Ross Fellowship

[E-P]

One of my schools has offered me a Ross fellowship.  The main "rules" seem to be that:

- You don't teach the first year, but you teach subsequent years (cool by me)

- You have to take at least 9 hours of classes during the long semesters, and 6 hours  of classes in the summer.  If you don't take classes in the summer, you don't get paid for the summer months (fair).

 

Of course, I'm full of questions:

Is there any tension/drama between people who have TAships, versus fellowships?  Am I opening myself up to be, I dunno, ostracized?

 Is it something that looks good on one's CV, or is it not "important" enough to go on there?

Do most programs offer enough classes during the summer that there are 6 hours of summer courses available?  Is there a reason *not* to take classes during the summer?  I'd rather get done with coursework and go onto the dissertation sooner rather than later.

[E-P]

It's been a couple of months, and now I want to give back!  I've found out some more details, so when a future student comes here and googles this, they'll pop this up.  It's worth noting that I'm writing specifically as someone in the Comm school, so some items may vary if you're awarded the fellowship in a different program.

Things I've learned:
- It is, in fact, a big deal.  The school really wants you, and this is their way of showing it.  It's totally valid to call your Mom, Dad, Spouse, or Dog and brag.

- There doesn't seem to be a common theme in the research for which it's awarded.  I'm interested in online communication.  One of my fellow Fellows (ha) is doing environmental communication.  Still another is in Health Comm.  I don't know what common factor unites us.  If I had to guess, maybe well-articulated ideas of the research we want to pursue?  The three Fellows I know have all been in the Corporate/NGO world for a while, so academia is a second career.  But again, I have no idea.

- The department nominates you; it's not something you apply for.  So don't worry about trying to "get it," since it's out of your control.

- The fellowship is considered a half-time appointment, which is the same as the other grad students get.  So one fellowship = two teaching classes per semester.  The fellowship is designed to give you the time to kickstart your research.

- However, if you want to (or if you need the money), you CAN choose to teach a single class, which would bring you up to .75 time.  This would also give you a pay raise, although I don't know by how much.  You can also teach .75 time going forward if you want and get paid more in future semesters.

- The first class most people teach is Comm 114, so one of the "Drawbacks" of the fellowship is that you don't teach it (typically), and so you lose out that shared boding experience with your cohort.  However, you can still take the Comm 114 training class that takes place on Tuesdays that everyone else takes; just because you're not teaching doesn't mean you can't show up.

- If you choose not to take that Comm 114 training class in the Fall, I gather that you *can't* choose to do .75 time teaching in the Spring, and the training class isn't offered then.

- Finally, most importantly: If you want to start in the summer, you may be able to.  The fellowship itself can be "moved up" to start in the summer semester.  It's possible that that wouldn't be a good idea for you and your specific program goals, though, so ask your advisor.

Questions I've answered:

Q: Is there any tension/drama between people who have TAships, versus fellowships?  Am I opening myself up to be, I dunno, ostracized?

Answer: There doesn't seem to be.  I talked with both another Ross fellow, and my "graduate student buddy," and they said there isn't any drama.  I don't plan to advertise it, though, just in case.

Q: Is it something that looks good on one's CV, or is it not "important" enough to go on there?

The other Ross fellow who got the award last year puts it on their CV, but others do not.

Q: Do most programs offer enough classes during the summer that there are 6 hours of summer courses available?  Is there a reason *not* to take classes during the summer?  I'd rather get done with coursework and go onto the dissertation sooner rather than later.

A: Yes, at least at Purdue.  My home department does not, but there are plenty of classes you can take in other departments that are even judged as "better" than classes in your home department.  Talk to your advisor.

 

If you have additional concerns, and I'm still active on this forum, send me a note.  If I'm not active anymore, check out the Purdue Comm school directory; you can probably deduce who I am.