Hey everyone,
The University of Michigan Ann Arbor recently gave me an offer of admission in their PhD program in English Language and Literature (yay!), with a great financial package and a fellowship. I plan to visit the campus during the welcome weekend, and I also plan to see how the rest of my applications pan out before committing. However, I do have an arranged phone conversation with the Director of Graduate Studies for this upcoming Monday, who is offering to answer any questions I may have about the program.
I am wondering if there are any commonly-asked questions (aside from more obvious questions, like living costs, financial packages, etc.) that I might want to consider asking the DGS. Or, more broadly, any other important, yet commonly overlooked factors I ought to consider before accepting. What's important to me, which I think would fall under potentially overlooked factors to consider when weighing my options, includes: seeing reading lists related to my research interests; opportunities to do certificate programs; mental health services offered through the University/healthcare plan; and if there is an activist culture there amongst the graduate students.
Overall, the program looks like a great fit for my research interest (I think I am already able to identify possible advisors), and I am so pleased to have received this offer! Admittedly, I'm very new to this process, so I thought I'd publish this post to hear any insights some of you might have. Alternatively, if there is another post that answers these types of questions, I would appreciate it if someone could direct me there.
Thanks!