I emailed my potential advisor (one of the top people in my subfield) after I applied and he replied within eight minutes! We spoke twice on Skype and he was very interested and supportive of my plans. Later that month, I sneaked out on my lunch break and talked to the department chair and other faculty members, who were also very interested in my research and teaching plans. Later that week, I got an offer with a 15,000/year assistant-ship and $750 entrance scholarship. Several days later, I received confirmation that I would have a federal grant worth $20,000/year with $2,000 in conference travel, 1,000 in book allowance, and $600 in book allowance. Later that year, my advisor offered me $2,500 in summer teaching. Therefore, my total compensation is the same as when I was teaching prekindergarten in the South: 42,500.
