Scholarships and Graduate are both financial aid options available to graduate students, but they serve different purposes and come with distinct responsibilities and benefits.
Key Differences
Work Requirement: Graduate assistants (GAs) are typically required to work for a certain number of hours per week (usually 10-20 hours). This work can involve teaching assistance, research assistance or administrative duties.
Scholarships are financial awards given without the requirement of work. Recipients are typically free to focus solely on their studies and personal development.
Academic Involvement: GAs are often more integrated into their academic departments, gaining hands-on experience and professional development in their fields.
Scholarship Beneficiaries can also be involved in their departments but willingly.
Stipends: GAs receive a stipend, which is a regular payment for their work. Thus amount varies depending on the institution and the specific assistantship.
Scholarships on the other hand provide a direct financial benefit, covering various costs such as tuition, fees, books, and sometimes living expenses.
Professional Experience: GAs are required to have some form of professional experience as a requirement, while they’ll also gain valuable professional and academic experience during their assistanship which can enhance their resumes and career prospects.
Merit-Based: Selection for both assistantships and scholarships are often based on merit. However, GA’s are more about the academic performance, relevant experience, and the needs of the department.
Many scholarships are awarded based on academic achievement, such as GPA, test scores, and academic honors but are also awarded based on the need, the financial situation of the student proven.
Scholarships can also be based on other criteria, such as field of study, leadership qualities, community service, or demographic factors (e.g., scholarships for underrepresented groups or underdeveloped countries).
In Summary
You need to understand that in order to get a Graduate Assistanship position, you need to show some experience. If you are a Nigerian Graduate for example, and teach in a secondary school during your NYSC, this experience is enough to get you a teaching assistantship in the United States.
A final year research project during your undergraduate degree is proof that you have research experience, which might qualify you for a research assistantship role. However, it would also be best if you showed some level of proficiency in an array of tools used for analyzing data.
Tools such as Python, R, Excel, etc. are important to get a research assistantship position. You may not need to state it on your Curriculum Vitae, but it is important to demonstrate where you have applied or learned these tools.
Finally, both graduate assistantships and scholarships are valuable resources for graduate students, but they cater to different needs and offer distinct benefits.