Aid and Professors

Things with regarding Financial Aid doesn't look all that good here.. The number of undergraduate students who are enrolling has come down drastically owing to which the number of teaching assistantships (TA) offered has come down drastically.. There are absolutely no TA position available with my department..
I also have to take the speak test for the TA which I would be doing on the 23rd of August...

The procedure for getting a TA is to fill an application with the department once I get the score from my speak test...

There are lotsa indians who are here in my own department who don't have aid and are all trying desperately for it.. so things are all the more difficult with so many people running behind the same stuff..

The other option is to get an Research Assistantship (RA) which is much more difficult to get as a Masters Student. The Ph.D. students are given more priority with regards to this..
The procedure for RA unlike the TA is not a simple one.. the RAs are given by the professors and we have to convince them that we are so good in the subject and have enough research experience.. They wouldn't give you any assistantships if you don't work for them for atleast few months..

Everyone is mailing the professors and getting appointments and going and talking witht hem.. I have currently met only one professor Loren Terveen , who is a Human-Computer Interaction specialist. He has asked me to visit one of his research meetings to see things before I even sign up for the course. I still have no idea if he has enough funding to give an RA. I might ask him on Monday which is when the meeting is.. Mostly he would say that he would consider it next semester and that too if I am goin' to go for a doctoral program.. or worst of all he might say that he has no money..

Things are pretty sober on this issue.. :( :(