Teaching assistantship for first year, and then?

[poissonpilote]

Hi all,

I got several admits, with funding for my first year (one as RA, one as TA). However, I'm a bit freaked out by the possibility of losing it later on, as the assistantships are renewed on a per year basis.

Does it happen frequently that students start the program with an assistantship, and lose it later on? The assistantship that I was offered is wonderful, but if in a later year I do not have a teaching

assistantship or research assistantship, I couldn't afford to continue my studies. When students have a TA and do well on their PhD, is it still possible for them to lose it anyway?

Any input would be much appreciated

[mojojojo]

Most schools usually give funding for a year (except maybe Stanford, which gives out the SGF for 3 years). They expect you to make use of that one year to find an advisor, and he or she would then support you with an RA for the rest of your PhD. So you should start looking for advisors now.. Personally, I would take up the RA offer, as that's what you'll be doing anyway.

[zxcv]

Funding for future years depends highly on your field and institution. There's really no way to find out other than to ask current graduate students in the program.

[Firled]

Hi all,

I got several admits, with funding for my first year (one as RA, one as TA). However, I'm a bit freaked out by the possibility of losing it later on, as the assistantships are renewed on a per year basis.

Does it happen frequently that students start the program with an assistantship, and lose it later on? The assistantship that I was offered is wonderful, but if in a later year I do not have a teaching

assistantship or research assistantship, I couldn't afford to continue my studies. When students have a TA and do well on their PhD, is it still possible for them to lose it anyway?

Any input would be much appreciated

I was admitted to a Ph.D. program under such a condition. I got a TA/RA ship only for the first year and then the following year I was on my own. What you have to do is find out if there are TA or RA jobs available outside your academic department. If you have an undergrad degree in a high demand area, you'll be fine. If your degree is highly specialized then you may not find anything. Fortunately, I had an undergraduate degree in a field that allowed me to easily find TA positions in other departments for the following two years.

Edited March 7, 2010 by Firled