Yikes! It's not seriously almost the middle of February is it? Happy New Year readers! 12 new non-science books for my resolution this year. How about you? Another semester has come and gone, final grades are in, and sadly, the winter holiday season is officially over. Which probably also means senioritis has officially set in, emails from graduate schools are piling up in your inbox, and you're wondering, "Can I graduate and get out of here already?!" Whether you're preparing for the grad school interview, or narrowing in on a decision about which lab and adviser you want to work with for the next ~4+ years, there are a few questions you should ask first, before you make your decision. Let's say you've already figured out the really hard part: "should I go to grad school or not?" And you've done all the research on which graduate programs might be right for you, passed the GRE with flying colors (or even if you didn't, no worries!), and wrote an outstanding essay that got you in to a bunch of really great programs. Congrats! Now comes the other hard part: "which program is best for me?" Deciding which program is the best fit can be a little daunting, but if you ask the right questions when you visit each program, the decision and transition into grad school will go a whole lot smoother. Wait...you aren't planning on visiting each graduate program?! BAD IDEA. Yes, it can get expensive. But, there are a few ways you can budget or prepare for these costs. Or, even better, a lot of STEM graduate programs will actually pay you to make the visit to see them. That's how important it is. Free flight. Free food. Free hotel. And, as much as some programs will try and make you believe that they're interviewing you, this is actually your opportunity to interview them! Even if a program doesn't have it in their budget to invite you out, it's completely worth it to scrounge up some dough to visit at least your top choices and set up a few meetings with a) the department head, b) some potential faculty advisers, and c) the current graduate students. Especially that last group. Let me tell you why. After months of just trying to find programs/advisers that I might be interested in, and then stressing through a few more months waiting to hear back from them, I finally heard back. Of the 8 programs I was accepted to, they each offered a different package, they were in 5 different states, and they all had different projects and faculty advisers engaged in research I was interested in. I was completely overwhelmed. Sure, I had my top 3 schools based on what they looked like on paper (rankings, publication rates, etc.); and really, I even had what I thought was my top choice. It had history, a prestigious faculty, and I was seriously considering accepting their offer as soon as they called. But, based on the advice of a mentor, I decided to try and visit each program, and meet with the current graduate students. Before I left on this US Tour de Grad Schools, I made a list of the pros and cons for each program, and ranked them based on an overall score. Hey. I am an analytical chemist after all. ;) It really didn't take that long...and I TOTALLY recommend it. Getting your thoughts down in writing is a great way to start objectively separating options. Aaanyway, long story short, with each visit, and with every conversation, my pros and cons lists changed. My scores and rankings changed too. I ended up NOT accepting the offer from my "top choice." And I have never regretted it since. Of all the conversations I had with people at each school, the current students were the one that gave me the best insight into any "red flags" about the program, the faculty, and the most recent research that has come out of their labs. They were able to tell me whether the department values its graduate students or treats them like cheap labor. They told me whether the faculty members are consistently well-funded, what it's like to work for them, what there is to do for fun when they're not analyzing data, and the list goes on and on. Plus, by actually visiting each campus, I got a better feel for the atmosphere and size of the place, and for the culture of people I would be working with too. This may sound trivial, but I can't tell you how many stories I've heard about graduate students LEAVING their programs, or just absolutely hating every day they have to stay, because they don't like the town, the people, or the entire region of the country for that matter. Grad school shouldn't be just another degree, and it shouldn't be one that you have to suffer through. There are a lot of factors that go into making this decision, and the graduate program visit will help you separate out the ones that just feel right or wrong. To help you get started, here's a list of questions (in no particular order) I took with me on my visits. Some are for the department, the graduate students, or both. You may find some answers on the program website, but not always. Good luck! And if you think of more, add them in the comments, and I'll list them here too! For The Current Graduate Students
1. How well are the graduate students treated by faculty members? In general, do the graduate students enjoy working with their research advisers? 2. Is the atmosphere between groups or individual graduate students overly competitive? Do the graduate students hang out together outside of work? 3. Are graduate students proud of the group/department/school they are working with? 4. Do graduate students have enough time for a balanced work/social life? 5. What's the qualifying exam like? 6. What are the facilities like? Do graduate students have private desks, cubicles, windows in their office? 7. Are the provisions for housing, health insurance, etc adequate? Are they included in the stipend? 8. Do the faculty and department encourage students to apply for outside funding/fellowships (GRFP, NIH, etc)? Do they require a teaching assistantship (TA)? 9. Are there any female/minority faculty in the department? If not, are there potential mentors elsewhere on campus (a women's center, minorities in STEM student organizations, etc)? 