<p>Hello guys,
I am an international student and I’m interested in going to the US for grad school. My area is aerospace engineering. How do I get a position as a graduate research assistant (GRA)? Is there a separate application process? I know it depends mostly on each university’s criteria, but how does the GRA selection usually work?
Thanks!</p>
<p>
There is no “one way” - every department does things differently, and may have several different simultaneous processes for awarding assistantships. Generally, applying for admission means automatic consideration for full support of some type (RA, TA, fellowship). At some schools, you have to check a box on the application to be considered for support, others just do it automatically for everyone. When they admit you, they tell you what kind of support they are offering.</p>
<p>Not everyone gets support, of course, and not all support gets assigned during the admission process, so you may at some point find yourself actively looking for an assistantship, which may mean a formal application or may just mean letting your advisor know you need one.</p>
<p>If it is not on their websites, the best way is to contact the departments to which you are applying - they can and will tell you the process. But check their websites first.</p>
<p>
For RA’s, it is usually like this (simplified): Your advisor, as part of all those research grants, gets funding for X research assistants. He/she looks at the Y grad students they actually have, and if X>=Y everyone gets funded, If X<Y… well, then it is basically up to them. Usually they just decide who gets funding, they don’t want a formal process.</p>
<p>Bear in mind that different types of support come from different sources. Fellowships come from departments, colleges, and external institutions, and are often decided on grades and test scores and “qualifying criteria” like citizenship and such. Research Assistantships come from individual professors, so you basically get them from your advisor. Teaching Assistantships can come from departments or from supervising professors, and are usually decided on your competency with the material.</p>