by Hindsight 20-20 » Mon Apr 08, 2013 10:48 pm
Just thought I'd post my thoughts after making it through Phase 1 and being hired in Phase 2...as a PhD funded recipient. Maybe it will help you guys make a good decision.
I like SMART. I like it a lot for BS and MS students. I hate it for PhD. PhD students usually have no idea when they will finish or how long their research will take. They may have terrible lab results, they may have a massive dissertation. Their committee may suck...bad..and make them redo stuff or putz around and never sign the forms. SMART stamps an expiration date on your forehead. It starts to sizzle about 1 year out...it burns through your skull and into your brain at 6 months out. Forcing a PhD to be done by a certain time is disastrous.
I was awarded 2.5 years funding. My professor thought I needed more but hated the idea of me working for the government rather than getting an assistant professorship somewhere and working toward tenure. So he said he would make it happen in 2.5 years (for a total of 3.5)...I wanted 3 years (4 total). I got the award, worked my ass off in the research. Time went on, got about 1 year out, still doing lab tests, 6 months out, still in the lab. 3 months out I have nothing written in the dissertation because we are still plowing through data. I had to get an extension. Now, luckily the SPO, or someone, changed the horrible policy of a 2:1 repayment for extensions. It used to be if you got 1 quarter extended you owed another full year. They only made me pay back a half a year extra for the quarter...which isn't fair either really...1 quarter does not equal 1 semester. Anyway, it was very stressful. The extra quarter was not enough to write a dissertation but I eeked by. It sucks. I will never ever let anyone read it if I can help it. I'm embarrassed by the poor quality...but hey, it was 400 pages and I wrote it in 1 month.
BTW, I wouldn't have taken this scholarship at all if I hadn't absolutely needed the money to support my family of 4...1 income.
Had I not been required to work for the DoD I would have had a very easy time getting a top tier university assistant professorship, making about 90k in my field (2nd tier is about 80k). I know lots of people and many asked me to apply. Unfortunately I had to say no. I got hired at a GS12-7-ish...demo project band...$83000 with moving expenses. I'm doing decent work, not what I want but it's okay...it's very meaningful work anyway. I have lots of responsibility and manage multi-million dollar projects. The salary is lower than I would have had, but on par with average assistant professorships. I will be able to publish and teach. I hate where I live and I will probably leave this job on the very day my commitment is over.
Now, as I mentioned, I had to take this. I have 4 people in my family, only one income, and the 17k a year of a grad student pay wasn't going to cut it. I didn't apply for other scholarships since I missed their deadlines. Overall I made 50-60k per year during school on this scholarship with the internships and all. That was invaluable. So, I don't hate the program...it fed my family.
I say all this to tell the PhD people...if you know in your heart and can swear on your soul that you know when you'll finish and you don't mind the job commitment, then go for it (apply). If you don't know when you'll finish and you don't have family to care for...just get a GRA/GSR or TA or whatever and suck it up. Maybe apply when you get close to being finished. If you take this 3-5 years out, be prepared for ulcers and sleep deprivation and maybe contract extensions at the end. Its very very very stressful to have an expiration date. It's not worth it in my opinion, unless it is absolutely necessary.
Just my 2 cents. Make your decisions accordingly.
Just thought I'd post my thoughts after making it through Phase 1 and being hired in Phase 2...as a PhD funded recipient. Maybe it will help you guys make a good decision.
I like SMART. I like it a lot for BS and MS students. I hate it for PhD. PhD students usually have no idea when they will finish or how long their research will take. They may have terrible lab results, they may have a massive dissertation. Their committee may suck...bad..and make them redo stuff or putz around and never sign the forms. SMART stamps an expiration date on your forehead. It starts to sizzle about 1 year out...it burns through your skull and into your brain at 6 months out. Forcing a PhD to be done by a certain time is disastrous.
I was awarded 2.5 years funding. My professor thought I needed more but hated the idea of me working for the government rather than getting an assistant professorship somewhere and working toward tenure. So he said he would make it happen in 2.5 years (for a total of 3.5)...I wanted 3 years (4 total). I got the award, worked my ass off in the research. Time went on, got about 1 year out, still doing lab tests, 6 months out, still in the lab. 3 months out I have nothing written in the dissertation because we are still plowing through data. I had to get an extension. Now, luckily the SPO, or someone, changed the horrible policy of a 2:1 repayment for extensions. It used to be if you got 1 quarter extended you owed another full year. They only made me pay back a half a year extra for the quarter...which isn't fair either really...1 quarter does not equal 1 semester. Anyway, it was very stressful. The extra quarter was not enough to write a dissertation but I eeked by. It sucks. I will never ever let anyone read it if I can help it. I'm embarrassed by the poor quality...but hey, it was 400 pages and I wrote it in 1 month.
BTW, I wouldn't have taken this scholarship at all if I hadn't absolutely needed the money to support my family of 4...1 income.
Had I not been required to work for the DoD I would have had a very easy time getting a top tier university assistant professorship, making about 90k in my field (2nd tier is about 80k). I know lots of people and many asked me to apply. Unfortunately I had to say no. I got hired at a GS12-7-ish...demo project band...$83000 with moving expenses. I'm doing decent work, not what I want but it's okay...it's very meaningful work anyway. I have lots of responsibility and manage multi-million dollar projects. The salary is lower than I would have had, but on par with average assistant professorships. I will be able to publish and teach. I hate where I live and I will probably leave this job on the very day my commitment is over.
Now, as I mentioned, I had to take this. I have 4 people in my family, only one income, and the 17k a year of a grad student pay wasn't going to cut it. I didn't apply for other scholarships since I missed their deadlines. Overall I made 50-60k per year during school on this scholarship with the internships and all. That was invaluable. So, I don't hate the program...it fed my family.
I say all this to tell the PhD people...if you know in your heart and can swear on your soul that you know when you'll finish and you don't mind the job commitment, then go for it (apply). If you don't know when you'll finish and you don't have family to care for...just get a GRA/GSR or TA or whatever and suck it up. Maybe apply when you get close to being finished. If you take this 3-5 years out, be prepared for ulcers and sleep deprivation and maybe contract extensions at the end. Its very very very stressful to have an expiration date. It's not worth it in my opinion, unless it is absolutely necessary.
Just my 2 cents. Make your decisions accordingly.