Mad Money From Fellowships Ph.D Programs

[xdrgnh]

So I got into some good top 20 Ph.D programs in theoretical physics and have received some generous stipends. Is it common to further augment my income by applying for external fellowships while I'm in graduate school?

 

[Dishsoap]

So I got into some good top 20 Ph.D programs in theoretical physics and have received some generous stipends. Is it common to further augment my income by applying for external fellowships while I'm in graduate school?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but generally your external fellowships will replace your stipend... so you may make the same amount of money, just where it comes from will be different.

 

[radium]

If you are talking about ones like NSF, NDSEG, or Hertz, they cover your tuition and stipend so you don't need to get an RA or teach (NSF actually limits the amount you can teach since they want you to be doing research). If your stipend is less than the NSF, I believe you just keep the extra money. If your stipend is more than the NSF (mine is by a few hundred dollars) the school will often just supplement it.

However, at some institutions if you teach while on the NSF (which you can only do at most like 10-15 hours a week one semester per year) you will get paid to teach on top of your stipend.

 

[xdrgnh]

Thanks Radium. I plan to apply for that 40,000 dollar fellowship but still teach on the side so I can earn some extra money and get more teaching experience which will help me become a professor.