Freaking out about assistantship...

[zirtico]

I got admitted to Oregon State U. on Feb. 20th and was issued a formal acceptance last week subject to my Certificate of Finances.  I need a GTA/GRA to actually attend grad school so it is utterly crucial that I get this.  I called to find out when they would be given out but have been unsuccessful in reaching the department after several attempts.  I chose Oregon State mainly as my safety school (WashU was my "reach").  

 

If it has any relevance, I applied for an MS in chemical engineering and I hold a BEng from a worldwide top 20 school.  I scored 161V, 163Q and 4.0 AW on my GRE.  One of my LORs definitely attested to my ability to teach, as I have several years of tutoring experience.  Would you say I stand a chance to get one of the assistantships? Does anyone know when Oregon State actually issues GTAs and GRAs? Thanks!

 

[danieleWrites]

Were you admitted or accepted? When they sent you an acceptance letter, it should have mentioned funding in some fashion, such as whether or not you were offered an assistanceship or how to contact their financial aid office. You should contact the financial aid office ASAP. They have things like fellowships and scholarships you can apply for, and the sooner you know of these, the sooner can avoid passing deadlines.

Call the department secretary and find out the name of the person in charge of assistanceships, it should be the DGS. If nothing else, contact the DGS/person who signed your acceptance letter, and directly ask about what funding package, if any, you are being offered.

Funding for assistanceships depends on how much the department has to spend on them. Who gets the assistanceships varies by department and discipline. English gets a lot because TAs teach classes that every undergrad has to take. Other fields get research assistanceships based on what professor needs help in the lab, and that means if you specialize in puppies and the profs that need lab assistants specialize in kittens, the person with kittens on the resume will get picked, even if they come from podunk. Some departments only take as many students as they have assistanceships for.

[zirtico]

Thanks for your informative reply.  I will contact them.  I didn't receive a paper acceptance, but an online formal one.  I assume the letter has been mailed to me.  It did not say anything about funding and apparently funding offers will be issued in "early Spring" according to them.  Is that next week? Two, three weeks from now? I'll try contacting the financial aid office and see whats going on.

 

They said they typically give out 8-10 assistantships every year and I don't think they accept more than 12 combined PhD and MS students if my information is correct.  In any case, I think the only thing I can do is all the fin. aid office and other than that, just wait it out...

[danieleWrites]

One thing you can do right now is sit down with your finances in mind and figure out whether or not you're willing to go to grad school on your own dime, with the hope that you might pick up an assistanceship at some point in the future, or enough scholarships or fellowships. If you are willing to go to the school unfunded, what kind of income must you make every month in order to go, and that means checking on the job situation available locally (community colleges need part time teachers!), how many hours of work on a job can you reasonably do with the number of courses you'll be required to take, and amount of lab time/research time you'll be required to do, and so on. How much debt do you have and how much are you willing to take on for this?

The financial aid website should have a cost estimator tool for you. It's not horrifically accurate, but it's a better idea than figuring out cost of living based on your current situation. You might find this tool helpful: http://collegecost.ed.gov/ if not, there are other resources on that site.

I strongly suggest that you decide the money thing before you get a funding offer or rejection. It's really hard to try to figure out whether or not to give up on the program after they've said they don't have an assisstanceship with tuition waiver now, but perhaps in the future, when can you come in for advising? It's hard to be realistic when they're saying here's the key to your dreams, you just have to pay for it when most of your cohort won't. Hopefully, this will all be moot because they'll offer you an assistanceship, but preparation is best.

[ZiggyPhil]

Two points:

 

1.) I'm assuming, based on several clues, that you are an international applicant, and the assistantship is vital to securing a visa.  If this is so, you may have better luck getting answers in the international students' forum.

 

2.) I don't know the school's schedule, but a lot of universities are on spring break around this time, which may be why you had trouble getting ahold of someone.  I don't know who you've been trying to call, but I think usually the best bet is to email the department secretary/admin asst., and they can point you in the right direction.