Fellowship VS RA/TA

[akraz]

Hi,

Is Fellowship same as getting RA/TA position. I am applying one school where it says that GRE scores are optional but required to be considered for University Fellowship. Now i am not sure what University Fellowship means. Any ideas?

Thanks

[fuzzylogician]

How much the fellowship pays depends on the school. Generally, the advantages of a fellowship are:

a. It sounds like the fellowship is competitive. Winning one is always good for one's record.

b. Fellowships usually pay more than RA/TAships.

c. (Much more importantly) you'll have less teaching requirements, which means that you'll have more free time for your research.

Potential downside:

Less teaching experience when you graduate.

Potential fix:

Teach for extra payment, if the option exists.

Different fields place different emphasis on teaching skills, but in all of them having great research is more important (assuming you want to do a PhD and become a research professor).

More free time = more time for your research = potentially better results.

[anthropologygeek]

Not to mention a fellowship looks better on your cb.

[StrangeLight]

an RA does research for a professor. a TA does teaching for a professor. someone with a fellowship (usually) just gets paid to take classes and do their research. they always look better on your CV, and they contribute to your future ability to get post-doc positions and research grants when you're a professor.

[starmaker]

Many universities have some sort of prestigious internal fellowship for new graduate students where incoming students from different programs or schools compete with each other. I am guessing that that's what your University Fellowship is. Departments and schools will sometimes have their own internal fellowships as well.

I would say, try to get a fellowship if you can (though it's not the end of the world if you can't - most students will be funded through TA/RAships). Others in this thread have listed several major reasons why. I will add a couple:

- With a fellowship, you have financial independence. There are advisors out there who will use students' financial dependence to require them to work extremely long hours, or specific hours, or to prevent them from taking a vacation, or to coerce them into dropping outside hobbies, or any number of other things relating to work conditions. If you bring your own salary, they don't have the financial control over you.

- With a fellowship, you can choose your advisor without regard to whether they have funding for another grad student. You may even have an easier time being accepted into their lab because of this.

[rising_star]

an RA does research for a professor. a TA does teaching for a professor. someone with a fellowship (usually) just gets paid to take classes and do their research. they always look better on your CV, and they contribute to your future ability to get post-doc positions and research grants when you're a professor.

Just to clarify, TAs may also teach their own courses. In my department, anyone with a MA can (and will) be asked to teach their own course.

Also, some profs abuse students who are on fellowships by getting them to do extra work that they aren't required to do. I know people on fellowships that put in a lot of hours in order to stay in their lab, even though the fellowship terms explicitly state that such work not be required. And I'm not quite sure how a fellowship contributes more to getting a post-doc. A lot of it depends on what you do as a TA/RA and what you do as a fellow.

[ScreamingHairyArmadillo]

And I'm not quite sure how a fellowship contributes more to getting a post-doc. A lot of it depends on what you do as a TA/RA and what you do as a fellow.

Obviously, a later position is contingent upon the quality of your work, but a fellowship has the added bonus that you have more time to focus on your project. You can also get through classes more quickly if you don't have to spend time TA/RAing.

Also, OP, some fellowships are only one year, so you would probably get some TA/RA experience later on anyhow.

[LizzieT]

At my university, fellowship recipients (I am one) get more money and have less teaching and GRA requirements. For instance, I have to only teach two courses over my entire 4 year period. They are competitive--mostly based on prior research, GMAT score, and GPA as well as faculty recommendations. They also look good on your CV.They allow you the flexibility to do more research and to do it with professors of your choice.

[newage2012]

Just to clarify, TAs may also teach their own courses. In my department, anyone with a MA can (and will) be asked to teach their own course.

Also, some profs abuse students who are on fellowships by getting them to do extra work that they aren't required to do. I know people on fellowships that put in a lot of hours in order to stay in their lab, even though the fellowship terms explicitly state that such work not be required. And I'm not quite sure how a fellowship contributes more to getting a post-doc. A lot of it depends on what you do as a TA/RA and what you do as a fellow.

If you see such abuse may be it is time to switch.

As for my university, you can also get funding by doing administrative work on campus (as an employee). I know at least a couple MA in political science have work in our university hospital IT and graduated that way.

Also, OP, some fellowships are only one year, so you would probably get some TA/RA experience later on anyhow.

It really depends. At this economic situation it is safe to say the department will left you out in the cold, unless there are some guarantees that are being written on paper that you will get continued funding. TA are usually covered by labor unions and less subject to abuse than RA does, which you may be asked to walk your adviser's dog or clean their toilet. (Usually you will meet these professors in any sort of engineering)

I am a fellowship recipient but also work as a hospital IT supervisor (part-time) so when the fellowship runs out, the hospital will pick up the tuition tab (as employee benefit). So I will say, besides in your own major, look for job opportunity in other department on campus as well. At least if your PhD doesn't land you any job your IT skills will save your ass.

Edited April 9, 2011 by newage2012

[ibangz]

Obviously, a later position is contingent upon the quality of your work, but a fellowship has the added bonus that you have more time to focus on your project. You can also get through classes more quickly if you don't have to spend time TA/RAing.

Also, OP, some fellowships are only one year, so you would probably get some TA/RA experience later on anyhow.

RAing is actually the same as being a fellow so you won't have more time/get through classes more quickly. Not to mentioned if you do TA, it's not the course-load that's being downsized but the time you spend on research.

Now the plus point about the Fellowship is the freedom it gives the student to find an advisor, find a project. At the same time it can be the downside too, because the freedom is not for everyone, believe it or not! You have to get a lot more creative with a fellowship that with an RA.

And finally yes! fellowships come to an end like all other good things. So the tricky part is to be able to define a project that if your fellowship run out your advisor be able to support you on the SAME project with HIS/HER money as an RA.

[Eigen]

RAing is actually the same as being a fellow so you won't have more time/get through classes more quickly. Not to mentioned if you do TA, it's not the course-load that's being downsized but the time you spend on research.

This is not true in many disciplines. It's also possible to be assigned a 20ish hour "RA" with someone in a completely different field than yours, where you assist them with their research to cover your pay, but in addition to your own research, which may be on a completely different topic. Some engineering programs do it this way, as well as most social sciences and humanities.

[ibangz]

This is not true in many disciplines. It's also possible to be assigned a 20ish hour "RA" with someone in a completely different field than yours, where you assist them with their research to cover your pay, but in addition to your own research, which may be on a completely different topic. Some engineering programs do it this way, as well as most social sciences and humanities.

I can assure that such a thing is nonexistent in EE departments. Yes, as I said with RA you may not end up working exactly on your "dream" project, and it's you that have to adapt your research and eventually dissertation/publications to PI's needs, not the other way around which will be more likely in the case you are on a fellowship, of course with the "danger" of freedom in mind, but "completely different than yours"? No. Maybe some side projects for a couple months at most. Mainly because: you shouldn't accept such an insane offer in the first place! and more important than that no PI will pick a student with "completely" no previous background/coursework/research and perhaps no interest too, in that specific field of theirs, not in this climate at least. I don't know about social sciences and humanities though; maybe they can switch their fields of research right off the bat.