Good Questions to Ask a Grad Student

[wanthony86]

A department from which I recently receieved acceptance sent me the contact information of one of their graduate students. What are some good questions to ask? Should I ask specific ones or try to find out his general impression of the program?

The first ones that come to mind are:

What is the department atmosphere like?

Are you happy there?

What are the classes like?

What was your experience working on your thesis with an advisor like?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[wanthony86]

Thanks for the support guys.

[Kathiza]

I did the same thing (before I sent off my applications).

I asked pretty much the same questions and

- Are the faculty members accessible? (this has been an issue at my school)

- What does the work as a TA/RA look like? (how many hours?, interesting?, which tasks?)

- What does the social life at this school (esp. f. grad students) look like? (might be a silly question, but since I'm an international student I don't have any idea of how it will be, if I'll have any free time, if there are any activities esp. f. grad students etc.)

By the way, wanthony, you are REALLY impatient after only three hours! (And it's in the middle of the night in the US....)

[schoolpsych_hopeful]

"What made you decide to come here over another program?" --that one gets some interesting responses

Edited February 4, 2011 by schoolpsych_hopeful

[wanthony86]

I did the same thing (before I sent off my applications).

I asked pretty much the same questions and

- Are the faculty members accessible? (this has been an issue at my school)

- What does the work as a TA/RA look like? (how many hours?, interesting?, which tasks?)

- What does the social life at this school (esp. f. grad students) look like? (might be a silly question, but since I'm an international student I don't have any idea of how it will be, if I'll have any free time, if there are any activities esp. f. grad students etc.)

By the way, wanthony, you are REALLY impatient after only three hours! (And it's in the middle of the night in the US....)

Thanks for the reply! You've raised some pretty important questions, so I'll definitely be asking them. And you're so right! How inconsiderate of me. I forget that I'm halfway across the world and that this forum is generally slow to respond sometimes.

[wanthony86]

"What made you decide to come here over another program?" --that one gets some interesting responses

Nice. Another one to add to the list. I hope he doesn't feel like I'm asking too many.

[Bumblebee]

How is social life in town? Is life expensive? (it's really important to know how much life costs: one program may offer you a better stipend, but if it's in a most expensive city it doesn't make any difference). Do professors orient you and help you with research (publications, conferences, etc.).

[wanderlust07]

I second all of the above..esp ones about department atmosphere, TA/RA workload and type, and town. Other stuff that might not occur to you at first glance:

--Related to atmosphere: What kind of relationship exists between cohorts? Between classes? Will you get support from advanced students? Chances to work closely with other departments (if this is important to your research)? Is faculty a consistent, supportive presence at student-run lectures and events or is that relationship more one-way?

--Follow up on class sizes for TA-ships or teaching assignments, as well as chances for non-teaching related funding. It will greatly reduce your workload to have small classes or instructorships alternating with fellowships, etc.

--the student health plan and quality of local medical care.

--Accessibility of airport / getting around town generally: Will you be able to get home conveniently and at a reasonable price however often you wish? Can you get away from campus for a weekend? (is there anywhere you would want to go?). Make sure there is somewhere around to avoid burnout, including places that will keep you away from your students (who may not yet have grasped the borders between your professional life and your personal life--I've been stopped while walking with my partner, in Starbucks, etc...). This would include opportunities for any social or personal stuff you like to do, whether or not you expect to have time for it.

--the political and religious atmosphere of both town and campus, if either is important to you.

One other thing to keep in mind for the sake of making things run smoothly--as a current student, I'd remind anyone taking this step that any student you're emailing has an absurd workload and doesn't know you from Adam's off ox. In general, avoid asking questions you could find the answer to on the department website (size of stipends, etc), open-ended "What should I do in case of x?) sorts of things related specifically to your application or decisions, or barraging one student with 100 questions. This is not to say we're not happy to answer questions, but be respectful of our time, introduce yourself a bit to give us some context (esp. since we may be seeing you in the fall!), and thank us when you're done please.

Edited February 4, 2011 by wanderlust07

[space-cat]

Related to funding, you might also ask if everyone is content with their support and/or receives basically the same funding package, or if there's a lot of competition for a few choice funding opportunities. This can make a HUGE difference in the atmosphere: I've seen a few departments where all the students are fighting over funding, and they are not happy places to be. One graduate of such a program actually told me, "you're always hoping someone leaves, so you can get their funding"

[wanthony86]

bumblebee, wanderlust and space-cat, you don't even know how helpful you've been. Thank you, guys! I'm just about ready to shoot that email now...

[Kathiza]

In the case I get multiple acceptances (oh yes, I'm still very optimistic - so please don't laugh at me if I don't get in anywhere) I will also use this list to again get in contact with the grad students I already asked some questions before applying. I think this should facilitate my decision.

[Golden Monkey]

I think it would be even more helpful to be able to talk to an alumnus of the program.

[Strangefox]

I'm just about ready to shoot that email now...

Are you going to ask all these questions in an email? I would recommend using Skype. It's much faster, students won't have to type answers so they might tell you more and they can be more honest with you when they actually can hear your voice.

You can ask them by the way what are the greatest strengthes and weaknesses of the program.