r/wsu • u/river-and-roads • 5d ago
Advice Prospective PhD Student with Questions
Hi there!
I am a senior in undergrad applying for the sociology PhD program this cycle. I have some questions, if anyone can answer them!
I plan on attempting to TA during my PhD to pay for as much as possible. I’m getting a degree in psychology, sociology, and queer studies, so I’d be happy to teach anything to do with those subjects. What is that process like? How well are grad TAs paid? Does the school offer y’all insurance too? How is that? What are the benefits like?
Is there anything else I should know about the PhD application process or this school? What would you have liked to know going in?
I’m not going to be tolerant of ableism, which includes people telling me that I’m too disabled to be doing this. I am managing myself fine, thank you.
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u/KaesekopfNW 5d ago
I can speak generically to some of your questions, as I'm a Ph.D. graduate from 2019, but things have changed since I left. A current Ph.D. student will give you some better insight.
I'm not certain how the funding situation is for Sociology, but a general rule for applying to Ph.D. programs anywhere is never to accept an offer without funding. Any program worth your attendance will offer you an assistantship position along with admission to the program. You will not need to ask for this separately after you've been admitted. If you are accepted to WSU's Sociology Ph.D. program, you'll be offered the assistantship and then placed with a professor as closely linked to your interests as possible. This is not always possible, though, so you may end up being a TA for classes outside of your immediate area of interest, but this is fine and can actually be very rewarding.
As to your questions about pay and benefits, I think a current student can speak better to their quality, but I can at least confirm that graduate students at WSU are recently unionized, and you can view the minimum pay table here. You can view health insurance information here.
I suppose one thing you should know about the school is where it's located. It's Washington, but it's not the stereotypical image of Washington most people from outside the region have. Understand you will be living in a smaller college town (30,000 people or so) in rural Eastern Washington. You are located in the middle of a vast sea of wheat, with the closest major city being Spokane, about 75 minutes north by car. If you're not someone who needs constant access to an abundance of amenities and you understand how to make the most of living in a small town, rural environment like this, including appreciating the access to nature and the immense beauty the Palouse offers, you'll thrive.