Originally Posted by abaya

Assistantship = either TA (teaching assistantship) or RA (research assistantship). These are the most common forms of support for graduate students. They generally entail a commitment of 20 hours a week, although on my TA job it averages out to about 10 hours a week. I've never had an RA, but they are supposed to be even better... less work, more freedom. As a TA my biggest load has been to teach 3 undergrad sections of intro classes each week, preparing the material for those and then preparing exams, grading them, grading papers, and submitting grades for all students at the end of the semester. (You see, professors do jack shit at research universities... it is all about the grad students.)

Of course, the best way to go is to get a fellowship, but those are few and far between unless you are an absolutely stellar applicant. (They are basically the same as scholarships, no obligation to do anything.) As a student I am middling-to-fair, and happy with my assistantships and the opportunity to gain resume experience with my job.