Questions to ask when visiting?

[Guest myb]

Can anyone help me brainstorm what questions I should ask the professors/chairs/grad students? I'm visiting two schools this week and I know I will get nervous and clam up when faced with these professors I admire!

[History_Nerd]

If I were you, I would try to ask for as much inside information that isn't on the web site.

I would ask the students to be frank about how well they get along with the other students. Is it cut-throat? Make sure you know how long it REALLY takes for people to get through, how much students typically go in to debt in the program including ALL EXPENSES. What are the best/worst parts of the program? How many grads get jobs, and where do they get them?

Those are my ideas off the top of my head.

[Guest]

i agree with history nerd. some of the things i asked on a recent visit:

what are placements like? if you are interested in a tenure track career in academia - how many of them are tenure track placements? what kinds of schools did people end up at?

does the department encourage students to go to conferences? do they give out funding? if so, is it dependant on the student presenting at the conference? how much money do people usually get for conference registration/travel?

what is the faculty member's favorite thing about the department?

also - make sure you talk to some current students in the program.

[gradgirl]

Someone over on applyingtograd posted a list of questions here :

http://community.livejournal.com/applyi ... 58401.html

[History_Nerd]

Those are good things to add. I would include one last thought, if you ask someone a question about funding for academic conf. or placement records or something, make sure you get some sort of an answer. Don't press to the point of rudeness, but I've asked graduate programs about placement records and had people look at me like I'm from Mars. Maybe just casually ask another person to give you a ballpark range. I don't think it is that wild of a question . . "If I go to your school, will I get a job?" Undergrads ask the same question, so do law students, why shouldn't I? :?:

[pace327]

http://www.grad.washington.edu/envision ... tions.html

http://www.phd-survey.org/advice/Advice ... %20two.htm

I found these to be very helpful in preparing for my visits. Good luck!