My major was civil engineering in my undegraduate study and I finished MS in structural engineering at University of Pittsburgh without thesis. Currently I am planning to start my PhD career in the U.S. or Canada and this decision is adamant. I already got conditional admission from one university in the U.S. which ranking around 90. Conditional admission means I don`t even have a chance to apply for financial support. All other professors either told me their fundings are extremely limitted or no plan for admitting new PhD members.
I am so frustrated that I`m now thinking about initiate my self-funded PhD study. I know it`s gonna be a massive spend and my family can afford me that, but I am hesitating about the way other students treat me. Am I debasing myself by doing this? What if I couldn`t get any offer till the deadline. Dose it worth it that I spend tens of thousands of dollars to attend a bottom ranking university?
Can someone please help me and give me some advise regarding what I should do?
Thank you very much!