GRA/Admission Question

[green31OSU]

So, I was accepted to three universities for graduate school, one of which is the school at which I'm currently finishing undergrad in aerospace engineering. I received an offer from school A for a GRA position, but wasn't interested in the research topic, so I declined admission there. School B, the one I'm currently attending, offered me a GTA position, and I received an unofficial offer from a professor doing some great research for a GRA position. When I met with said professor, the position sounded like a sure thing. School C, when I contacted them, said they would be unable to offer any funding. With this information, I accepted admission to School B. However, about a week ago the professor I had spoken with informed me that some unexpected financial issues had risen, and he would be re-evaluating his GRA offers to determine whether they were feasible. I have yet to hear his final decision. A couple of days ago, I was contacted by a professor at School C offering to discuss their research for a possible GRA position.

Now, I wholeheartedly believe that it would be best for me to do research from the outset, as my goal is to obtain a Ph.D. However, I'm not sure what the best course of action is. If the first professor informs me he will no longer be able to fund me, that would sway my decision towards attending School C if I was offered a GRA position there instead of taking a GTA position. The problem is that I have already accepted admission here. I'm wondering whether it would be useful to pursue the second offer I received, and, if the first offer falls through, if it would even be possible to "switch" my admission to the other school. Any thoughts?

[spctle342]

As someone in a totally different field who hasn't even begun applying, take this for what it's worth. My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with discussing your options with School C. Your acceptence with school B was contingent upon the availability of funding and research opportunities. Things have changed. I can't think of a more legitimate reason to explore your alternatives. My opinion is probably guided in some small way by my aversion to the idea of pursuing a PhD at one's undergraduate institution. Regardless, I don't think you're obligated to keep your part of the bargain (attending) if the school is unable to keep theirs (research).

[Eigen]

As someone in a totally different field who hasn't even begun applying, take this for what it's worth. My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with discussing your options with School C. Your acceptence with school B was contingent upon the availability of funding and research opportunities. Things have changed. I can't think of a more legitimate reason to explore your alternatives. My opinion is probably guided in some small way by my aversion to the idea of pursuing a PhD at one's undergraduate institution. Regardless, I don't think you're obligated to keep your part of the bargain (attending) if the school is unable to keep theirs (research).

From what I read of the original post, he did not accept with the RA position contingent. Rather, he had an unofficial offer for an RA position, and accepted.

You should be aware of the fact that you may well burn bridges if you pursue studies at School C... And depending on how you accepted, School B could give you trouble letting you out of your "contract" with them.

Will you have other funding (TA, etc?) at School B? If so, I wouldn't sweat not having an RAship. Most of our department works on TAships at least until the second year or so, it's pretty common. It's not like you won't be doing research from the beginning- you just won't be directly getting paid for said research. Everyone does the same amount of research in most science/engineering fields- TAships just mean you get paid for teaching duties on the side, whereas RAships you don't have to teach, and are paid out of grants from the projects you're working on. So if you're thinking that not having an RAship means you won't get to do research, rest easy. You can still work for that professor, he just can't directly fund you. At least not right off.

It's much better to work for a boss you like and get funded through a TAship than work for someone you're less interested with and be funded through an RAship, IMO. You can always apply for fellowships/external funding as well.

Edited May 9, 2011 by Eigen

[spctle342]

From what I read of the original post, he did not accept with the RA position contingent. Rather, he had an unofficial offer for an RA position, and accepted.

Thank you. I overlooked that when reading the post the first time.

To Green31, I agree that if it's not an issue of funding vs. no funding, there may not be any compelling reason to jump ship. If you have a TA position at School B, I'd run with it and worry about research down the road. I don't know that many students are expected or even encouraged to pursue research during year one. If you have reason to believe that research opportunities will be available in the future, it seems prudent to stick around and make it work at your school of choice.

[Eigen]

Again, not having a RAship does not mean you won't be doing research.

Of my entering class, only two of us weren't TAs (we both had research fellowships), but we all started research within the first month of the semester.

My wife just started her PhD in neuroscience, and she's a TA (as is nearly all of her entering class), but they were all *required* to start research rotations within a few days of arriving.

RAship vs TAship is just about where your funding comes from.

[green31OSU]

After reading some of your advice, I feel it's necessary to point out that School C was actually my first choice (they're a top 5 program). Also, although I agree that being a TA would still allow me to do research my first year, it does have the added burden of teaching duties, which reduces the time that can be spent performing research. In that sense, it is advantageous to start off as an RA from the beginning in terms of workload and time spent researching.

In any case, I'm pursuing the offer further, and I'll be notifying the first professor that I'm looking at other alternatives should his funding situation prohibit my joining his research group. Hopefully this will all be settled in a week or so.

[adinutzyc]

Talk to School B. Explain why you accepted there and what the problem you are facing is. Explore your options at School C. See if school B would be willing to let you go.

Also, I agree: being a TA is of no use as long as you're not planning to be a professor. And even then, it's just a way for schools to ease the burden on their professors. An RA is so much better than a TA.