Asking professors to compare schools

[eyne]

If a professor at one program I'm considering did her PhD at another program I'm considering, is it a big faux pas to ask her to compare the two programs? If not, do you think most professors would answer honestly, or try to promote their own program?

[fuzzylogician]

I think that's something you could ask in person, if the conversation goes that way, but it's not something that looks good in an email. It's always interesting to hear what professors think about other programs - I found that most professors were very honest about where they thought I would fit and talked up other programs' strengths. Those who went to the trouble of putting down other programs I did not like one bit, but it certainly was helpful to know that they had such a negative attitude. If you're visiting and have conversations with professors at a certain school, they will often ask you where else you're visiting, or you can casually bring it up. It obviously shouldn't be the first thing you ask, but conversations do tend to lend themselves to discussing competing offers.

More factors to consider about your specific situation: how long ago did the professor graduate; will her opinion still be relevant? Remember that she can't really compare the two programs, she only went through one of them as a graduate student, and I'm sure things look different from the faculty's side of a program. There might be a reluctance to say anything negative about former professors who are now colleagues. But you should be able to get an idea of what the town and professors are like in general.

[BKMD]

I asked a professor this question at one of my school visits who had recently graduated from the other school I was looking at. I also sent him a follow up email (after visiting both schools) to ask him if he could compare specific factors. He didn't seem offended by the question.

He mostly just promoted his current institution and I would guess anyone in this position would do the same, so take their advice with a grain of salt. However, you'll probably get some interesting information that you wouldn't hear from the other school, so certainly I think it's a good thing to ask, and they may end up being fairly candid. (For example, this professor mentioned that he liked living in Baltimore, but noted that he got mugged and his car was stolen )

[Nancy F]

I actually just asked that question - but of the undergrad professor who wrote one of my letters of recommendation. He's NYU and I'm considering Cornell, GW, Duke, CMU and Texas, so I was really interested to hear from someone who is NOT trying to sell me on the program.

[sciencegal]

I agree it's a better thing to ask in person.

Our faculty are usually pretty honest about other programs as we don't want a student to accept our offer if they would truly be a better fit elsewhere.