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TA support at Indiana University | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)

[new] Similar Experience (none / 0) (#3)
by Vanes63 on Wed Feb 27, 2008 at 09:46:22 AM PDT

I am a graduate student in Texas (not at UT-Austin) and I make less than that but because of the standard of living here I do pretty well.

I also do not have a car, but am within walking distance of my university. Sometimes it is hard to get to the store, but I have friends that are very nice about taking me to the store whenever they go.

I think most departments want students to do well and try to take the standard of living in their area into account when calculating an appropriate stipend.

Are there more expensive apartments near where I live? Definitely. Could I have a car and deal with all of those expenses? Probably. But this all depends on the standard of living I want for myself.

All in all, the life of a graduate student is not luxurious. But if you are willing to set a budget and stick to it, eat in on a regular basis and really just do your job at school (study, study, study) then all you have to worry about is having a roof over your head and making sure you eat probably at least 3 times a day.

Luxurious lifestyle? No. Liveable lifestyle? Yes. You could probably make it on that stipend, but it mostly depends on you.

Now, given all that I've said/typed I would still try to contact current graduate students and see what they have to say about whether or not they can make it on their salary, especially other students who have similar living situations to your own. I know students who do side jobs to earn extra money. I am working on a research-based math curricula with some faculty members to make extra cash. Sometimes you just have to find a way to make it work, but you should really ask people who are in a similar situation to what you want to be (graduate students at that particular university) what it is like there.

Hope this helps and keep us posted on what happens :).

[ Parent ]

TA support at Indiana University | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)

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