I will be attending a few recruitment weekends in the coming month, so I have had this conversation with my current advisor. I am finishing my MA this semester, so some of the advice may differ for someone coming straight out of undergrad. This is what he suggests:
1. Try to get a SPECIFIC, DETAILED answer (in writing, if possible) on what courses you will be required to take and how this would differ from someone who went straight through the program (both MA and PhD at same school).
2. If funding is offered, ask about assistantship options and how these are decided. How many RAs are offered as opposed to TAs? How do these decisions get made? Are there different types of TAs (independent instructors, graders, small session leaders, etc.) and how do these get decided?
2a. Similarly, I would ask about how summer funding works.
3. It may be helpful to ask about office space/lab access and how these resources are distributed. Does everyone get a space? How many people share a space? Does this space only go to TAs?
4. Resources in the department/university for your research is important to know. Access to statistical programs, access to department-only/graduate student-only computer labs, etc.
5. I would ask about department collegiality. Does everyone get together periodically? Do faculty-grad students interact? This is a good question to ask the grad students themselves. Also ask them about student collegiality - do the students hang out together regularly? Do they help each other out with stuff, or are they more often competing with one another?
6. Get a sense of the timeline of the program (especially in regard to point 1 above). How much time for coursework, when are exams taken, etc. This can all come up very quick, as you often take exams right after finishing coursework (which could be as early as one year). You will want to know how quickly you will need to figure things out, get an advisor, have a plan for your dissertation, etc.
Hope this is helpful!
