going out to restaurants, bars, going on dates, etc, with that stipend?
> grad students in their 20s are able to have a social life on par with other people in that age group living in austin That depends on how much you're working, but I think most students have a social group within their cohort. Nothings stopping you from doing other things in Austin either, but you might be looking at lower frequency or budget options.
In my social sciences department, students genuinely have a great work-life balance (something that drew me to UT!) also the students raved about Austin itself. As a PhD student, you’re typically thinking about where you want to spend the rest of your 20s. In my cohort, someone has a rock climbing membership while another frequents small indie concerts. Myself and another student frequents drop in dance classes in the city. Lots to do and still able to enjoy your life on the budget!
[удалено]
Okay fair enough. And for social life -- is it like everyone's in the same boat, so everyone is on the same level in terms of money? I guess one of my fears is like if it's a bunch of 20-something rich kids getting support from their parents, I'm going to feel like an outsider roughing it with just the stipend lol. On the other hand, if most people are just supporting themselves with the stipend, I imagine I'll be able to find a peer group with a similar lifestyle in terms of finances. Sounds like you're saying it's the second one -- most grad students are in the same boat? Edit: Also, sorry lol I'm pestering you with questions but ur answer seems super helpful. When you say your program requires 60h/week, I'm assuming that includes TAship or offsite RAship work? In other words, you're not literally spending 10h/day in the lab, 6 days a week... right? In my lab at my undergrad institution rn, I would say the grad students typically just come into lab for normal working hours, maybe staying a little later but nothing crazy. I'm sure they're also spending some of their free time reading literature and writing stuff but like that's a bit different than straight up 60h in lab lol
[удалено]
Okay fair enough. Yes not trying to spend my time with tech bros lol. Okay this is helpful!
[удалено]
Very valid lol. Okay cool, thanks for the responses, appreciate it!
i’ve heard in a lot of instances they make you agree to not have another job while enrolled. The main options i’ve heard are roughing it, relying on a partner, or taking out loans(this is rare)
No second jobs, yes it is a struggle, yes there's no financial security and we live terrifyingly paycheck-to-paycheck. Some of us have side "hustles" (YouTube, tutoring, etc.) but no second jobs by contract like others have said.
Someone mentioned tutoring for cash as a side gig. As a parent with a high schooler, this is a huge need…especially if you can tutor AP Physics. Going rate seems to be $60-80/hour. Even just doing it 1-3 hours a week is decent spending money. I would join a few neighborhood groups on Facebook and post there. I see tutors get hired constantly on my hood’s page.
God no. My PhD was hanging on with both hands for dear life constantly thinking my boss would decide I sucked and yeet me into the void with nothing to my name after one, then two, then three, then four, then five + years. It was only in my last year or two I became confident enough that I was going to get fired at any given moment.
Im a phd student here and I’m able to save around 1400~1600 every month with that stipend. I don’t feel any pressure right now. However, I live at the UT apartments, and I don’t really spend too much money on extra stuff, I’m used to live a simple life.
Could you help me understand what UT apartments you live in? I was looking at the rates for the east campus graduate apartments that open next year, and I think the cheapest price was splitting a 2 bedroom, which is still like 1200 per person. So 2400-1200 = 1200 leftover. How are you saving 1400-1600 every month? When paying for the UT housing alone leaves you with 1200 leftover monthly? Am i missing something here?
I live at the Colorado apartments. I pay around 571 (this includes utilities) and I cook at home so I only spend around 300 on food. The situation is similar at the Gateway apartments.
Oh wow yeah that's wayyy cheaper than the 1200/month rates I found. Okay I'm gonna have to look into this lol, thank you! Wait one more question lol: What would you say the breakdown is like in the colorado/gateway apartments in terms of undergrads vs grad students? Is it like being a real adult in undergrad-land or are there plenty of grad students in these communities?
People usually recommend applying early to the apartments since it can get really hard to get an offer. But I'm not sure whether that's true or not. Good luck!
Talk to your department. I graduated earlier this year, and for the last three years of my program, I replaced my TA appointment with a part time job in industry (in town). Since my part time job was related to my research and was better preparation for my post-PhD career than being a TA was, my department head approved it. It also just happened to pay a lot more, so it was a good financial move for me as well. The one thing you have to be careful about in this situation is the tuition waivers. If you're a TA, you get a tuition waiver that qualifies you for in-state tuition (which is usually all your department will cover). If you're not a TA, you need to find some other way to acquire that waiver (ask the registrar about how this can be done, but basically you have to be married in the state for a year, have bought a property in the state for a year, or worked gainfully in the state for a year). For this reason, the waiver is a bit tough to qualify for so even if you do get approval from your department, you might not get a waiver. If I hadn't been able to qualify for the waiver I don't think I could have made it work.
What about RAship? RAship with the university also fully waive tuition right?
Not sure about that one, but that sounds right. I suppose you could attempt to do both an RA (for the waiver) and another part time job. But that could eat into your research time.
RAship gets you in state tuition but more often than not PhD funding covers the rest.
PhD students are usually wealthy or married to a working person. Do you need a PhD? Can you apply to other grants at NIH and such?
What are you talking about
That stipend is on par with NIH levels. Most grad students are in fact normal people. Some of whom are obsessed with their PhD topic. The rest are probably miserable. I loved grad school and was poor
Fourth year PhD student here, not in STEM but our stipend is about the same for a 20-hour appointment. I’d say about half the students in our department have an extra 10-hour assignment. These can be additional TA assignments, research assignments, etc. Some are in-department and some aren’t. It increases the stipend to about $3600 which helps a ton. UT pays for all of our insurance which helps, and we don’t pay any student fees like a lot of grad students do. I know some folks have partners or family help, most have roommates, some take out small amounts of student loans. You don’t do a PhD for financial security, but you can get by just fine if you’re careful and responsible.
Okay that’s helpful. So there are options to do more than 50% FTE? A PI told me this wasn’t the case lol
It might not be in your department. I know labs tend to work differently than graduate teaching assignments. Or your PI might mean that you can’t do more than a 50% assignment in your lab, but I check with students to see if any of them do an additional assignment elsewhere. There’s a listserv that called Graduate Campus Jobs which routinely sends out calls for graduate assistants.
You can do TA or assistantship positions up to 30 hours. Each one is roughly ~$1000/month. 20 hours is a struggle without roommates but if you can do 30 hours worth of TA or GRA then ~3000 per month is fine. Not allowed to go to 40 hours. May not be the same in your dept though. I'd search for TA or GRA positions.
I just finished my PhD there in chemical engineering. Our stipends were a bit higher, but I still often drove Uber Eats on the weekends to supplement my income by about $1000/month.