10. What kind of support is available for graduate students with children? For a Graduate Student in the Group You're Interested In 1. What is your adviser's communication style? 2. How frequently is your adviser available to meet with you? How often do they want to meet? 3. Have you ever had to resolve a conflict with him/her? How was it handled? 4. When you have a question related to your research, how does your adviser respond? Do they direct you to the literature, give direct feedback, etc? 5. When writing, what is the level of feedback you receive? Multiple drafts with exhaustive corrections, a few drafts with suggestions, etc? For the Potential Adviser 1. What current projects do you have with available funding for graduate students? How long do you expect those projects to continue? 2. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years or so? Do you have plans to take a sabbatical? 3. What expectations do you have for your graduate students (working hours, publication rate, etc.)? 4. Do you encourage your students to attend conferences? Are there specific conferences you recommend? 5. Do graduate students collaborate with other groups either within or outside the university? 6. What do you think about graduate students taking time away from research for professional development (i.e. public speaking, science communication)? 7. What do you think about graduate students taking time for interdisciplinary interests (i.e. entrepreneurship, internship)? For The Graduate Department 1. Do graduate students have free access to athletic and other university facilities? 2. Are there graduate student organizations (Graduate Student Senate, etc)? 3. Are graduate students encouraged to attend conferences? If so, who funds the travel? 4. What kind of professional organizations have chapters in the area? 5. How frequently do students publish papers? 6. What percentage of students pass the qualifying exam? 7. What's the average amount of time students take to finish their degree? 8. Is the graduate student population diverse? Are there varying political, social, economic, etc views represented and respected? 9. Have there been any instances of harassment? How did the department handle that situation? For Everyone 1. Have there been any major changes to the department in the past 5-10 years that have affected graduate students? 2. Are graduate students able to use the instrumentation freely? 3. Is it common for graduate students to participate in professional development and/or internships during their PhD? 4. What's the cost of living in the city? Is it easy to get around? Is there public transportation? Is the neighborhood near campus fairly safe? 5. What do people do for fun? To print a PDF of this list, click here!
8 Comments
Amy
1/14/2017 07:21:02 pm
I'm in the process of beginning the graduate school interview process in a STEM field and just wanted to say that this was really helpful! Thanks so much!
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Mallory Ladd
1/14/2017 07:23:55 pm
So glad it could help out! Good luck in grad school Amy!
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Mallory
2/28/2017 11:10:03 am
Hi Courtney! So glad it could be of some help! Good luck in choosing the grad school that's right for you!
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Question
7/31/2017 12:21:46 am
Hey Mallory, thanks for the post! I was wondering if you know any case where accepted students visited programs prior to the Open House or Visiting Day and talk to professors and students there. I know they are mostly busy people so it might be hard to set up meetings with all these people unless it's a specified date like the Open House? I'm wondering because I might be abroad starting in late February or early March. And I don't think departments would be willing to pay for an international flight so I can just visit them.
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Mallory
7/31/2017 08:11:42 pm
Hey! All but 2 of my visits (8 total) were NOT on a specified date like an Open House. So that's definitely an option as well. I recommend giving the department or grad school a phone call (in addition to emails) and really start off on the right foot by creating a good strong relationship with their administrative staff, who usually puts the visits together. Good luck to you!
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Chris
1/17/2020 02:55:14 pm
Hi Mallory,
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Mallory
2/9/2021 03:23:48 pm
In my experience, a graduate degree is being listed as a requirement for STEM careers more and more frequently, including for positions in data analytics. That being said, I also know plenty of folks who got a job in their field right out of undergrad, learned the necessary skills as they went (e.g., Python, business intelligence and data viz tools), and ended up in the same position as recent graduate school grads 3-6 years down the line in their career. So, if you think you have a pretty good idea about where you might want to end up, I recommend reaching out to a few folks at that company and just ask them straight out for a breakdown in the distribution of bachelors, masters, PhDs, years of experience, etc. Good luck to you!
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Hello!Welcome to Think Like a Postdoc. If you're a fan of science as much as I am, and/or are curious about getting a degree in a STEM field, or pursuing an interdisciplinary graduate degree (all from the perspective of a graduate student), then you're in the right place. Think Like a Postdoc also includes posts about my current lab and field research, including analytical chemistry, Arctic biogeochemistry, and energy & environmental policy. Comments and questions are always welcomed. And please tell me what you want to hear about next! Top PostsQuestions to Ask Before Choosing Grad Program
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