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Except that for research programs these tuition wavers are for "research credits" for the majority of grad school duration. That is, there is no classes, only w
by cultus 7y ago
Except that for research programs these tuition wavers are for "research credits" for the majority of grad school duration. That is, there is no classes, only work on behalf of the university. Unlike normal work, you pay them. Calling most grad students "students" is a fiction. They are workers.
- chrisseaton 7y ago> That is, there is no classes, only work on behalf of the university. On a PhD you do your own research. You aren’t working for anyone but yourself. You may do some teaching but that’s just an optional part-time job.
- cultus 7y agoThat's not true. Do you even know how grad school works? Research you produce and grants you pull in benefit the university. Your research also is directed by your PI, a university employee and your boss, and often involves directly assisting their projects. How would a research university look if all of its grad students stopped doing research?
- chrisseaton 7y agoIt is true. I’m sure the university benefits, but you decide what to do yourself. You aren’t doing work given to you by the university or your advisor. Your advisor is absolutely not your ‘boss’, they’re a tutor, almost a peer.
- legolas2412 7y ago> You aren’t doing work given to you by the university or your advisor. Something tells me you have not been through PhD, or are have not interacted with other PhD students. You absolutely work on what your PI got their grant for.
- chrisseaton 7y agoNope I do have a PhD.
- cultus 7y agoIt's safe to say your experience is highly atypical. Even if a grad student's stipend is not funded on an RA for their research, the research still costs money. It is certainly funded from somewhere, and it's not coming from the tuition. It's almost always the PI's grant. And that means your research is on a specific problem. I can't speak to what your experience is, but what I am saying here is typical in US universities.
- cultus 7y agoReplying to your lower comment: That is just not remotely my experience or the experience of most people I know. Most people in science I knew already know what project they would be working on before entered grad school at all. It is very much directed, with some latitude like any other skilled job.
- chrisseaton 7y ago> It is very much directed Graduate school is very much directed? The usual criticism is that it’s completely undirected and you can drift if you aren’t careful!
- aspaceman 7y agoNot anymore. There’s no money to linger around because many schools don’t let you TA for a long time.
- aspaceman 7y agoThis is emphatically not true and shows a major misunderstanding of graduate funding. If you want to have a PhD you need funding. To get funding you need to work. Then you get to research in your free time. Source: I’m a PhD student.
- chrisseaton 7y agoSome funding requires you to work, some doesn’t.
- aspaceman 7y agoAnd the funding that doesn't require you to work is increasingly offered less.
- jmspring 7y agoUm, I had a TAship and the tuition waiver during my Master's period at UCSC as well as when I needed to take any required classes post-Masters.