Requesting RA!

[bloometal]

So I got an admit at NCSU for PHD in Mathematics finally. In fact, it was the only school I got an admit from. Unfortunately, (Yep you guessed it!) I did not land myself any sort of funding. They seemingly decide upon Teaching Assistantships once in a year, and that's that!

So, my only option on getting my tuition paid is getting myself an RA. Do you think that is possible now that the decision for 'no funding' is already made?

How do I go about asking the Profs? Should I be straigh-forward at first go or do I tell them 'I'm just interested in learning more' before I get there and then once I get there, I ask them about RA? And also, I heard they usually don't give funding for international students, so do my chances increase if I should fly to the US and meet profs a month earlier?

I really need the funding! Thanks a ton for any sorta advice!

[RomulusAugustulus]

My guess is that your professors will have no influence on whether you get an RA position so I definitely wouldn't bother coming early to sweet-talk them. I would assume that you apply for those through the University. Check the student employment website and see if your school offer RA positions or GA (Graduate Assistantships- usually research work or Library/museum/etc day to day work) which can offer tuition & stipend. At the very least if you get a position as an RA you'll have money to pay tuition & probably free housing.

[aginath]

I was accepted to NCSU last year in Curriculum & Instruction (chose another school). I, too, was not offered funding. However, about two to three weeks after I got the offer letter, I started receiving emails about applying for assistantship positions across the college and university. You might check with your department to see if this is a possibility.

[b_bstevie]

Sometimes you don't even have to stay with your graduate professors. You might think about contacting professors that teach undergraduate math courses to see if they need TAs, or if you have any expertise in other fields. Don't wait for people to contact you. Getting funding is all about being proactive and creative. You will find the funding by thinking of things your peers do not. A lot of times, you can get tuition waivers for any type of position in any department on campus.