Atmosphere among current grad students

[InquiringMind]

I have gone on several school visits thus far. During each visit, I come away with the feeling that all of the current grad students are happy with the program they are in and there is a good camaraderie and cooperation amongst themselves. However, when I speak with faculty and grad students who are not associated with this program, I always hear this rumor that there is a cut-throat atmosphere among grad students in certain departments, and the department has a "weeding out" process. I've also hear stories about how some students at a particular school steal research ideas from one another. I assume departments make every effort to prevent prospective students from meeting disgruntled grad students.

Are there any telltale signs by which to determine what the "real" atmosphere is among grad students? Are there any questions to ask that would elicit an honest response? Should I just go by what those students who I met during my visit say?

Thanks in advance.

[UndraftedFreeAgent]

I would recommend listening not just to what they say, but to what they don't say. If they don't introduce you to any of the first year students, it could be because all of the first years are miserable. Save questions about the atmosphere of the department for events where there is free food. Free food can draw even the most reclusive grad student/young professor out of his/her shell long enough for you to ask a few key questions. Ask where grad students hang out to study or socialize on campus. Then, if you have free time to wander about on your own, go to those places and observe them in their "natural habitat".

Finally, ask for complete documentation of their attrition/completion rates. This can give you an idea of your chances of actually finishing the program without being A) asked to leave discouraged to the point of quitting or C) bankrupt. Also ask how many students leave with an MA and what they end up doing with their degrees. If they "don't know", then that says (to me anyway), that those students didn't leave voluntarily.

If you speak to any specific profs who are interested in advising you, ask if you may contact any of their previous grad students (but do so nicely). Employers ask you for references, it's only fair that you should be able to do the same.

That's my two cents. I have to get back to work now... stupid private sector.

[mareserinitatis]

You might get a sense based on how many of the grad students you meet. If you meet five or six, then I'd be wary. If you go to every single lab and meet most of the grad students (and they seem happy), that's a good sign.

Also, make sure you get a bit of time alone with the grad students of your prospective advisor. Most of them will be pretty honest.

I get frustrated when they only have you meet a handful of grad students. It gives me the impression they're trying to screen who they let you meet.

[UndraftedFreeAgent]

You might get a sense based on how many of the grad students you meet. If you meet five or six, then I'd be wary. If you go to every single lab and meet most of the grad students (and they seem happy), that's a good sign.

Also, make sure you get a bit of time alone with the grad students of your prospective advisor. Most of them will be pretty honest.

I get frustrated when they only have you meet a handful of grad students. It gives me the impression they're trying to screen who they let you meet.

It gives the impression that they're trying to screen who you meet, because they ARE screening them. In my previous program, we were the first (and therefore only) class of students, so the professors had no choice but to have them meet all of us. Afterwards, our professors told us that they normally would never have exposed prospectives to the entire group of first year students, especially when preparing for exams. Out of the dozens of students most departments have, you will often only meet directly with a few top performers from each class. The others will be milling about at events where there's free food.

[Chchadder]

At the visitation day I attended for the program I had already accepted to (most of the prospectives were still considering) we were introduced to essentially all four years of grad students. We had lunch with them and the faculty, and then the faculty left so that we could have some one-on-one with the students. Everyone seemed realistically happy about the program and very congenial/enthusiastic about us newbs. Went out for a few beers after with some of the first and second years and had a great time.

[LaraAnn85]

If you meet five or six, then I'd be wary.

Haha, most of the programs I visited have 10 students max! I guess if you know there are 50 but 45 of them are hiding, that would be a red flag 8)

[LaraAnn85]

Actually I wanted to add something, not all the grad students I met were so great! At the first school I visited, the students genuinely seemed to be happy and to be friends with each other and even though I wasn't looking for that specifically, it stuck out in my mind. A good 30 of us went to dinner at a faculty member's house and everyone just got along so well. At one of the other schools I was considering, there was noticeable tension even when I was visiting (and this was even more of a recruitment visit, not an interview visit). My potential advisor told me how some of them "party a lot" and others are not like that so they aren't really friends and it's very "cliquish." One of the first years made a snide comment about how some of the students are "big drinkers" and rolled her eyes as if she couldn't stand them. That program seemed like they really wanted me, I would think they would have asked the grad students to play cool if they knew about the drama. In any case, I'm glad they didn't!

[Minnesotan]

I only applied to programs with lots of "big drinkers." =)

[polisciapp]

So you applied to law school...

[LaraAnn85]

So you applied to law school...

:wink:

[keyboard]

Hi all,

I just want to ask, I am from Asia, so I could not get to any school visiting since it's too far away. Then how can I know how's the grad student's atmosphere in my department? I only have contact with one of my countrymen who in same group as mine, and he said everything's good. There is no such thing is that perfect

Thanks a lot.