Assistantships, General ?

[Kilgore Trout]

I am planning on starting applications within the month (for spring matriculation) and plan on finalizing my schools of interest based on the likelihood of funding- at least by year two. My undergrad cumulative GPA is weak (<3.0) but decent the last two years (3.4). I expect that external funding will be scarce (still plan on looking) so I'm focusing on assistantships. First, are statistics readily available regarding how many past and future opportunities are available?...Second, is it more appropriate to contact the individual department of interest via telephone- I prefer email due to some minor awkwardness which for some reason only comes up via the phone. Any other advise as far specific questions I should ask is appreciated

Edited May 9, 2011 by Kilgore Trout

[waddle]

I am planning on starting applications within the month (for spring matriculation) and plan on finalizing my schools of interest based on the likelihood of funding- at least by year two.  My undergrad cumulative GPA is weak (&lt;3.0) but decent the last two years (3.4).  I expect that external funding will be scarce (still plan on looking) so I'm focusing on assistantships.  First, are statistics readily available regarding how many past and future opportunities are available?...Second, is it more appropriate to contact the individual department of interest via telephone- I prefer email due to some minor awkwardness which for some reason only comes up via the phone.  Any other advise as far specific questions I should ask  is appreciated

Program websites will usually state whether the program is fully funded. Most marine science Ph.D. programs I know of guarantee funding for 4-5 years, but I do not know about M.S. programs. (I see you're in New Jersey--I imagine Rutgers fully funds its students.) I wouldn't bring the funding issue up immediately (it gives a bad impression). Start emailing professors, and if you get in a conversation with them (preferably over phone/in person), you can ask about funding--no awkwardness there.

[studentaffairsgrad]

I'm a little bit fuzzy on your time line of entering in the spring, as most schools have already conducted interviews and selected individuals for assistantships for next year (April 15th is usually the date students must make their decisions.) That being said...

In my field (yours may be different), unfortunately most schools do have a G.P.A. requirement of at least a 3.0 for assistantships, so you will definitely want to check and see what the requirements are for the schools you are considering. There are a couple different kinds of assistantships - teaching assistantships and research assistantships. You should think about which one would be better for you. Teaching assistantships are those TAs we all had in undergrad who help grade papers, assist in running the class, holding office hours, etc. Research assistantships are just that. You do research in a lab or out in the field with the supervision of a faculty member who is working in an area you are interested in. If you are interested in the research assistantship, you should take a look at the faculty profiles on the website of the schools in consideration, and find out who is doing research in an area that interests you.

My dept. lists all the available assistatnships, but I doubt that is the norm. You will just have to look around on the websites and see if they have any info.

E-mail is fine to start off with. You might want to shot a general e-mail to the department to see what if any assistantship requirements they have and what the timeline and possible benefits are. For research assistantships, you'll want to probably e-mail the professor doing research you are interested (After you know the basics from the department.) After all, professors are really busy and they can sometimes be a bit standoffish if they think someone is wasting their time.

[waddle]

Teaching assistantships are those TAs we all had in undergrad who help grade papers, assist in running the class, holding office hours, etc.

Many schools, e.g. under-funded state schools, don't have TAs. I've never had a TA in any of my undergrad classes. If you're not funded out of a grant or fellowship at these places, then you're out of luck.

[Kilgore Trout]

Program websites will usually state whether the program is fully funded. Most marine science Ph.D. programs I know of guarantee funding for 4-5 years, but I do not know about M.S. programs. (I see you're in New Jersey--I imagine Rutgers fully funds its students.) I wouldn't bring the funding issue up immediately (it gives a bad impression). Start emailing professors, and if you get in a conversation with them (preferably over phone/in person), you can ask about funding--no awkwardness there.

In addition, I'm a non-traditional student with a checkered undergrad history (to put it kindly - but with age comes wisdom), so most opinions I've gotten have led me to believe that I'm more likely to be accepted to an M.S.

program to start. As far as the initial contact with potential advisors, that "bad impression" is exactly what I want to avoid. Thanks so much for the input

I'm a little bit fuzzy on your time line of entering in the spring, as most schools have already conducted interviews and selected individuals for assistantships for next year (April 15th is usually the date students must make their decisions.) That being said...

E-mail is fine to start off with. You might want to shot a general e-mail to the department to see what if any assistantship requirements they have and what the timeline and possible benefits are. For research assistantships, you'll want to probably e-mail the professor doing research you are interested (After you know the basics from the department.) After all, professors are really busy and they can sometimes be a bit standoffish if they think someone is wasting their time.

Unfortunately, I had to postpone my initial GRE date due to illness and ended up taking it this past December. I left myself too little time to adequately prepare for fall admission at many of my top choices. I am prepared to pay via loan for the spring semester in hopes of "proving myself" worthy of funding in the future but the last thing I want is to realize I'm getting stuck with the full bill. Again, thanks for the advice

[studentaffairsgrad]

In addition, I'm a non-traditional student with a checkered undergrad history (to put it kindly - but with age comes wisdom), so most opinions I've gotten have led me to believe that I'm more likely to be accepted to an M.S.

program to start. As far as the initial contact with potential advisors, that "bad impression" is exactly what I want to avoid. Thanks so much for the input

Unfortunately, I had to postpone my initial GRE date due to illness and ended up taking it this past December. I left myself too little time to adequately prepare for fall admission at many of my top choices. I am prepared to pay via loan for the spring semester in hopes of "proving myself" worthy of funding in the future but the last thing I want is to realize I'm getting stuck with the full bill. Again, thanks for the advice

Ok, I see what you are saying. Glad you are feeling better, and good luck. If you work hard, I am sure you will find something good