Learning about the undergraduate culture of the university?

[InquilineKea]

Would you consider it useful to do so? After getting an offer, I decided to pick up all the old college guides (like the Fiske Guide to Colleges and the Insiders Guide) just to learn more about the undergrads in the schools I'm interested in.

I like to know where the undergrads come from - which is going to be really important when I finally TA.

Does anyone else do this? If so, what are your experiences?

[socihealth]

I have not done this, but I think finding out as much information as you can about a school (grad or undergrad life included) is great. Like you said, you will certainly encounter undergrads.

[thestage]

I'm fairly certain undergrads are more or less the same everywhere, outside of circumstances in which socioeconomic differences might rear their heads.

[fuzzylogician]

Would you consider it useful to do so?

No.

Advisor(s), funding (amount, for how many years; travel funding, possibilities for summer funding, funding for field work), availability of labs and relevant equipment, possibilities for collaborations with other departments/universities, location (weather, proximity to international airport, living costs, public transportation/car options), teaching load, other resources (other universities nearby, libraries, special programs), connection with students and professors during visit, connection with (potential) future cohort - all those matter more than the undergrad culture.

If you magically found two places that matched on all the important stuff - then maybe undergrad culture would be next. But what really matters is the quality of the grad program. Some very good programs are in quite mediocre universities, and vice versa. In all likelihood you will teach mediocre and uninterested students who are forced to take your class whereever you go. By and large the quality of the undergrads is a much less important consideration than the others I listed above.

Edited January 31, 2012 by fuzzylogician

[rising_star]

Honestly, I doubt it matters. My PhD university is known for being a party school. BUT, our department's majors tend to be focused, serious students. So the overall undergraduate culture mostly matters when I'm teaching/TAing large courses. That said, I wouldn't go with a university that wasn't as great of a fit on the off chance that I'll get to work closely with serious, passionate undergraduates.

[long_time_lurker]

Ditto the last two responses. It comes in handy once you're in the program and you're TA'ing or teaching courses. Really more important is knowing what the prereq's are (if any) for your students' courses, how they go about switching sections of classes, what the course sequence is for the major of your department. These are the things that will come up in class. However, none of these factors led me to choose the program I chose. I ended up choosing a private university over a public one, so I suppose my students are easier to work with, but that would be well down the list of reasons I would make my decision again.

[mandarin.orange]

Would you consider it useful to do so? After getting an offer, I decided to pick up all the old college guides (like the Fiske Guide to Colleges and the Insiders Guide) just to learn more about the undergrads in the schools I'm interested in.

I like to know where the undergrads come from - which is going to be really important when I finally TA.

I think a better sense of this will come from visiting the campus, and asking current grads about the courses they TA. Much more time-efficient, and a better reflection of reality, than old college guides.

I echo more recent posts. Perhaps your questions are worthwhile just for curiosity's sake, but hopefully many, many other more significant factors will play into your decision than undergrad population.

Edited January 31, 2012 by mandarin.orange

[InquilineKea]

Undergraduate population isn't going to play a role in my decision - no - all the schools I'm choosing between have similar undergrad populations anyways. I didn't say that it'll play a role in my decision, but it's understandable why someone might think that the title implied that.

I actually appreciate all the replies here - this is actually all good advice that redirected me to what I really should do - namely, ask the current grad students about the courses they TA.

Ditto the last two responses. It comes in handy once you're in the program and you're TA'ing or teaching courses. Really more important is knowing what the prereq's are (if any) for your students' courses, how they go about switching sections of classes, what the course sequence is for the major of your department

Honestly, I doubt it matters. My PhD university is known for being a party school. BUT, our department's majors tend to be focused, serious students. So the overall undergraduate culture mostly matters when I'm teaching/TAing large courses. That said, I wouldn't go with a university that wasn't as great of a fit on the off chance that I'll get to work closely with serious, passionate undergraduates.

Yes - these two quotes were very helpful for me. Thanks.

Edited January 31, 2012 by InquilineKea

[rising_star]

Actually, the undergraduate student bodies at Yale, Brown, MIT, and UCSC *aren't* that similar...

[InquilineKea]

I was really meaning schools that I expected to choose between. I don't expect an acceptance from UCSC or MIT, though I do expect getting accepted by Columbia and Brown - so I basically expect to be choosing between Chicago, Columbia, Yale, and Brown (although I suppose that Brown is a bit different).

Edited February 1, 2012 by InquilineKea

[rising_star]

All of the Ivies are different from one another in terms of their undergraduate culture. You seem to not be getting my point about this.

[starmaker]

Ditto rising_star. All of those places that you named have different undergrad cultures.

I think it's a good thing to learn about, by the way. Not as a decision-maker, but just to know what you're getting into. You're going to be surrounded by undergraduates, and student life resources (which you may also care about) are going to be tailored to the undergraduates at most places. You might be in clubs and such with undergraduates. You might as well know something about them.

[PrescribedBurn]

As someone who attended one of those schools and has visited the other three and had friends attend the others, I really don't think the undergrad culture is that different at those schools. Maybe if Dartmouth or Princeton were included, but Chicago, Yale, Columbia, and even Brown are really pretty similar. They all attract smart, intellectual, somewhat quirky liberal arts types interested in a more diverse social life than just frat parties. They do have their own personalities, but not to the extent that I think it would matter for a graduate student.

[far_to_go]

Undergrad demographics/experience/culture wasn't a factor in my decision-making.

However, once I'd made my decision on the basis of all the factors more directly pertinent to me, I did make an effort to learn about the undergrads here (talking to other grad students about their TA experiences, talking with undergrads, reading up on institutional history/culture/traditions, etc). If for no other reason, TAing puts me in regular direct contact with undergrads, both in and out of my discipline, and knowledge is power.

[Bobbi]

You really should visit the schools that you are interested in, and if you aren't comfortable there, don't go!