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Strategies For

 Academic Sponsorship

If you want to pursue higher education in a US university (M.S., Ph.D), aim at getting some financial assistantship. When you get financial assistantship, the University pays for your education either partly or fully. 

Types Of Assistantships:

It is not as difficult as it sounds to get some kind of assistantship. In this article, I will discuss a few aspects of assistantships. 

There are 5 different kinds of assistantships that you can aspire for while applying for higher education:

• Scholarships from external agencies

• Fellowships

• Research Assistantships

• Teaching Assistantships

• Tuition Fee-Waiver

Exemption Scholarships  are generally offered by third parties to bright students. They can cover either your education or some expense related to education. CareerCampus.net itself has a scholarship scheme to encourage students. There are many resources available where a serious student can recoup most of the money spent on the application procedure.

Fellowships are generally given to students, who, the Universities feel will be assets to their departments. They are paid the money (tuition fee + stipend), without any strings attached. This is of course the best possible form of assistantship you can get. However, the competition is going to be stiff.

In a Research Assistantship (RA), you assist a specific professor in doing research, writing papers etc. Here, you are expected to put in 10 - 20 hrs every week, besides your own studies, to get paid. The RA may partially or totally cover your tuition fee and then provide you a stipend. 

A Teaching Assistantship (TA) requires that you help a professor with his/her teaching responsibilities (conducting tutorials, correcting homework etc.). Again you have to devote 10 - 20 hrs per week for this purpose. Generally, professors look for English speaking proficiency and a good score in TSE (Test of Spoken English) can be a strong point in your favor. 

Earn While You Learn :

Finally, sometimes you may get a full or partial tuition fee exemption if you are a bright student, but the department does not have much funding to support you. In such a case, you are expected to find a job in the campus to support yourself. 

As dignity of labor is very much a part of American life, you need not hesitate to work in the canteen, library, computer lab or any other place in any job. But even here you are required to put in a given number of hours in addition to your studies. 

Financial aid or scholarships to study in a good US university can be within your reach if your approach is right. 

A stream of letters to Professors 
could improve your 
chances of admission greatly

The article covers one of the most important aspects of the application process: Writing to Professors in the universities that you are applying to.

Getting in touch with a professor (from the department to which you 
are applying) from each of the universities to which you are planning 
to apply will help a lot in assessing your chance of admission and aid. 
This may in fact enhance your prospects. 

But, as always, you need to be cautious and systematic in your 
approach. I suggest the following approach:

1. Identifying a professor:

2. Preparing content for a series of e-mails:

3. Posting them at regular intervals:

1. Identifying a professor:
---------------------------

Go through the brochures or web sites of the universities you chose 
carefully. Identify a professor or two, whose backgrounds seem to 
match your interests. If you have a senior in that university ask 
her/him about the most accessible or well-funded professors in that 
department. After finalizing a list of professors, collect their postal 
address, e-mail IDs and URLs (if they have any).

Your task is now to send a series of mails to them as suggested 
below. You should plan to send at least four mails to each professor 
over a period of two months. 

Start sending mails about one month before you plan to send your 
application forms to the universities.

2. Preparing the content for series of e-mails:
------------------------------------------------

You can use the following outline to design your mails:

• The first mail should deal with a technical question that you 
  have about your project. It should interest the professor as 
  well (e.g. A question based on your final year project). Be as 
  frank as you can. Do not cook up any topic.

• If you get a reply from the professor, do continue your 
  conversation as per the content of the mail and clarify all your 
  doubts. Remember that the point is to show the professor your 
  willingness, commitment and knowledge of the field. You should 
  impress her/him. Then, at an appropriate time, you can bring to 
  her/his notice that you are applying to the university and 
  request her/him to consider the application. (Refer to the third 
  template below).

• If you do not get a reply, send a reminder mail after about 
  10 days dealing with the same question that you had asked in 
  the previous mail. In this case, it will be your second mail. 
  (Refer to the second template below).

• The next mail is to bring to the notice of the professor that 
  you are applying to her/his university and your interest to do 
  research work under her/his guidance. Enquire about the 
  chances of admission and aid.

• If you get a reply from the professor, do continue your 
  conversation as per the content of the mails.

• If she/he is not in a position to provide admission or aid in 
  her/his department for any reason, you may request a 
  recommendation to any other professor / department.

• The final mail should be a thank you mail.