I’m back after visiting New York and Boston. It was very busy last week at work. Hopefully I should write regularly.In this article I’m answering one of the questions from my scrapbook. I have answered the same question, but it was spread among several posts.

Question

My GRE score1160 and many consultants are saying that it is difficult to get the TA/RA/Scholarship. I can manage fees for 2 semesters but can I pay the fees by doing job for 3rd and later semesters.

Answer

You are not the only person who is facing this situation. 75% of the students who get admission are without scholarship. Unless you have very good credentials graduate school admission with scholarship difficult. But still some 80,000 student from India came to study in U.S. In total only 25% of student gets admission with some form of scholarship. 1160 is decent enough to get admission in good graduate school.

There are so many graduate schools in U.S. and you have so many options of courses to select from each graduate school. When you don’t have good score in GRE and academic credential, you will get admission from graduate school, but not any form of aid. Reason is simple, Professors have no way of knowing your credential, capacity, research potential unless you have very high GRE score. Every graduate school have their way of evaluating the students who apply for graduate school admission.

Concept is simple:

Would you lend say $20,000 to some stranger who walk to you and asks for money? University when pays you, wants you do do research work for them. They pay you for your work and your potential to create new research ideas. If you are a complete stranger, and if your GRE and academic credential don’t speak about you, they are not going to give scholarship or RA/TA.

After you get come to gradate school, introduce yourself to a professor and work for him. Volunteer to work in his/her lab. Based on your work and research skills, they will give you funding. Hard work always pays. Usually student manage to complete graduate school. There are so many ways to pay for school. If you can afford for 2 semesters, get student loan for 2 semesters, you can pay off the student loan after you get the job. I have written articles on saving on student loans and other articles that talks about ways to reduce your educational expenses.