Purely Anecdotal

admin January 23rd, 2008

Since I should soon be finishing up my time in graduate school, I thought I’d impart a little of the knowledge I had to learn along the way. These are some common questions I often answer for graduate students attending recruitment events at my university. I am always very honest with them, and fortunately, many decide to come back.

1. How do I decide on a good university?

Reputation matters in grad school. All other factors being equal, many students find great success by going to the most highly recognized university in a highly recognized lab. This is especially true if you want to go into research in academia or in a large company afterward. Of course there are several factors which can completely negate the positives of a big name school. If you hate the school or the location or your advisor or what you are doing, then the biggest name might not be the best. But, if you really have no idea of where to go, name does matter on the resume, even more so than for undergraduates. Also, you are not there to learn in the same way you were as an undergraduate. Students can end up in bad situations at any university, but if you end up in a bad situation in a top university at least you will still have a respected name on your degree. Finally, it does not always correlate but there tend to be reasons why particular schools and labs are highly regarded. They usually are doing something right. If you are not there to later go into research and only want to dive deeper into a beloved topic or have some other strong reason to go to a lesser known school, then this consideration is not as important. Rarely though do I hear people from top schools wishing they had gone elsewhere, whereas in my experience the opposite occurs with some frequency.

Also, make sure that either the advisor you want has already accepted you, or the department has plenty of people and projects that interest you. Many students are surprised after arriving that their favorite lab is not currently taking students, or even worse, just not taking them. Some labs do not accept masters students. Ask how interdisciplinary the department is. If you don’t find something you like there, can you easily transfer to another lab in another department? Also ask about the people you will be working with. Are the staff helpful? Staff are commonly overlooked but are integral to your graduate success. Do the school and department have plenty of money? How well is the equipment maintained? How will you be paid? Do the students seem enthusiastic about their work or about ready to jump off a building? Depression is quite common in graduate school. Are there study abroad opportunities (yes, these do exist in grad school)? How many students are on welfare? – This is way too common. What kind of health insurance does the school provide? What are the steps to qualification for your degree?

2. How do I decide on an advisor?

This is probably the most important decision that you will make in your grad school career. Your advisor is more important than your project. You need to make sure that you have a good personal and professional relationship with your advisor. The best way to find out about a potential advisor is to ask her grad students pointed questions away from the lab or behind closed doors. You need to know the answers to questions like: What kind and how much funding does she have? What is her management style? Are you glad you chose this lab? What do you like best/least? Where are the students going after graduation? How well does the advisor represent the students and the lab to the world? How many high quality publications does the lab produce? How collaborative is the lab? Are there any social lab activities? How many post-docs does the lab have? How is paper authorship determined? How many first-author papers do the other graduate students have? Does the advisor pay for students to attend conferences? How many days/hours is the advisor in her office, in the lab? What kind of space is there for me? What kind of equipment and equipment access do I have? Is the professor personable? How does the rest of the department view this professor? Are the graduate students happy? Are there favorites? How long does it usually take to graduate? How large is the lab in terms of members? How many members are forecasted for the future? How does the advisor assign projects, and who will be there to help me? Does the advisor have any plans to leave before my time is over? Am I interested enough in this work to devote several years of my life to it? If I get bored, how easily can I change topics?

Also look for warning signs like fast or steady decrease in the number of lab members, any members losing funding, or stressed out graduate students consistently there in the wee morning hours when it doesn’t seem necessary.

Make sure that you get opinions from several students and post-docs in other labs too. Ask both experienced and new members. Sometimes the new are overly enthusiastic. Sometimes the old are tired and bitter. If you can contact former students, this might also be a good idea. And of course, talk to your potential advisor. Be very open and honest about your interests and potential. Ask about what projects you would be working on. Be polite, but don’t be afraid. This is your chance to get to know this person. Make sure that their idea of you is equally accurate.

Coming soon:

3. Should I get a masters first?
4. Should I go straight into grad school or take some time off first?
5. Should I go to grad school or try to get a job?
6. Should I apply for this fellowship?
7. How do I become successful in graduate school?
8. How do I maintain a good relationship with my advisor?
9. What are some things you wish you had done?
10. What are some things you wish you hadn’t done?
11. Would you do it again?

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