2nd- Year Teaching Assistant Application: Fill & Download for Free

The Teaching Assistant (TA) Category of Students gets the normal MHRD Stipend of Rs 12,400/- p.m. But in CTARA, a total of 12 students have an opportunity to earn higher stipends in the form of fellowship. The following are the fellowships being currently offered:The TATA Fellowship (2 nos): The tenure of the TATA fellowship is applicable for the 1st and 2nd year of M.Tech in CTARA. The Stipend is Rs 18,600/- p.m. In this fellowship, you are committed to do a specific Master’s Project assigned by the TATA Centre for Technology and Development (TCTD). Add to it, you have a fully paid 2 weeks visit to MIT.The HAL Fellowship (2 nos): The HAL Fellowship is much more flexible. The tenure of the fellowship is 1st and 2nd years of M.Tech. The stipend is Rs 18,600/- p.m. In this fellowship, you have the freedom to choose your own Master’s Project topic. The only commitment it seeks is that, post fellowship, you have to work 2 years in a development related area.The MoRD Fellowship (5 nos): The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) Fellowship is much more exciting, It starts in the 2md year of M.Tech and tenure lasts till one year after the completion of M.Tech. While in the first year, you get the normal Rs 12,400/- p.m. stipend. Once you are selected as the MoRD Fellow, your stipend in 2nd year increases to Rs 16,400/- p.m. After your second year, your project is taken up by the Ministry to apply in real life scenarios. Your stipend rockets to Rs 60,000/- p.m.The UNICEF Fellowship: This fellowship has been in-principle been sanctioned and other details are yet to be published in public domain. The terms and fellowship amount are supposed to be in accordance with the MoRD Fellowship.Rather than the amount that you get as fellowship, it is the exposure that you get through these fellowships that matters more, according to me.

US universities and programs will differ a bit, so always look at the program's web page.Typical they want your BS and MS transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and an application essay or personal statement. If you have a good idea of your research interests, reaching out to professors who do that same research is helpful.The typical program consists of classes/seminars followed by dissertation research. If you get full support, then you'll be working as a research or teaching assistant. I'd suggest going only if you get full support.The faculty job market in the US is not good, so don't expect that a PhD will lead to a tenure track job, sad to say.

An year ago, I was asking the same questions to seniors. Its one hell of a process but the toil and effort you will be putting into it is worth it.Contradictory to the commonplace notion, admission in foreign universities is not about how good your GRE score is. Its more about how good your profile stands out among thousands of other profiles. By profile, I mean your GRE score, TOEFL score, CGPA, Statement of Purpose, Letters of Recommendation, projects and other research experiences.The entire admission process is a thorough grind in which GRE is just the tip of the iceberg. Being a 2nd year student, you must focus on your CGPA. Its of foremost importance. A good CGPA can always offset an average GRE but the converse isn't true (until you have a GRE of 335+). There are exceptions but you wouldn't like to count on them. You have time on your side, make the most of it. Score the maximum marks you can. We all know it aint that tough to score higher!Letters of Reco. :You'll be needing 3 recos for applying in a university. These may be from professors who have taught you, your project guide, the person you interned under or your current employer. Its always good to have recos from profs of stellar universities like IISc, IITs etc. But if you don't have one from them, its not the end of the world. Maintain good relation with your profs. especially the ones who have given you better grades (A or above). Talk with them about your MS ambitions. Good relation with your teachers will surely help you get better recos from them. All universities have online reco systems, in which your recommender uploads the draft and then rates you (on a scale of 1-10). It becomes very important that your recommender gives you good ratings. Personally, I felt this was the toughest part of the entire process, after SOP. This can also be done by doing projects under the profs. Try to take atleast one reco from a Professor, the rest may be from Associate or Assistant Profs. At the end of the day, its not about how well known your prof. is, its more about the quality of reco. he can give you. A very good reco from an assistant prof is way better than an average reco from a prof. or even an IIT prof. for that matter of fact.Statement of Purpose:Its at the core of the entire application process.SOP can make or break your chances of getting into ambitious universities. I found this page very helpful Tips on Writing a Statement of PurposeProjects and Publications:The more you have, the better it is. But it should be related to your field.GRE and TOEFL:Until and unless you have a very high GRE and TOEFL, the only function of these scores is to cross a basic cutoff so that the review committee doesnt discards your application right away. Your application will be payed heed to if you cross this minimum. Many universities display the average GRE and TOEFL of the admitted students. So keep checking the sites. But like anywhere, its better to play on the safe side and have a good GRE. 315-325 should a safe place. As far as TOEFL is concerned, its a very easy exam. The only place you'll have to focus is the Speaking section. Most universities keep a cutoff of 27 (out of 30) in the Speaking section in order to give Teaching Assistantships. A score above 27 in Speaking and an overall score of 110+ is a good score.Scholarships and Assistantships:Scholarships are mostly dependent on your CGPA and GRE. They are hard to come by, especially in Private Colleges. Mostly the students rely on teaching and research assistantships for rent, food and other utilities. Apart from paying a monthly stipend, these also have provisions to pay for some part of the tuition fee. Getting an assistantship depends on your performance in the university exams and its availability varies from one university to another. People get some or the other kind of assistantship most of the time., provided their performance is satisfactory.Last but not least, a good GRE score requires few months but building a good profile will take at least an year. So, plan well.