Financial Chaos Exacerbates a Low Graduate Student Stipend

About this episode

Emily interviews Dr. Dillon Pruett about his financial journey during his PhD and postdoc, highlighting the challenges of low stipends and financial disparities.

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Dillon Pruett, an assistant professor in the School of Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University. This is the first part of a two-part interview in which we discuss Dillon's financial journey through his PhD and postdoc at Vanderbilt University. Dillon tried to keep his eyes on his own financial paper, but the pay disparity between himself and other graduate students and postdocs was repeatedly brought to his attention. Still, he managed to make it through without accumulating debt and even building modest assets, despite financial setbacks. Dillon's candor during this conversation is laudable, and his experiences are likely to be both relatable and a cautionary tale for prospective and early graduate students.

People in this episode

Host: Emily Roberts

Guest: Dr. Dillon Pruett

Topics covered

• financial journey
• graduate student stipend
• financial setbacks
• debt management
• PhD experiences

Keywords

• graduate student finance
• PhD funding
• financial challenges
• debt-free
• financial planning

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Florida State University, Vanderbilt University

Places: School of Communication Science and Disorders

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