Question to Ask Department?

[bachelorette]

I'm a prospective applicant for Fall 2019. I'm researching programs and assembling application info now. My request to meet with staff at a department I'm interested in was accepted and meeting arranged.

What can I do to best prepare for this? Are there specific questions I should (or shouldn't) ask?

[FishNerd]

There's lots of potential questions you can ask and I recommend maybe using the search function on this website to find some other threads where other people have recommended some really great questions. I know I found some when I did this when I was applying.

Some important questions I can think of are below:

• What is funding like for the program? What is the stipend and will your tuition be completely waived?
• Will you have to TA during your program and what kinds of classes and responsibilities will you have as a TA?
• What kind of research is going on in the department and is it the type of research you want to pursue during your PhD?
• Related to the previous question: are the professors you are interested in working with taking on new students next fall for whom they would be the main advisor?

There are lots more questions you can probably ask but I think the above questions are some of the key ones you absolutely need to ask.

[PokePsych]

Be careful to not ask things that are available on the website though.

[PsyDuck90]

I would also add to ask what kinds of jobs graduates get upon leaving the program and see if these align with your goals. Also, if your program requires some sort of licensure, how many graduates from the program achieve licensure soon after? You are going to a PhD to achieve a career goal, so you want to ensure that this program prepares students for that goal and many graduates end up in the type of positions you're interested in. 

[BabyScientist]

On 8/9/2018 at 8:05 AM, Psygeek said:

Be careful to not ask things that are available on the website though.

I don't think there's any problem asking things from the website. Most program people/faculty have no idea what's on their website.

[gradschoolprobs]

Why are you contacting department staff rather than professors themselves?