Unfunded Ph.D.s: To Go or Not To Go

By Natascha Chtena. When applying to Ph.D. programs, I was often advised to consider an acceptance without departmental funding as a polite rejection. I chose to pursue an unfunded Ph.D. regardless. Partly because I really wanted to go back to school, partly because I really wanted to work with my current advisor, partly because I really wanted to move to the States and this was an opportunity to do so. After securing partial funding from a private institution overseas, I felt empowered, special and, even, unbreakable. Read more...