Funding Tips QnA

Q: Many of us heard that many univs give funding only for phd students?? is it true??
A: In most cases, it is true. Why? Because PhD candidates r bigger investments for the prof since its a long commitment. However, if u go to a bigger univ, u can get funding for MS coz there are more profs who just want students.
Keep in mind, no prof can force u to do PhD. u HAVE TO finish ur MS first. This means that u can tell ur prof u r thinking of Phd but wud like to do ur research in MS first and then most likely do PhD. Tellin this makes them feel u r at least considering phd, so they might give u funding.

Q:My doubt is that when should we start writing to them for funding?Once we have got admits or during may or june? when would be the best time?
A: you MUST only write to them when you HAVE an admit. Not before.
And like I said b4, u must not just email askin for funding directly. Plz be prepared that if ur I-20 arrived w/o funding on it, u will 98% not have funding for the 1st sem. Thats when u can try for 2nd sem or the subsequent summer .

Q:Normally profs prefer students to pursue PhD, in order to assign him as RA/TA. Typical students intent would be to pursue only MS with RA/TA. How can we tackle the profs? How shud we convince them?
A: Well, a good prof shud expect u to finish MS first and then PhD. U can tell him u r thinking of PhD, but u first want to get ur MS doing the research work under him. Remember profs are not lookin for ppl who want funding. They r lookin for ppl who want research and show inteterest -- thats the whole point of RA.
As for TA, it is dependent on the dept. The bigger ur univ and dept, the higher ur chances of getting TA. TAs are given mostly to current students. So if u want to apply for TA, shoot for the spring sem after u get the fAll 2010 experience under ur belt.

Q: Well i am a neophyte in the research scheme of things with no paper presentations .Do you think that I can still go on huntin for RA?I can write good mails to prof seekin for RA,but what if he finds that I am a dumb-headed guy once I land there?can u guide me as how to enhance my chances of getting funded?
A: It should be obvious that u have to be intelligent in grasping subject matter. Some profs, even if they see u have no experience wit research, if ur goals fit their interests, then they might be willing to give u a chance. And like I said b4, initially they give u very mundane tasks. This helps weed out those kids who just want fundinfg and who really like the work.
But common sense is, a commerce guy cant do aerospace enginerring that easily :)... so if u dont know something, gop for somethin u know.... dont go for somethin that is glamorous or just coz others r doing it.

Q: Does mailing to professors, regarding our profile, resume etc help in getting an admit??or does it wholly depend on d materials we send(like transcripts, gre, toefl, sop,lor etc), as it is finally d prof of d concernd dept, that r gng 2 recommend for an admission,isnt it???
A: U hit the nail on the head. Mailing profs doesnt help ur admit at all. Because in ur SOP, essays and application the dept sees it and the prof will see it too. And AFTER u get admission, if the prof likes ur profile he will contact u to send him ur resume. This happens only in well known univs, so make sure u r not applyin to low rated schools.
Admission is done by admissions office first and then by the dept. So ur best bet is to include as MUCH bout urself in ur application. AFTER u get the admit u can email the profs askin about research work.
Coz if u do b4 admit, the prof will immediately ask if u got admit first .

Q: Its better to approach non desi profs ???
A: Not really. What I meant was not to approach ONLY desi profs and dont expect desi profs to give u better treatment. Contact whichever prof u need to in ur areas of interest, u can contact 2 or 3 .. doesnt matter.
Non-desi profs 'tend' to be more respectful , but NOT ALWAYS.

Q. I am accepted by the dept, and the college is going to send my i20 in 4 weeks after processing the financial docs, so I don think I have time to convince him that I can do good research n get funding. As u said, once i20 is got, 1st sem is gone without funding.
A: Yes, that is correct. U shud aim for funding for spring and/or summer.

Q: can you pls tell me what to put in the objective part in my resume?
whether to put "To pursue master’s degree that suits my interests and qualifications and gain knowledge by learning depth in the subject I have taken up" or "To work as a research assistant"
A: I would combine those 2 statements and get rid of the fluffy stuff. I would say " To obtain a research or teaching assistantship position to supplement my pursuit of a Masters degree in XXXX with a specialization in XXXX.

Note that the above statemnet works if u r applyin to a school that has good research reputation.
EX: u r a EE major and u see courses that sound fancy, but if ur basic EE backgrnd is strong, those courses r meant to TEACH u the stuff. Remember they stress on learnin the material, not just gettin good grades.