<p>The money you get in grad school is not financial aid. It has nothing to do with how much money your parents make or how much is in your bank account. The funding they give you depends on how good you are, how much they want you, and whether you’re an international student or not. The top places fund everyone fully.</p>
<p>BTW if you apply for a phd do you atomaticly apply for a masters in hopes of moveing on to a PHD (get compared with undergrads apping for ms)? Or do you get compared with all apping for phd (people with ms included)? Or do they have two buckets (not including master Apps)? If they have the same bucket, do ms apps have the upper hand?</p>
<p>creacher, the answer to your last set of questions is sort of “all of the above,” depending on the program. Some programs offer both a “terminal master’s” and a PhD. Some only offer a PhD program, but PhD students are awarded a master’s degree along the way (and of course some never complete their dissertations, and so never get the PhD). Some programs prefer to admit students to their master’s program, and to decide later which ones will be permitted to become PhD candidates. (This is often an economic decision – i.e., the department does not want to commit to full funding for everyone, and it admits a bunch of people with partial funding , and those students cage-match for the full-funding slots.) Some programs generally favor admitting people who have already gotten a master’s degree at their universities or elsewhere. Others don’t care, and essentially force people who already have master’s degrees to re-do them. And a program can mix things up, admitting some people directly into a PhD program, and others into their master’s program with a chance to move up. Some programs will offer some of their PhD applicants a slot in their master’s program; others won’t (especially if they really don’t run a terminal master’s program).</p>
<p>For the most part, reputable programs give full funding to their PhD students. Full funding means not just covering tuition and fees, but also money to live on, and health insurance. In most cases, students will be required to work as TAs or research assistants for some of that money, at least for some of the years during the program. The top, best-funded programs will guarantee funding to admitted students for 5-6 years, with less work responsibility. At the other end of the spectrum, programs will only give funding on a year-to-year basis, may require more extensive TA work, and may not provide enough non-tuition funding to support the student without some moonlighting or outside help. Some outside funding is available from foundations, governments, and the like.</p>
<p>Terminal master’s programs tend to be money-makers for universities, especially large ones. But the programs can usually decide whether and how much they want to charge a specific student. Half-tuition remissions, plus a TA job (but no other funding) is a common kind of deal, but some programs will give full or near-full funding to some master’s students (but not guaranteed for multiple years).</p>
<p>If you are applying to a PhD program, you will be compared on an equal footing to all other applicants, including those who already have a master’s degree. As I said above, most places will treat your application as a master’s application if they have a terminal master’s program and you do not make the cut for immediate admission to the PhD program (and that master’s program may or may not include the possibility of being admitted to PhD candidacy at the same institution in the future without a full competitive re-application). </p>
<p>People who already have a master’s degree don’t necessarily have a big advantage over someone with just a bachelor’s. It really depends what they have done. A student coming out of Princeton, and applying to a PhD program in the same field he majored in or a closely related one, will have a senior thesis that is as good or better than a master’s thesis under his belt, and he will likely be coming out of a sophisticated department that gave him an excellent background in the field and can help place him in a good PhD program. Someone coming out of East Podunk State may have to get a master’s to show that he is capable of doing thesis-type work, to get enough depth and sophistication in his background knowledge, and to network with faculty whose recommendations will be respected by PhD program admissions committees. But if the Princeton student is switching fields, or his senior thesis isn’t so hot, a master’s degree may be helpful for him, too. And a student at East Podunk State will a good faculty advisor can do world-class work as an undergraduate that gets him into top PhD programs. Plus, people often get experience working in their fields or related fields that doesn’t lead to a master’s degree, but that can substitute for one as a qualification.</p>
<p>Thank you very much Princeton people! Now some one to shed light on how to approach professors about research. do they choose you or something? do you have to apply? Would it not be awkward if just went to the professor? (Remember that I am not yet in college. so I would not have the slightest idea.)</p>
<p>I think most common is that the student approaches the professor, but professors do also occasionally approach students. In these cases, you might need to apply for some form of funding… more info on your college’s website. Also, some colleges have classes directed towards getting undergrads involved in some research project, so look into possibly taking one of those.</p>
<p>IMHO, you really shouldn’t be worrying this much before your first year of college even begins. From my experience (in a good, but not top, school), those who truly enjoy their field(s) end up getting involved in research and placing into good grad schools. Your resume for grad school shouldn’t be a priority, but rather a side effect of loving knowledge.</p>
<p>Some departments have formal programs and some professors will ask around for students but usually, the student must take the iniative. Let’s say you want to do chemistry research. Talk to your freshman-year chem professor and ask him/her if they know of any professors who may be in need of research assistance. That professor may be willing to take on students and if not, they will usually be able to refer you to someone who is. Most people don’t know exactly what they want to do freshman year so don’t turn down an opportunity because you think you won’t like it. The experience is the most important thing.</p>
<p>.^^^ wow the last 2 comments are a new way of thInking.</p>
<p>Any thing left unsaid</p>
<p>Bump number 3</p>