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grad school fellowships

Z

zimu

Diamond Member
so i'm starting the whole process of applyign to grad school.

i'd never really read about the assistanships/ fellowship programs, and was just wondering how common they were amongst grad students? i have quite a good undergrad GPA from a reputable university, good GRE scores and all that jazz.... what are my chances?

what were your experiences, if any with fellowships- how much of your tuition did they pay, what stipend did you get, any other benefits?

 
I'm not sure what major you are, so I can only tell you what I know from an EE point a view. At my school (UC Berkeley), assistanceships are very very common. Heck, I would be surprised if a graduate student didn't get some type of assistanceship by their second year. Roughly half of the people I know came in with NSF Fellowships, so if you write something creative enough, I'm sure you can get a couple bucks from them. In addition, they usually waive your tuition.

Numbers on my behalf:
100% Tuition waiver.
$1400/month TA/Researcher position (Rent ~ $750/month)
And... umm... I get dental coverage. :-D

As for UIUC... I think it's less common to get assistanceships, however their policy is as long as you TA, you get a tuition waiver and free housing.
 
yeah... except dunno my chances of getting it. its the top CS program in the states! lucky b@stard!
 
Originally posted by: zimu
yeah... except dunno my chances of getting it. its the top CS program in the states! lucky b@stard!
Click to expand...

Heh... lucky indeed. Sometimes I wonder how the heck did I end up here anyways. I didn't really do anything interesting in my undergrad and I somehow got accepted.
 
Here at UCLA, it's almost guaranteed that if you want to, you can get a TAship. Usually requires teaching just one class per quarter, and it provides for 100% tuition, complete health insurance, and a stipend (which varies depending on who you're working for). If you can find a generous professor, or you're doing more difficult research for your prof, you can get a GSR (Graduate Student Researchship), which is what I have. I have classes + a minimum of 20hrs research/week (easily done, and you're doing the research for your thesis anyways), and I get full tuition, full health benefits, + $1400 stipend per month (tax-free, since you're a student) :thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: zimu
so i'm starting the whole process of applyign to grad school.

i'd never really read about the assistanships/ fellowship programs, and was just wondering how common they were amongst grad students? i have quite a good undergrad GPA from a reputable university, good GRE scores and all that jazz.... what are my chances?

what were your experiences, if any with fellowships- how much of your tuition did they pay, what stipend did you get, any other benefits?
Click to expand...


They were very common at Virginia Tech in the engineering program. I think most students had an RA or TA position. It ussually waived a good part of the tuition, and came with a small stipend ... I really don't recall how much. Not enough to live on.
 
Originally posted by: Armitage
Originally posted by: zimu
so i'm starting the whole process of applyign to grad school.

i'd never really read about the assistanships/ fellowship programs, and was just wondering how common they were amongst grad students? i have quite a good undergrad GPA from a reputable university, good GRE scores and all that jazz.... what are my chances?

what were your experiences, if any with fellowships- how much of your tuition did they pay, what stipend did you get, any other benefits?
Click to expand...


They were very common at Virginia Tech in the engineering program. I think most students had an RA or TA position. It ussually waived a good part of the tuition, and came with a small stipend ... I really don't recall how much. Not enough to live on.
Click to expand...

I had some friends that applied to VT, but they didn't get any fellowships.

I think it depends on the university, state of the economy, whether you're on the PhD or just MS track, etc.
 
Comments on VT (I'm obviously there... actually, I'm about to finish my PhD in Engineering Mechanics), that might be relevant to ANY university:

Its HIGHLY dependent on what you're studying--both from the availability of money and the competitiveness for that money. What are you studying? Certain fields tend to have a LOT of money--obviously, more at the PhD level than the MS level. Materials science is a well-funded field at the moment--I know VERY few MatSci students that aren't funded. Something like EE depends a LOT on your specialty.... if there are NOTABLE faculty members in that area at that university, and if there is a lot of grant/gov't money funding that type of work. The only BAD side is that if you go to a university with a notable faculty member in the area you're studying, he/she will have money--but it will be very competitive.

Large public schools with big undergraduate and significantly smaller graduate schools tend to have a lot of teaching assistantships. A TA in engineering means tuition waver and a significant stipend (~$1400-$1600/month). In liberal arts fields, it might just mean a tuition waver.


As for personal experience, I did an MSME at NCSU and I'm finishing my PhD at VT now in Engineering Mechanics. I personally had a very good undergrad GPA and close to 800 on (then) all three section of the GRE, so my experience is somewhat atypical. My GRA was roughly $1700/month and I received an additional $800 in fellowships. The latter is very uncommon.... the former is extremely common in my area of study at VT.
 
Originally posted by: Armitage
Originally posted by: zimu
so i'm starting the whole process of applyign to grad school.

i'd never really read about the assistanships/ fellowship programs, and was just wondering how common they were amongst grad students? i have quite a good undergrad GPA from a reputable university, good GRE scores and all that jazz.... what are my chances?

what were your experiences, if any with fellowships- how much of your tuition did they pay, what stipend did you get, any other benefits?
Click to expand...


They were very common at Virginia Tech in the engineering program. I think most students had an RA or TA position. It ussually waived a good part of the tuition, and came with a small stipend ... I really don't recall how much. Not enough to live on.
Click to expand...

FWIW, this was an MS in engineering mechanics @ VT in the early 90's
 
In engineering you are pretty much guaranteed some form of income at most schools. Yes, there are exceptions. But most schools won't even accept you if there isn't money around. You could get a national fellowship, a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship, or a local university fellowship (varies from university to university of course). Doesn't really matter either way. The stipends pretty much cover tuition in almost all schools and give you a little to live on. Note: a ~$1500 a month stipend in California won't go nearly as far as a ~$1500 a month stipend in Nebraska though.

I just got out of an engineering PhD, and with all my friends, coworkers, fellow students, etc, I can't think of anyone who wasn't being paid.

You just have to watch out for the exceptions. This could happen in situations like these:
[*]You are pitifully underqualifed, but were admitted anyways. Rare but could happen.
[*]You go to a school that highly perfers one degree (PhD) and you want another (MS).
[*]You aren't flexible in the advisor you take. If you will only do work for one professor and he/she doesn't have grant money for you then there isn't money for you. There may be a dozen others with plenty of money, but if you refuse to do that type of work you'll be closing many doors.

Some people I know had to go to their second choice school or had to wait 6 months before attending to get the funding, but they all got it in the end.
 
I'm getting my MBA right now, and was offered a scholarship/fellowship

I get:
100% tuition payment
$2500 stipend per semester
A job for 20 hours @ $10/hr

Wherever you plan to go, talk to your Graduate Admissions office regarding fellowships. There are usually a good amount available, though not a ton of people inquire about them

Good luck!
 
very interesting indeed. now on a side note: since many unis seem happier or more willing to give fellowships etc to PHD students, would you recommend me to do a PHD vs a masters? like what are the major differences i should consider when making my final choice?
 
cchen- thank you so much for the document. i'm convinced a PHD is not for me.... so back to my original plan: masters degree in CS.

i'll obviously be applying for the fellowship programs in my school, but are there some other fellowship programs that are from "outside?"
IMPORTANT: for a non US citizen, non US resident. yes, i'm an international student, but with US undergrad education.
 
IME, most non-PhD grad students don't get support from the university. I'm sure there are exceptions out there, but they are rare (at least I think so).
 
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