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Thank you all. I'll be in Tampere, Finland when I'm not traveling. I also have to decide what to do with the MA I was going to go to.
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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Wow. The money is much less than expected. I withdraw my claim about traveling. Luckily, though, the embassy is working with my girlfriend and I and we might be able to get her a residence visa to tag along.
This is very exciting and overwhelming, but the money is disappointing. Bulk beans and rice it is.
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I considered it briefly, but there are two problems and one sub problem. One, I don't know enough people. Subproblem, the people who I do know probably don't have enough money to spare me some. Problem two, I'm really not good at asking for things like this and I have no idea how I'd even go about it. When I say I'm not good, I mean it in both the way of not knowing and it just not being in my personality to ask.
I ain't no beggar! Though my lack of beggarhood isn't due to pride. No. I lost any pride I once had a long time ago. I started working for Kaplan as a GRE tutor but the hours are so horrible that I won't be able to save up much. Having filed some 6 dozen other applications and not gotten a single response except from Baskin Robbins (which didn't work out because I was about to start working for Kaplan and they wanted my schedule completely clear for the 20 hours a week they would give me), it really hit me full force how bad the economy is. A college degree doesn't mean much. Indeed, I suspect it is hindering me in finding a job. Summer job listings should pop up soon, and maybe I'll be able to get one of those.
Edit: Part of what frustrates me about my financial situation is that my father funds both my brother and my sister. My brother is 25 and has yet to graduate, so he continues to pay for his education and living expenses. My sister seems to be incapable of working and is 27 so he pays for everything for her. Because I'm thriving, I get cut off (having graduated). I'll be the first to admit that I am very lucky to have had a parent who supported me through college, and I am very lucky to have been offered this opportunity, but it is a bit annoying to look at how drug-induced laziness is rewarded.
Edit2: I should say that in the end, I am very happy to have what I have and have been offered what I have been offered. I'll just be (very) frugal and get by. It's especially strange, though, that the MA program I was admitted to offers a larger stipend to its students than Fulbright does.
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About what do you have per month? My understanding is students in the nordic countries can live pretty reasonably without a huge amount of money so long as you use public transportation and buy groceries and live in a smaller apartment not too close to city center (or share an apartment in city center).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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1000 euros/month. A 400 sq ft apartment, unfurnished, will run about 500 euros. Then we'd need to get furnishing and my girlfriend will also be living with me, so we were hoping that the budget would cover food for both of us. We'll probably also need to get cheap bicycles to get around--which in the long run is likely cheaper than public transit. I could, theoretically, get an apartment for about 350 but that would only be 200 sq ft, and I'm not sure that two people can handle that.
We'll definitely survive just fine. We just won't be traveling, which is disappointing given that we'll be in Europe for a year.
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I wouldn't rule out traveling. On that budget, you should have no problem finding enough Euros for a couple good trips around Finland or into neighboring countries, minimum. Also, I bet she'll be able to get some work (will she be studying, too?).
Consider sharing an apartment (ideally with someone also at the university, but more local), too. That could save you some money, and be good for getting to know the locale.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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The apartment sharing would be interesting, though I'm not sure how that works with couples.
The way she's going to be able to get a residence permit so she can stay is by enrolling in graduate English courses at the university, so she'll be busy too. I suppose it's possible for her to teach English on the side, if she has spare time. I am not sure if she's legally allowed to, but it is worth checking out. I am not allowed to work or it is deducted from my stipend.
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My fiancee and I share a two bedroom apartment with a third person. Granted, we knew her from before, but I think it can work well with sufficiently accommodating people. You might put a feeler out with the Faculty you'll be working with if they'd let you know of graduate students who'd like to split an apartment (or maybe there're some larger houses that are commonly shared by grad students who might have spaces opening up).
Even if she isn't legally allowed to, I doubt a few hours here and there for a little extra cash will be viewed askance.
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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The feeler suggestion is fantastic! I'll get on that.
Edit: Or not. Despite having an obscene amount of researchers, they lack a graduate program. I've never seen anything like it. I guess things are different in Finland. They have 19 researchers, 11 docents, 2 research assistants, 1 lecturer, and 3 professors. They have a faculty of 36 and not a single graduate student. It's insane... I love it.
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Alright, I think I managed to figure out a cheap way to have housing and have enough left over for food and travel.
But now I just received a long email from one of my professors telling me that I should go to NIU over the Fulbright, as it is in my best interest for getting into a good grad program. So confusing.
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In light of the fact that it may not help me in my career, I am seriously considering turning down the Fulbright if I get off the waitlist for funding for NIU.
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Wouldn't getting the Fulbright put you in a better position to apply again next year?
On the other hand, if you can get funding, that would be hard to turn down. You can, hopefully, parlay that into a better PhD program in a couple years. And you don't really want to go through the expense and hassle of doing this all over again next year.
Wait and see, if you don't get funding, it'll make your decision for you.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I've officially declined the Fulbright in favor of going to NIU's MA program. They just offered me funding.
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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Congratulation, even though I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about! (you don't have to inform me, just take the congrats)
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