When to inquire about assistantship?

[PsychedSloth]

An administrative assistant for one of the programs I was accepted to sent an application to be considered for an assistantship and she sent it to the program director, the same person that signed my acceptance letter, saying that he will let me know of his decision, but did not specify a timeline. I received my financial aid award letter the next day and it confirmed what I already knew; I will not be able to attend without an assistantship. They are aware of this fact because they asked me to indicate whether or not I could attend the university without an assistantship on the program application and I indicated that I could not. I'm almost confident this program is my top choice, but relocation expenses are another concern I have to consider. 

When would be an appropriate time to inquire about my assistantship application? It has been a week since my assistantship application was received and I have until April 15th to make a decision.

[rising_star]

I would wait until the end of the month to inquire.

[gradeschooldropout]

follow up question about another type of assistantship.

research assistantship. when should i contact professors for that? also should i mention in the email that it would be hard for me to attend the school if i don't get aid? i dont wanna seem needy and desperate but at the same time i kinda am desperate for the money lol

[TakeruK]

26 minutes ago, gradeschooldropout said:

follow up question about another type of assistantship.

research assistantship. when should i contact professors for that? also should i mention in the email that it would be hard for me to attend the school if i don't get aid? i dont wanna seem needy and desperate but at the same time i kinda am desperate for the money lol

As soon as you get the offer letter stating that you will need to find your own assistantship, you should ask whomever sent you that letter about this timeline. They should know the typical time that professors hire their RAs. If not, then contact people you would be interested in working with and ask them.

It's definitely fine to mention that you are seeking an assistantship because you would not be able to attend without one. I am not sure how much this will affect your application though.

[PsychedSloth]

3 hours ago, TakeruK said:

you should ask whomever sent you that letter about this timeline.

How should one go about crafting this email? 

[TakeruK]

24 minutes ago, PsychedSloth said:

How should one go about crafting this email? 

Just to clarify, you quoted my response to a different user's question, and they seem to be in a different situation than you.

For you, it sounds like you already submitted an application to be considered for assistantships so I think you should stick with the advice you got from @rising_star, which is to wait until the end of the month to inquire since you have only applied 1 week ago and you don't have to make a final decision until 1 month from now.

However, if you are just asking generally, or if the assistantship application you mentioned above does not cover research assistantships (only other types, perhaps?), and you want to find out if there are research assistantships available, you should first ask if there is a process to apply for research assistantships. At many grad programs, these are awarded/assigned along with admissions so there may not be a separate application process at all. Or, maybe your already-submitted assistantship application covers RAs as well.

If you are told to contact professors directly about RAs, as it seems like the case for @gradeschooldropout, then the first question to ask is the typical timeline for profs to make RA decisions. I would just ask it directly to the person that wrote to you about RAs in the first place.

Then, when it's time to contact the professors, you could write something like,

"Dear Prof. X,

My name is ABC and I have been accepted into the [name of your degree program] program starting this fall. I am seeking a research assistantship in your group/lab in order to fund my degree program. I currently have ... ((list whatever funds you have from the department, if any)). Without a research assistantship, I would not have the funds to attend this degree program.

I am interested in your/your group's/your lab's work in XYZ. [Write 1-2 sentences that specify what exactly about their work that interests you]. [Then, write 1-2 sentences summarizing your relevant past experiences]. 

Would you be accepting research assistantships for students starting this fall? I have attached my CV and transcript for your consideration. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

YourName"

Think about it as a job application and this email is your cover letter. If you wish, you can write and attach a separate cover letter but this isn't necessary in my field (could vary in yours). 

[PsychedSloth]

@TakeruK Yes, I understand that my situation is different. I asked because I'm unsure of whether or not the research assistantship is covered by the graduate assistantship application I mentioned above. It seemed like a catch all application, but I don't want to make the assumption. I'll have to figure that out first and then proceed accordingly. Thank you for your response!