Need your help plzzzzzzzZzZ... I would extremely be grateful 4 any kind of info :)

[salmazahran1992]

Guys i really need ur help in sth, i have a huge problem! first of all i am trying to find a scholarship to go to columbia Msc program. The problem is that they do not provide any kind of grants. And as an Arab student it is extremely difficult to find a scholarship. Even there are fulbright in my country requires 2 years experience    ! which i consider 2 be a bullshit since i am aiming for academic degree and not professional 1. So i was thinking about partial fellowships and take the remaining as a loan, so will it be a burden on me? is it a suicide kind of action     and to consume my chances 2 apply for Agha khan foundation scholarship, but the problem with this 1 is that they reply very late in July    courses start on August      I have never been so confused like this and i want any assistance i could get or opinions even     You would help a student from killing herself     PLZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank u in advance i wanna hear experiences for international students wanting 2 study in ivy league and how it was possible 

[snowshoes]

I think part of my brain just melted from reading this...

[salmazahran1992]

HAHAHAHAHAHA sorry for that   

[kafcat]

Sorry to sound like a pessimist but grants and scholarship deadlines are usually before the actual school application deadlines. By the time you are accepted into the program it's too late to look for grants. You should have applied for grants between November-January. Maybe try doing that next year, otherwise try to find loans. FYI Masters programs (at least in the U.S.) are RARELY fully funded, you are lucky if you can get 25% of the total costs covered. My suggestion is to speak to a Columbia rep. about your situation to find out the best plan of action, otherwise apply for scholarships while you're in the U.S. and stay tuned to deadlines. You may also consider scholarships offered THROUGH columbia/fellowships/ Teaching Assistantships or Research Assistantships, and usually these are not limited to U.S. Citizens/Residents, so try to find out through your college. Otherwise good luck next semester.

[biisis]

To second the above comment, I don't know of any external grants that you could apply for and hold in advance of your program starting. The timeline is a bit unforgiving here. I would look instead to supplementing my loan income with TA/RA positions through my department. International students can usually also work on campus, so there may be jobs to be found at your school's library or admin offices. It's tough working while in grad school (particularly in the first semester) but it could be an important way to lessen your debt.

 

I would also urge you to be quite upfront with your department about your funding situation. If your graduate program director (GPD) knows that you're hurting, they may be able to free up loose funds, or nominate you for internal awards. They can also give you advice about which scholarships to pursue over the course of your degree. When contacting them about your situation, however, it is important to write/speak in a very respectful and formal tone. GDPs hate getting (for lack of a better word) really whiny requests about how you need more money. They expect you to understand the risks and challenges of undertaking graduate studies, and really dislike dealing with demanding students with unreasonable expectations.

 

Here's a sample of what you might write:

 

Hello Dr. X,

 

[small talk about the program and how you're excited to join the department].... However I was hoping to talk with you about the matter of graduate funding. As an international student I am facing several financial challenges in budgeting for the coming years, and while I know that the department's resources are limited, I was hoping that you could let me know if there were any internal opportunities for scholarships, assistanceships, or grants that I could pursue to better support myself financially. If possible, I would also love to know if there are any external grants that past Columbia Msc students (particularly international students) have applied for and won. I'm a little unfamiliar with the funding terrain in the states, and would welcome any information you could offer.

 

Many thanks for your consideration,

 

Z

Edited May 3, 2014 by biisis

[biisis]

Also- don't kill yourself.

 

Also, also- don't joke about killing yourself.

[salmazahran1992]

Sorry to sound like a pessimist but grants and scholarship deadlines are usually before the actual school application deadlines. By the time you are accepted into the program it's too late to look for grants. You should have applied for grants between November-January. Maybe try doing that next year, otherwise try to find loans. FYI Masters programs (at least in the U.S.) are RARELY fully funded, you are lucky if you can get 25% of the total costs covered. My suggestion is to speak to a Columbia rep. about your situation to find out the best plan of action, otherwise apply for scholarships while you're in the U.S. and stay tuned to deadlines. You may also consider scholarships offered THROUGH columbia/fellowships/ Teaching Assistantships or Research Assistantships, and usually these are not limited to U.S. Citizens/Residents, so try to find out through your college. Otherwise good luck next semester.

