I wouldn't put too much stock in a few anecdotes from your friends. Researching funding varies over time, but generally speaking, if you're at a good school (CM

I wouldn't put too much stock in a few anecdotes from your friends. Researching funding varies over time, but generally speaking, if you're at a good school (CMU and Berkeley would both certainly qualify) and your advisor is doing their job, you should be able to get sufficient funding without too much trouble.