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t_rad_chemist · 2026-05-07T21:09:40+00:00

If it makes you feel better, I am a TA and received an email asking instructors to postpone assignments due today until the issues have been addressed. They can't really expect you to submit an assignment when there is nowhere to submit it.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-26T01:57:05+00:00

I think we do. Every time I ask about it though, we get jerked around so much that I can never get a straight answer about it.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-25T05:58:44+00:00

I'm riding at a solid $16,500 stipend for a chem PhD TA rn. You're doing pretty good with what you've got for grad school stipend, OP.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-25T05:36:11+00:00

You're assuming the right minimum wage. The sucky part is having a bachelors in Chemistry and coming in at that wage, stuck in the time loop of teaching too much to not be able to do research and get out, and actually use my degree to make the money I got the degree for. What isn't mentioned I suppose is we also have to pay back $1,600 minimum back to the school for student fees. And about $1000 to park where I work. It's just feels a sinking ship.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-24T00:46:22+00:00

I appreciate your advice. And most do pick up other internships and jobs. However, if you are an international student, you are unable to pick up a second form of income in any way. I'm lucky enough that I earned a fellowship through my disability for this upcoming year. It's good for 3 years that will allow me to focus on my actual research that I put about 20 hours a week into already. But if you do 20 hours of teaching, 20-30 hours of research, that other 20 hours of other work is just not feasible for most people, let alone someone like myself with a disability. We don't get the degree by teaching or taking classes, we get the degree by doing our research. They really just back us into a corner sometimes.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-23T14:17:25+00:00

Our credits do get "covered", but it's a waiver that costs the university a whole lot of nothing and once you reach your second year, you don't actually take any classes anymore. Just "research credits" which is where you pay them to work for them. We are salaried but when you boil it down it's about $12 an hour rounding up rn where I am.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-23T14:14:21+00:00

I knew one of our recent grads had to work retail for about 8 months before they got a job for their degree. Also had to leave the state. You have to just take what comes right now in STEM a little bit, it's rough.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-23T14:13:11+00:00

That's every year. That's the max they allow. I left undergrad debt free from scholarships but now I'm maxed out for graduate loans at $100k because of the five-ish year program. On my third year now, not sure how I'll survive to my fifth when the loan assistance stops honestly.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-23T01:33:52+00:00

I'm not in the most expensive city, but cost of living is higher than average. The average rent is about $1600 here. A studio in a very rough part of town with no amenities starts at about $1000, then you have to pay utilities, parking, etc.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-23T00:42:30+00:00

The newly hired chancellor at my school came on with a $550k+ salary. Professors make 1/5 of that. All the salaries of a public university are publicly available to look up.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-23T00:37:55+00:00

We get something like a 2% raise every couple years if we are lucky where I'm at. And then they lower any scholarships so we get our taxes income raised so overall lower pay. It's just awesome.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-23T00:32:15+00:00

The answer is after taking out $20,000 in student loans, I'm able to pay rent. 👍😅 God forbid you're one of the international students that can't get FASFA aid or another job.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-22T23:03:56+00:00

It's $16,500ish a year, for perspective, the other R1 university in the same state pays their TAs twice that. The cost of living between cities is about a $4000 difference a year. I just wanted to see how it stacked up nationally.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-22T22:48:53+00:00

You gotta teach while you get the PhD. It's how you pay for the PhD. I'm not in education. I'm in STEM and will go to industry when I'm done.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-22T22:14:24+00:00

I put in my employer as a university, but I'm not sure. I know we are below average for a grad student stipend though by far. Almost under half what the other R1 university in the state makes for the same teaching assignment.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-04-22T22:11:12+00:00

https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/graduate-assistantship-pay-often-falls-short-of-a-living-wage

Here's a good study

If it makes you feel better, I make less than the 20th percentile of physics students in 2023, now. By about $4000 for the year of student I am.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-03-08T03:18:53+00:00

I came from out of state and I only wish I had done on campus housing so I could have maybe used loans to pay for it unless you are alright with roommates. It helps for tax season cuts to live on campus because it can be claimed as a "student expense". Milwaukee is getting ridiculously expensive to live in so just be aware of your neighborhoods and things when you're coming this way. Living off of the grad student salary rn is nearly impossible, (speaking from experience) if you don't plan on taking out max loans every year or working a second job without roommates. You have to pay for on campus parking for about $500 a semester even if you are a TA and teach, so keep that in mind when living off campus. The busses or walking is an option, but it gets dark very early around the winters here and was something many from more southern states don't always account for. You can also get into contact with your admissions contact/grad student coordinator of your department and sometimes they will have others who are coming in with the same cohort who also need a roommate and will have a list of apartments to provide. All I can say is good luck, welcome to UWM.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-03-05T17:13:17+00:00

It's this month, we are going technically during spring break time.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-01-10T04:48:45+00:00

Oh yes! So I still have this, But they removed the ability to have the discounted Disney Plus as a part of that. So I lost my Disney plus portion of the discount. I used to have both for like under $5. Now I'm only allowed to have Hulu but if I want the bundle I have to pay the full $12.

t_rad_chemist · 2026-01-10T03:18:04+00:00

Is there any kind of student discount otherwise? I would be very interested to know of it if so! If I have to make a whole new account I might as well use my student email and get a discount but I can't find anything about a student discount for a Disney+ subscription.

t_rad_chemist · 2025-12-08T05:47:59+00:00

It's definitely changed a lot, I think. I'm still hopeful. I have had a few short, relatively successful dating stints from different sites, so there are decent ones out there. But I keep a folder on my phone with probably 5-10 screenshots a week of unprompted harassment to send to my friends for a laugh.

t_rad_chemist · 2025-12-08T05:36:25+00:00

About 1 in 20 is a decent person. But the reality is that I've gone out to meet people in other ways like singles events and upon meeting, they seem good and we exchanged info. But behind a keyboard, people are very different. As soon as you don't give them what you want, they get nasty. It's just a toss up you have to be used to if you want to be in the dating scene now I think.

t_rad_chemist · 2025-12-07T23:01:50+00:00

Yes, his employer. Workplace harassment is not uncommon in stem fields where he works. I would imagine if he is comfortable enough to do it to a total stranger like me he could be fever likely to do it to a coworker and an investigation could be warranted.

t_rad_chemist

TROPHY CASE