<p>I'm not going to go to a top undergrad school but if I get a really good GPA is it still possible to get some sort of scholarship money?</p>
<p>Depends on your field. In general, grad students often earn money by working as Research Assistants (RAs) or as Teaching Assistants (TAs). TA-ships often pay better, but RA-ships may have the advantage of being paid to essentially do your dissertation research. Depending on your field and your department, these jobs can be yours for the asking or are awarded competitively. Once you have a master’s degree, you can also qualify to teach at community college.</p>
<p>There are some competitive grad fellowships. Some are awarded after you’ve been in grad school for awhile, so your undergrad grades and school will not matter for these. </p>
<p>You might also consider spending a year or two in the working world between undergrad and grad school. Not only does this allow you to squirrel away money for grad school, you might also end up with an employer who will pay your grad school tuition. A potential downside: some people lose the momentum to want to go to grad school if they’re out of school, especially if they’re well-paid. Potential upside: it can be a good thing to step outside the academia bubble for a bit, so that you can reassure yourself during some of the dark days of grad school that yes, you know that you can make it in the world.</p>
<p>If you are pursuing a PhD program, do not, I repeat DO NOT go to a university that doesn’t pay your full expenses. This would be a tuition waiver plus TA or RA. If they don’t think you are good enough to pay for, chances are you won’t be good enough to get an interview for the one job in your field that will open up the year you graduate. Note that I use the word “interview” not the word “hired”.</p>