Do the assistantship awards take a sizable chunk out of tuition?

It depends on where the student is in the program and how much time they can commit to working with the faculty members. I wouldn't say that assistantships take a sizable chunk off tuition. I think what they do is give a reasonable level of cash flow to the students who may be using it to help fund their living expenses or pay their tuition expenses or whatever it may be that they are using it for.

But the discretion is up to the students. More.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.