Some questions re. posgrad study in America

[partygirluk]

I have a BSC in Mathematical Economics from the U.K. I want to do postgrad starting in '06 with the strong possibility of eventually acquiring a PhD.

I would like to do my PhD in the States or Canada as they have the best universities and I'd like to experience a different culture + the weather will be better.

I would prefer to do my masters there as well. However, a Masters in the UK is heavily subsidised (for its citizens) whilst the U.S universities seem prohibitively expensive. I am certainly prepared to pay more $ to go to a top U.S. uni, but not $30k a year in tuition fees alone. What is the best way to get this price down. I am really ignorant about how the U.S. system works, be it endowments, scholarships, government funding, whatever.

Finally, I was told by my Canadian lecturer that U.S. universities don't respect U.K Masters qualifications. I got offered a Masters at Cambridge for 04/05 but turned it down, partly for this reason (it was a 1 yr course btw). Other people tell me that if you have a degree from Oxford or Cambridge it will be a massive boon to your chances of succeeding in the States. What is the truth?

Thanks for your help,

Dean

[KJS]

Regarding the first part of your question:

If you are a good student, you should be able to get a master's degree at no charge. Most schools use their grad students as cheap teaching labor, so you will be asked to teach entry level classes in exchange for free tuition and a stipend. I did it and got a master's at no cost to me. Find schools you are interested in and look for their qualifications for Teaching Assistantships.

If you go to a school that has them and you don't get one, you really start your career with a disadvantage, IMO. Your school is basically telling you that you are not as good a student as your peers. Since they are future job competition, it is important to start on an even playing field with them. And free school sure beats 30K/year.

KJS

[Rhone]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a BSC in Mathematical Economics from the U.K. I want to do postgrad starting in '06 with the strong possibility of eventually acquiring a PhD.

I would like to do my PhD in the States or Canada as they have the best universities and I'd like to experience a different culture + the weather will be better.

I would prefer to do my masters there as well. However, a Masters in the UK is heavily subsidised (for its citizens) whilst the U.S universities seem prohibitively expensive. I am certainly prepared to pay more $ to go to a top U.S. uni, but not $30k a year in tuition fees alone. What is the best way to get this price down. I am really ignorant about how the U.S. system works, be it endowments, scholarships, government funding, whatever.

Finally, I was told by my Canadian lecturer that U.S. universities don't respect U.K Masters qualifications. I got offered a Masters at Cambridge for 04/05 but turned it down, partly for this reason (it was a 1 yr course btw). Other people tell me that if you have a degree from Oxford or Cambridge it will be a massive boon to your chances of succeeding in the States. What is the truth?

Thanks for your help,

Dean

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Dean,

(Speaking only about the social sciences)

It will always be easier to get funding for a PhD program than a Masters program, whether or not you're a US citizen. Most PhD programs will not require you to have a masters to enter anyway, so where the degree is from may be a moot point. (Also, many programs will either award one along the way as part of the program, or at least allow you to write a thesis along the way to get it.)

While there may be some financial aid programs available to you as a UK citizen, I would imagine that the vast majority of potential funding is school specific. So find some programs you're interested in, and see what sort of packages they may have for you.

I was in my PhD program for many years, [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] , but didn't pay a penny in tuition. I got money from the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation (both packages were specific to my school...so again, look first at the programs you might apply to), TA'd for a few years (I don't really know where that money came from, I think 1/2 from my department and 1/2 from the university); and RA'd for a while for a professor who had a ton of his own money.

Good luck,

[Rhone]

I'm not sure how prevelent teaching opportunities for master's students are though...

[partygirluk]

Thanks for the replies so far.

If I choose to do my postgraduate in a different discipline to my undergraduate (such as politics), how does this changes things?

[Rhone]

I don't really think it does. Once you're in a program you're in...where you came from (discipline wise) won't affect funding from that point.

[IronDragon1]

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I'm not sure how prevelent teaching opportunities for master's students are though...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll be @ Virigina Tech doing my MS in Econ with a research assistantship oddly enough.

So I guess it is possible for Master students to not have to be TA's to get money.

I assume I'm more of the exception to the rule though.

[poincaraux]

I don't know about mathemtaical economics, but it's a lot easier to get funding for math than politics. In general, the closer you get to the (hard) sciences, the more likely you are to get paid for. Also, like someone mentioned earlier, it's much easier to get a Ph.D. paid for than a Masters. Many Ph.D. programs let you pick up a Masters along the way for free. You could be a slimy bastard and quit the Ph.D. program after you get the Masters if you want.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
You could be a slimy bastard and quit the Ph.D. program after you get the Masters if you want.

[/ QUOTE ]
Depending on where and who your prof is, this is not a given. If you've got research responsibilities, your prof isn't going to just let you go off on your merry way with an MS while you're leaving him hanging.

[partygirluk]

I did the GRE and got

Verbal ~ 670
Quant ~ 790
Analytical ~ 5.5


Now, I know these are pretty good scores, but are they good enough to get into the top top U.S universities? I am worried about my Verbal score and I'd like to get a 6 in the analytical. Also I should get an 800 in the quant next time. Will the schools take into account that the exam is not common in this country and as a result I was at a disadvantage? I really want to go to an elite institution and am thinking of taking the exam again.