Yes like Fulbright, the fullbright in my country requires 2 years experience which is not required in most countries. But i am talking about Agha khan this scholarship is provided the same year, so i can't apply till i get my admission letter. The problem with them is that they respond way to late.. it is very risky. I talked to the admission office and professors there and just they told me okay, try the fullbright ! then when i talk to financial aid asking them they tell me teaching assistant or a loan, but we wouldn't recommend TAs from the beginning just after u finish 1 semester professor choose from students TAs.. I feel that they truely are deliberately making it hard for students. I am from Egypt and the American embassy will not grant me any Visas till i have the money to pay for the entire Masters. I truly am trying to find any way to get into this college.That's a problem.... I really really appreciate ur response 

[salmazahran1992]

To second the above comment, I don't know of any external grants that you could apply for and hold in advance of your program starting. The timeline is a bit unforgiving here. I would look instead to supplementing my loan income with TA/RA positions through my department. International students can usually also work on campus, so there may be jobs to be found at your school's library or admin offices. It's tough working while in grad school (particularly in the first semester) but it could be an important way to lessen your debt.

 

I would also urge you to be quite upfront with your department about your funding situation. If your graduate program director (GPD) knows that you're hurting, they may be able to free up loose funds, or nominate you for internal awards. They can also give you advice about which scholarships to pursue over the course of your degree. When contacting them about your situation, however, it is important to write/speak in a very respectful and formal tone. GDPs hate getting (for lack of a better word) really whiny requests about how you need more money. They expect you to understand the risks and challenges of undertaking graduate studies, and really dislike dealing with demanding students with unreasonable expectations.

 

Here's a sample of what you might write:

 

Hello Dr. X,

 

[small talk about the program and how you're excited to join the department].... However I was hoping to talk with you about the matter of graduate funding. As an international student I am facing several financial challenges in budgeting for the coming years, and while I know that the department's resources are limited, I was hoping that you could let me know if there were any internal opportunities for scholarships, assistanceships, or grants that I could pursue to better support myself financially. If possible, I would also love to know if there are any external grants that past Columbia Msc students (particularly international students) have applied for and won. I'm a little unfamiliar with the funding terrain in the states, and would welcome any information you could offer.

 

Many thanks for your consideration,

 

Z

I have tried to talk to a professor who is in charge with Msc. Telling him i really really want to get in and i hope to meet you soon and these stuff with alot of respect but he wasn't very much helpful   he is telling me try fullbright and then he said we don't provide any scholarships because it is 12 people program! Duhh   and then when i asked admission office about Work-study they told me Msc is not allowed to get the work study program   it is like saying okay if u will not get a full scholarship u can't get in...... They are not helping at all i wonder what kind of person would afford loan without working at New York city one of the most expensive cities in USA     Thank u 4 responding 2 my post...

Edited May 3, 2014 by salmazahran1992

[salmazahran1992]

Also one thing they provide like more than 10 grants to MBAs while MSc none   which is something that is not reasonable.. 

[Guest |||]

I wasn't going to help but.... the tenth z in plzzzzzzzzzzz really sold me.

 

 

To be honest however much of what is stated above is the unfortunate reality.  You could consider looking if the university offers a hardship grant, though those tend to have strict requirements and are small in sum.

 

 

You might unfortunatly be stuck taking out a loan or having to work part time.

[salmazahran1992]

I wasn't going to help but.... the tenth z in plzzzzzzzzzzz really sold me.

 

 

To be honest however much of what is stated above is the unfortunate reality.  You could consider looking if the university offers a hardship grant, though those tend to have strict requirements and are small in sum.

 

 

You might unfortunatly be stuck taking out a loan or having to work part time.

I don't mind working part time but they aren't making it easy either i don't mind having loan and working part time   Do they mention on their website that they have hardship grant? do i ask them after my acceptance or before? Thank you so much