short questions about financial aid

[stasha]

This is my first post and I would like to say HELLO!

After advising in your centre about grad studies I`ve done lote of surfing on the net, but also talking to people.

Diferent people have diferent stories about their friends who went to USA to study (some of them got scholaships and some of them not) , and they scared me a little bit.

The thing is that I would go into this struggle for scholarships with no money.

So the question is : Are there scholarshps that include the housing, and that you can work part time job beside studying? (I will aply for library and information science grad studies)

And also, what is the necessary amount of money that you have to have on your acount so the people in embacy would give you a visa?

Thanx

P.S. I`ll go on preparation course for GRE in your centre, so I`ll bore you with a lot of quetions probably , but these were realy bodering me.....

[administrator]

Well, Hello back to you!

There are all kinds of scholarships and assistance packages, you can also work, but you have to search for those opportunities. Don't scare yourself before starting an extensive search for all the possibilities.

There is no necessary amount you have to have - it all depends on the financial package you received from the university.

This is my first post and I would like to say HELLO!

After advising in your centre about grad studies I`ve done lote of surfing on the net, but also talking to people.

Diferent people have diferent stories about their friends who went to USA to study (some of them got scholaships and some of them not) , and they scared me a little bit.

The thing is that I would go into this struggle for scholarships with no money.

So the question is : Are there scholarshps that include the housing, and that you can work part time job beside studying? (I will aply for library and information science grad studies)

And also, what is the necessary amount of money that you have to have on your acount so the people in embacy would give you a visa?

Thanx

P.S. I`ll go on preparation course for GRE in your centre, so I`ll bore you with a lot of quetions probably , but these were realy bodering me.....

[elz]

Dear Stasha,

Now you may remember that I told you to exercise caution in listening to these stories. Each department is different and of course each student has a different profile. Some of the basic things about financial aid:

According to Open Doors 2007 edition, the majority of international graduate students are funded by the universities where they attend. This generally includes a tuition waiver and a monthly stipend related to research or teaching (usually but there are other forms of financial support).

Take it easy with these stories. The students that have a good GPA and that listen to us are usually quite successful in getting what they need to study.

Now the amount of money that you need is generally the amount of money that the school does not provide. For example, if the cost of your education for that year is 45,000 USD and the school provides you 43,000 USD, then you will need to prove 2,000 USD before you can be issued an I-20 from the university.

Please try to enjoy the stories from your friends, but do not take them to heart because each department is different. Each school is different. The amount of money you will get for library science depends on how you present yourself. Maybe you need to do another graduate group advising seminar to clear out your head

Elz

[stasha]

Thank you for yous answers!

I certainly will atend another adivsing seminar!

I have another question: Do you think that with my GPA of 8 will be posible to get a full scholarship (if I get good GRE results) , because there will probably be a lot better studens then myself?

Thank you!

[elz]

Dear Stasha,

Well naturally a 9.50 or better is easier to work with However, a great deal of that depends on your faculty and how you compare to the other students of your generation - this is one way to assess yourself. Also whenever I see this kind of GPA, it usually means that you should begin to analyze your "transcipt". Look at the 9's and 10's to get an area of where you are really good, then begin to look graduate school departments that place a high value on those areas of knowledge and less value on the areas where seem to have weakness. A good GRE score is a way to showcase that you are a strong academic player.

Think very seriously about what kind of commitment you want to make to graduate studies. For example, most PhD. programs will provide full funding for students including assistantships, but not all will do that. There are also Masters programs that provide funding, but not as many. The first rule of thumb is to begin your search by immediately ruling out schools that will not fund you or provide an external source of funding for you to apply for.

As for your chances with your GPA, admissions committees tend to have culture of their own. However, in general, they tend to look at the entire candidate, the rigor of your course of study can be one factor that can help you come ahead of someone with a higher GPA whose program of study was not as difficult or demanding as the one that have undergone. Writing a very strong personal statement and addressing the issue of your GPA within that context is also an option. For example, if you are in a department where everyone else has higher marks that you, you have got to sit down and ask yourself some serious questions about why you are not at the head of the pack. There are people who worked or carried a great deal of other responsibilities on their shoulders during the course of their studies - this can make a big difference. In fact, in my opinion someone with an 8.00 who has been shouldered with a great deal of external responsibilities can make a strong case for being a better candidate than someone who only needs to focus on being student. (i.e., all meals prepared for that person, clothes laid out and ready to go each day, pencils sharpened for them, basically a student living in a household where optimal studying conditions appear to be the main focus of the entire household-on the other hand, this same person can frame an equally strong case as to the level of dedication, etc.) It is all about self-assessment and framing the picture that you feel is important for the admissions committee to see, how to show that you really belong in that department and will be a part of that team.

I hope this helps some.

Elz

P.S. Somehow I missed your post on my "view newest posts" trip and it took me a while to find this question. Sorry for the delay!

[bojan ns]

Dear Elizabeth, hi!

Bojan from Novi Sad here.

I belive You remember our meeting that took place few day ago,the one I benefited so much from.

Well,at one point of our conservation,You showed me a web site designed as a search engine that one could use gather information about the financial aid that was out there,offered by the business schools.It was phd.org.

However,even after an extensive search,I could not find the page You reffered to.I don't belive that phd.org is the one.

Could You please post the exact link that leads to the (oh so much!) desired web site?

Or e-mail it to me at djurasinovic.bojan@gmail.com.

Much obliged!

[elz]

Dear Elizabeth, hi!

Bojan from Novi Sad here.

I belive You remember our meeting that took place few day ago,the one I benefited so much from.

Well,at one point of our conservation,You showed me a web site designed as a search engine that one could use gather information about the financial aid that was out there,offered by the business schools.It was phd.org.

However,even after an extensive search,I could not find the page You reffered to.I don't belive that phd.org is the one.

Could You please post the exact link that leads to the (oh so much!) desired web site?

Or e-mail it to me at djurasinovic.bojan@gmail.com.

Much obliged!

The website that you are looking for is www.phds.org. However, I would not really call it a financial aid website. Instead it is possible to see what percentage of graduate students in a certain department at the university were supported with assistantships. This is a bit different than classic financial aid. An assistantship is work within the department that graduate students are paid for. This is important because it means that you will have some working experience when you complete your education.

However, there are some things to bear in mind when using any website for general information - it is important to try to confirm that information through the current info provided by the department itself. Using these sites can provide a good overall picture and direct students in where to begin their search, but policies can change. For the most current information, go directly to the department pages and see what the current information is.

Elz

[bojan ns]

The website that you are looking for is www.phds.org. However, I would not really call it a financial aid website. Instead it is possible to see what percentage of graduate students in a certain department at the university were supported with assistantships. This is a bit different than classic financial aid. An assistantship is work within the department that graduate students are paid for. This is important because it means that you will have some working experience when you complete your education.

However, there are some things to bear in mind when using any website for general information - it is important to try to confirm that information through the current info provided by the department itself. Using these sites can provide a good overall picture and direct students in where to begin their search, but policies can change. For the most current information, go directly to the department pages and see what the current information is.

Elz

Thank You very much !

best regards!