Questions to ask current grad students in a lab you want to be in

[Jimbo2]

Hi guys. I'm going to be interviewing with a PI that I want to work with in the near future. He wants me to meet his current graduate students during/after the interview and I was wondering if you could help me with some good questions to ask them. This is a fieldwork based lab in life sciences rather than a lab lab, if that helps. Thanks a lot!

[arkel]

A few suggestions...

It's important to get a feel for what the supervisor is like from a student's perspective:

- are they hands-on or hands-off in their advising style?

- are they pleasant to work with (you might have to read between the lines for this one)?

- are they accessible to their grad students (how often do they meet? Are they often away?)?

- how much input do students have on their projects (eg. do they have input, or are they just given a project)?

It's also really good to get a feel for the attitudes in the lab. You can ask them about their research, and see - do they seem excited about what they're doing? It's so important that people are enthusiastic about their work....being in a lab where everyone is just going through the motions can be detrimental to your own motivation and happiness.

You can also ask them more practical questions about being in the program (courses, workload), as well as life in the surrounding area (is there lots to do? Is the stipend reasonable for the cost of living in the area?)

Good luck with the interview!

Edited March 16, 2011 by arkel

[UnlikelyGrad]

A few suggestions...

It's important to get a feel for what the supervisor is like from a student's perspective:

- are they hands-on or hands-off in their advising style?

- are they pleasant to work with (you might have to read between the lines for this one)?

- are they accessible to their grad students (how often do they meet? Are they often away?)?

- how much input do students have on their projects (eg. do they have input, or are they just given a project)?

It's also really good to get a feel for the attitudes in the lab. You can ask them about their research, and see - do they seem excited about what they're doing? It's so important that people are enthusiastic about their work....being in a lab where everyone is just going through the motions can be detrimental to your own motivation and happiness.

You can also ask them more practical questions about being in the program (courses, workload), as well as life in the surrounding area (is there lots to do? Is the stipend reasonable for the cost of living in the area?)

Good luck with the interview!

I like all of these, but want to add:

What does the advisor expect in terms of workload? In one lab I was basically told that my weekends would not be my own, ever...you'd better believe I didn't go to that school...whereas my current advisor has been known to tell people to take a day off because they've been working too hard.

[green8715]

Someone in another thread suggested asking them to name one thing the current students like about the program/lab and one thing they dont like as much. I asked that to a few current students.

Also, for one lab I was interviewing for I knew the POI was very busy and involved in other activities so I asked the current students if it was difficult to meet with the POI/if they were absent a lot