So You Are Not Independently Wealthy?
Securing Funding for Graduate
School
I am sending out a big hello to all of the sociologists who attended TADA’s Master’s Thesis and Dissertation Workshop at the ASA conference in Philadelphia this past weekend.
As the summer winds down and we
begin gearing up for the start of another academic semester,
it’s time for many of us
to begin wondering – and worrying – about exactly
how to pay for that semester. Indeed, lack of adequate funding
is one of the top reasons graduate students give for not completing
their degree.
This month’s Finish Line addresses those concerns
with some tips to help you find the funds you need to complete
your degree.
When I got accepted to graduate school, I was not awarded any
funding. As a single parent on a tight income, acceptance into
a PhD program was bittersweet. To secure funding, I became proactive by
visiting the campus during the summer prior to my enrollment
and knocking on as many office doors as possible. I encourage
anyone who needs funding to do the same!
Securing funding for graduate school differs vastly from undergraduate
school. As an undergraduate, aid is based on the financial need
of the student. Funding for graduate school, however, is often
awarded based on a variety of other factors, including your GRE
Scores, your undergraduate GPA and, most importantly, how well connected you
are within your department. While some departments award funding
on an annual basis, others make long-term financial commitments
to graduate students for as long as six years.
Keep in mind that the type of funding
you receive might also influence the length of time it takes
you to complete your degree. Funding possibilities range from
fellowships (outright stipends that do not require any work obligations)
to traineeships, teaching and research assistantships that
involve pay in exchange for work. According to the Summary
1987 Report by the
National Research Council (NRC), students with the shortest time-to-degree
(TTD) generally received some type of funding assistance in the
form of fellowships, traineeships, or research assistantships.
Those with teaching assistantships and other forms of funding
– such as loans – took longer to complete their degree.
Networking and Visibility: Does
Everyone Know My name?
In addition to your class attendance and participation, your attendance and participation
in department activities, campus workshops, “brown bag” presentations
and national conferences are important components to securing
financial aid. Clearly, time restrictions require that you
set priorities and make thoughtful choices about which and
how many activities to include. But make no mistake: participation
in these types of events gives you higher visibility and credibility
with your advisor, committee and other individuals in your
field. Moreover, your ability to network with faculty will
definitely help when it comes to securing fellowships, assistantships
and lab work opportunities, as well as recommendations for
the future.
If your skills in these areas need
work, take heart in the fact that networking is a skill that
can be learned with time, practice and patience. I have known
professors whose presentation skills in the classroom have
been lackluster and dry … yet,
they display a completely different personality during office
hours, at department functions or conferences. Attending these
types of functions allows you and your professor to get to know
one another on a more personal level. Taking advantage of these
opportunities will also help you build skills for the future
because, as a professor, you will be asked to represent your
department in various social settings, especially if you serve
on hiring committees.
The Importance of Fellowships,
Traineeships, Research Assistantships vs. Teaching
Even if you earn top scores on
your evaluations as a teaching assistant, it is important to
keep in mind that the PhD is a research degree. Many professors
believe that the majority of your time in graduate school should
be spent conducting research, because teaching is a task that
can be learned over time with practice. And as a professor,
your tenure and promotion will be based primarily on your publishing
record. To prepare you for this "publish-or-perish" academic
environment, the faculty focuses primarily on developing your
research skills.
As such, securing a fellowship or traineeship/research
assistantship is preferable to a teaching assistantship.
If these are out of reach; a teaching assistantship is
better than no funding at all.
Funding for Historically Disadvantaged and Underrepresented
Groups
I was financially able to attend
graduate school through a National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Research Supplement for Underrepresented Minorities. A senior
researcher at my institution had a $5 million NIH research
grant and, as the principal investigator, he was willing to
apply for the supplement to support me for six years. Adding
me – a minority student – to his project didn’t cost him
any funds from the original grant; rather, he actually gained additional
funds … part of monies set aside by funding institutions
like NIH to support researchers from underrepresented minority
groups.
According to Research Assistant.com, one of the best first
steps to securing independent research funding is to train in
this way with an experienced senior researcher. The site points
out NIH Research Supplements for Underrepresented Minorities
as an excellent avenue through which to receive grant funds.
