Tips for international Grad students (particularly applicable for students at Pitt)-A students perspective

Dear International Student,

Congratulations and welcome to Pitt!

Take your time to read the FAQ section on Ankur's website. It’s an excellent and exhaustive list http://www.pitt.edu/~sorc/pittankur/FAQ.pdf 

Listed below are a number of generic tips applicable to all international graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh. Some of these tips are applicable to students at most US universities.

Disclaimer: It is not recommended that you follow the tips for acquiring financial aid (mentioned below in section 1 Funding/Financial Aid) exactly down to the letter. Following these tips on funding and financial aid in no way guarantees a student funding. The information given below is not completely exhaustive or accurate either, as these details vary from department to department. These are just general tips intended to give international students an idea of how things work in regard to financial aid and research funding. They are simply intended to acquaint or orient an international student who is completely new to the American educational and research system.

1-Funding/Financial Aid:

 In general, there are two possible sources for funding. You can be sponsored by your department or by a  professor in your department.

Background:

Departmental Funding

The department receives funds from the University or through various other grants. It’s usually up to the department to distribute these funds in a manner that suits them. Graduate students are one target for these funds. If your department funds you, they most often would require you to work for the department in some capacity. This kind of appointment is usually called a Graduate student Assistant, or GSA.

Funding by a Professor

In general, professors can apply for grants that fund projects. These grants also fund student researchers. If a professor has received grants/funds, then he or she is in a position to employ students to work under them as Graduate Student Researchers (GSR’s) If a student receives a GSR, he or she will most often work on research projects under the guidance of a professor. Obviously, this is a better option for students cause they get paid to do research.

How does this information apply to me?

Knowing the structure of funding is important because it basically gives you an idea about who to approach for your funding. If you approach a professor for funding, you would basically be targeting a GSR position. You have to convince the professor that you are capable and interested in working for him on one of his projects.

Knowing this structure is also important to give you an idea of how likely it is for you to get funded once you get here. Departments with a large number of research projects, labs and grants are more likely going to be able to fund Masters graduate students. Departments that do not have a lot of projects or research grant money, are likely to save their departmental funds to fund mainly PhD Graduate students.

Specifics:

How do I approach a professor?

The first option is to email him or her. If they do no reply (cause they tend to be busy) and if you have arrived at your university, you can drop by in person during their office hours.* 

What do I tell a professor?

Basically, you’d have to tell him/her that you have experiences in field X, you see that he/she has a funded project in field Y (related to field X) and you are interested in working on that particular project.*

If you are not certain the professor has funds then you can say something to the effect of:

I’m a graduate student, this is my experience/interest etc, I am looking to work as a GSR in this field, what are the possibilities for working under you as a Graduate Researcher.

How do I approach a department for departmental funds?

You can approach a department for departmental funds through a professor. Professors have the capacity to request the department to fund you.

Also, I know of a case where a student had approached each and every professor in their department and was unsuccessful in receiving any funding. He then approached the director of his department/program (equivalent to the Dean). He basically said something similar to what I just mentioned earlier. “I’m looking for funding, I have this experience, what can you do for me?” The Director didn’t promise anything at the time but the student was persistent and he eventually got funded.  An important lesson to learn here is that there are no real limits to what you can do here. Feel free to approach anyone you think has the capacity to help you. You wouldn’t know if they can help you unless you try and they wouldn’t be able to help you unless you ask.

What do I do once I get funded?

Obviously, you have to work sincerely, work hard and be productive. Hard work pays, is appreciated and is rewarded.

Can I get funded from a department that is NOT my own department?

Technically, you should be able to. There is no regulation that I know of to stop you from getting funded by, for example, the Physics department, when you are actually a registered student of Biology. It is not uncommon and I have seen it happen. You'd just have to follow similar guildlines to the ones mentioned above.

What do I do if I do not receive funding?

Keep trying, but eventually, you can also offer to work on projects for an independent study or maybe even for free (on your own time). Simply to gain experience. Identify professors who are doing work that interests you. Ask them if they have any possibility for future funding. If they give you a positive reply, then offer to work with them to gain experience (until the funds are available).

How does this help?

• This might just convince them and/or the department that you are a sincere and serious student. Eventually, the funds may come your way.

• Working on projects for experience also might help you get a job later on. The same professor may have contacts in the industry.

Working for experience is just an option though, its not very common  choice for most students. I recommend this as an option to the alternative-doing only your coursework and a part time job.

 2-Housing/Apartments:

 Ankur’s grad student mailing list (pitt_grad_ankur@yahoogroups.com) is a good place to start looking for apartments, send in your emails with what you are looking for. You can also try this web address is: http://www.ocl.pitt.edu/

If you have arrived on campus, then walk up to 127 North Bellefield Ave. It’s the housing resource center on Pitts campus. Feel free to ask them just about anything you want, they should help you out.

3-Time Management:

Manage your time carefully. You can follow some of the important tips identified in this PowerPoint presentation below.

www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/TimeManagementTalk.ppt

4-General Resources/Tips:

Need more help?

Make full use of the system. Your university has many resources dedicated toward helping you. Your advisor is one person you should feel free to talk to. If your advisor is of not much help, then feel free to contact your department and maybe even change your advisor. Many international students face problems with employment on and off campus. Make sure that you are not discriminated against in this regard. Know your rights.  Contact the Office of International Services (OIS) for any other issues and questions you might have in this regard.

Another recommended resource that helps all students and scholars http://www.survival.pitt.edu/ .

Don't hesitate to ask questions or ask for help. In class or outside class.

Very general tips: Work hard and be responsible. But take care of your health first. Eat well, sleep well, exercise and enjoy yourself. Expand your educational experience by learning about and experiencing American and International culture-a good way to do this is to follow the free food on campus. There's always free food and a fun event around every corner (just kidding! but look here for more information about various student organizations on camps).

Find a balance and  have fun!

Will add more tips as I think of them.

 *this information should be available through the respective departmental websites