Atlas Fellows can spend this money on anything considered an “academic expense”.
How big a barrier is this in practice? Do all the fellows spend all the money and are “finding” ways to make sure they do? Or are they rarely hitting the $50k limit and actually spending this money positively?
Atlas Fellow here. Amongst casual conversations, I get the vibe that most of us have barely dipped into our scholarships, given that it’s been less than a year. Many fellows I know (including myself) haven’t touched the money yet. Some have spent a few thousand. Some have used it to pay for their first semester of college. There’s no reason to “find” ways to spend money as the money doesn’t expire—if I don’t need money now, I can defer withdrawal to a year down the line, or whenever I need it in my future career.
How big a barrier is this in practice? Do all the fellows spend all the money and are “finding” ways to make sure they do? Or are they rarely hitting the $50k limit and actually spending this money positively?
Atlas Fellow here. Amongst casual conversations, I get the vibe that most of us have barely dipped into our scholarships, given that it’s been less than a year. Many fellows I know (including myself) haven’t touched the money yet. Some have spent a few thousand. Some have used it to pay for their first semester of college. There’s no reason to “find” ways to spend money as the money doesn’t expire—if I don’t need money now, I can defer withdrawal to a year down the line, or whenever I need it in my future career.