In short, if you have no idea where to start looking for research
funding, start with the above website and a faculty member with
a federal grant.
Student Loans
If your financial needs exceed the standards calculated for
an average graduate student, you might consider applying for
a student loan. To do so, fill out an FASA (Free Application
for Student Aid) form and complete the section about extenuating
circumstances.
Direct and FFEL (Federal Family Education Loan) Stafford Loans
are either subsidized or unsubsidized. (A subsidized loan is
awarded on the basis of financial need, while an unsubsidized
loan is not.) You can receive both a subsidized loan and an
unsubsidized loan for the same enrollment period.
Funding Sources for Graduate Students
The following are a variety of financial
aid sources to explore:
Email Question of the Month:
Q:
I am doing my 12 minutes or more but just want
to cry today. I keep seeing other alumni successes, my own younger
cousins commanding huge salaries and succeeding...it is all rather
depressing. I am trying to work my way through it but I only see myself
as an utter embarrassment. Don't get me wrong I know I have tools, but
common sense, life decisions has caused me to squander time and opportunity
away. Perhaps this question should go in the next newsletter. Plus I am
behind on my first self-imposed deadline. Should I send the material I
have anyway?
A:
Comparing yourself to others in your
cohort is natural but you don’t have the time or energy to do
that while you are trying to finish your dissertation. You seem
to have too much free time in your schedule. At this point your
adrenaline should be pumping. Aug 15 is less than a month
a way.....you really don't have time for self-pity and
wallowing....if you have time to wallow it means that
your schedule is not tight enough....I suggest that you get
busy revising your current work schedule. Schedule every hour
and every minute of every day if you have to in order for you to stay focused.
On your self imposed deadline what did you have
planned to get done? Did you find an editor? Send the material to whom?
An advisor? Other committee members?
You must figure out what the advantage
is for sending your advisor or committee members work that is
incomplete. If you feel that they need to see progress, by all
means send them something. You might consider sending them the
dissertation one chapter at a time. Ask them first if it is
all right to do so. If they are expecting the full document in order
to give you feedback, sending them an incomplete document will
only frustrate them further.
 Our Mistake Is Your Gain...
January 1, 2005 starts on a Saturday
and the TADA!™ Calendar says it starts on a
Friday. One of
our astute customers brought this to our attention. Oops,
we messed up, but our mistake is your gain. Because of
this only glitch, we have reduced our price drastically. In
the coming weeks, we will produce new updated CDs, but in the
meantime, we must liquidate our inventory, and we are selling
the TADA!™ CD for
only $29.95. I guess it pays to sign up for something.
 You
are probably getting this newsletter because you either attended
one of my thesis and dissertation workshops, you downloaded the
executive summary of the Six Major Reasons Graduate Students
Don’t Finish from our website, or you filled out the TADA!™ Commitment
Form. Nonetheless, you are one of the first people who will
reap the benefits. Everything else on the TADA!™ CD works.
We have received loads of positive feedback regarding the valuable
information available on the CD.
I hope that you will also take advantage
of this opportunity to get TADA!™ at the low price of $29.95
before the supply runs out. Once this batch is gone the price
goes back to $89.95.
Order your copy of the TADA!™ CD
today by going online or calling
1-866-GET- TADA.
Please pass this issue on to friends
and associates—just keep the entire message intact.
Sincerely,
Wendy Y. Carter, Ph.D.
email:
drcarter@tadafinallyfinished.com
www.tadafinallyfinished.com
About the Author: As a single mother, professor
Wendy Y. Carter, Ph.D., completed three masters' degrees
and a PhD. Her motto is a Good Thesis/Dissertation is a Done
Thesis/Dissertation. She is the creator of a new innovative interactive
resource tool on CD--TADA! Thesis and Accomplished. To learn
more and sign up for her FREE tips and teleclasses, contact us at
info@tadafinallyfinished.com.
Privacy is our policy. TADA™ Finishline does not
give out or sell our subscribers' names or e-mail addresses. |
Volume
1, Issue 8 
