Acceptance No talk of funding from POI, yet

[charlejs]

I talked to the POI on the phone in December about what his group does and whats expected of me and other typical questions. I heard back from him 2 weeks ago saying that he started going through applications. A week later I get an email that the department has recommended me for admission and invite me to an open house. I emailed the POI to ask if he would be there and if I could get a lab tour and also just to let him know that I got the admit from the department. He told me he knew that I got in because he recommended me. He didn't say anything about funding. How should I respond to this? Does it sound like hes going to fund me since he admitted me knowing that I was looking for his support?

[kaister]

Since you got notice about your admission, you can definitely ask him about funding options.  More info should be included in your official letter, but feel free to ask your POI any questions you might have about it.  I'm not sure how this school works, so maybe he won't have much information on funding, but it still doesn't hurt to ask.  I've asked my POIs about funding, and they've been very helpful in giving me a better idea of what to expect, but I still have to wait for official letters for everything to be 100% clear.

[charlejs]

Thanks. We talked on the phone for a phone interview and he said that he was looking to "hire" some graduate students then he now said that he recommended me. So it seems like he is going to fund me but I don't want to be pushy. Maybe I should just wait for the official letter or after the open house whichever comes first to bring this up with him.

[kaister]

A nice way to indirectly ask about funding is "do you know how successful the students in your program obtain funding for all their years of study?" or "do you know of any fellowships/scholarships that the students in the program are often successful in obtaining?" It gets around the whole "how much  are you paying me?" vibe of a question, lol.

[RubyBright]

Or try asking how many students typically receive teaching assistantships versus research ones, or fellowships, and how these things are decided. 

[ELM616]

First of all what is this POI business? Professor of Interest? Sorry for asking but I come from another discipline and we don't use this jargon. 

 

Second of all...Don't be scared of your professors. They were just like us once and they will understand that you NEED to know about funding. Just ask them the question you need the answer to so you can move on. If you have a question during lecture or office hours, would you squirm around in your seat and beat around the bush? No, you would just ask.

Edited February 1, 2013 by ELM616

[charlejs]

Thanks for everyone's insight. Yes, it's professor of interest. I just don't want a professor to think the only reason I want to work with them is because they are going to fund me but at the same time I'm not going to work with a professor that won't fund me.