behavgradwa09

Hi Whomi, Thank you - that's been my understanding so far; I was just confused because a few sources had said that "tuition waiver" and "stipend" were classified differently, thus having different impacts on the amt. of other aid. Just don't want to eat Top Ramen every meal - LOL. Thanks again!

I received an assistantship by the skin of my teeth - phew! But this opens up a new list of questions. For those who have had assistantships before, or who are more familiar with how assts work w/fin aid... * my understanding is that if the asst pays tuition and a modest stipend, but doesn't cover all cost of living expenses, loans via fafsa can compensate for this. But is the stipend considered to be "income," or is it considered to be student aid? E.g., if the cost of attendance is $30,000, and the asst. package is worth $20,000, do fafsa loans then cover the rest of the $10,000, or does it compensate more because the stipend is taxed?... Sorry if this has been addressed elsewhere. I'm just trying to figure out how funds are assessed, etc., and need to figure out how to budget until September for moving ,etc. As the asst stipend is taxed, I wasn't sure how it was classified. I've e-mailed my school's fin aid office and they haven't yet responded. Thank you!

I had the same q as the OP... My income will be 25% of what it currently is... yiiikes. Also, does anyone know if you can still get loans if you also are trying to get an assistantship? the assistantship still wouldn't cover cost of living, books, etc. Thanks in advance - what stress!!!

Hi AW, I'm facing a similar situation. I make really good money at the moment, but not in the field I want to work in. My MS acceptance is unfunded, and I'm on the fence about taking the acceptance because of the many top ramen days it would entail. But I do think that it's worth it to struggle for a few years to earn the degree and have more latitude in your employment choices. And it's important to be excited about and engaged in your work!

Thank you - those are good points. I'll make it clear that I want to be considered for the assistantships that anyone else might decline close to the deadline, and continue to let them know it's important that I get one. And I'll try to hold out a little longer! When they said that they didn't have the funding in their dept., they fwd me to someone who was trying to get me an administrative assistantship in another department. Has anyone else heard of this? I'm new to this process and I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not, or if an admin asst. is as good as an RA or TA position.

Thank you. The dept. is pushing for me to give a response ASAP - but I've told them that I need to wait on funding first. They *still* want a response ASAP. Aargh. I feel a bit pressured, and am fully considering the loan route, but would need an assistantship or other employment to make ends meet. Has anyone else been told to pursue an administrative assistantship when departmental ones were unavailable?

Hello! I was accepted into my MS program, but was in a bit of a catch-22. My Quant GRE score wasn't high enough to earn an assistantship, so I took it over again (scoring high enough to get the assistantship). I sent in my app and was accepted, but the assistantships had already been divvied out. Ugh. I'd like to know if anyone else is facing this dilemma. In order to attend grad school, I'd have to leave my job (the economy in the area of the University doesn't support my position), which is fine, but it makes an assistantship very important. I'm currently being considered for admin assistantships in other departments. Has anyone else faced this? Thoughts? I'm a bit mystified by the process. Thank you!