Are Yale Geoscience students unusually happy for a Geoscience department?

[InquilineKea]

So the open house is about to finish, and from talking to (a lot of) people there, I get the sense that EVERYONE is so happy and enthusiastic.

I'm just wondering if this is unusual (either for Yale or for Geosciences). The department does seem very close-knit. Maybe the open house has its effects. Or maybe it's because Yale has so much money that it guarantees full funding for ALL of their grad students for 5 years, and NONE of it is deducted from the adviser's grants at all? That probably prevents a lot of student-adviser conflicts from springing up, since professors won't feel like students are taking money out of their grants?

With that said though, Yale does seem to be an unusually happy campus.

Edited February 11, 2012 by InquilineKea

[waddle]

You're asking a question that (1) deals with a topic that has no straight answer and any answer given would be highly dependent on the personal experiences of the answerer, (2) can only be addressed properly by someone with firsthand experience with Yale's department as well as a range of other geoscience departments to compare to, and thus (3) you are unlikely to find an answer to here on the forums.

I know you're just curious, and don't blame you for asking these questions (the happiness of grad students is an important factor in deciding on a school--or least it certainly was for me) but maybe this isn't the best place to ask this question. Word-of-mouth and personal experiences go a lot further in academia than reading a post hacked out on a specialized forum that is read by a tiny subset of grad students by some anonymous dude who may or may not have an axe to grind.

Also, open house tends to be a time of high spirits--even for current students in the program, since they're probably getting fed too--so it's important to stand back and put emotions aside and consider the school's pros/cons rationally. Open house is certainly not representative of daily life in the program, so don't let a great recruitment experience sway your decision. They'll wine and dine you now, but don't make a decision based on how good the food was.

Yale has so much money that it guarantees full funding for ALL of their grad students for 5 years, and NONE of it is deducted from the adviser's grants at all

This seems like an extraordinary funding situation. Are you sure you're not misunderstanding their funding arrangements? Many schools guarantee ~5 years of funding, but I imagine that dipping into department funds (of which a huge chunk comes from overhead charged on grants and contracts anyways) would only be a last resort if both the advisor was unable to get enough grant money to support an RA, and the student has exhausted all other possible sources (TA, external fellowship, ...).

[InquilineKea]

Wow - these are all really good points. Wish I could comment more, but I'm tired (as visiting schools tends to do to people).

(and yes, the extraordinary funding situation really is true).

Edited February 14, 2012 by InquilineKea

[UnlikelyGrad]

We're guaranteed funding for 5 years here at MyU, but that usually means "TA if your advisor has no grants"...

[InquilineKea]

Hm - I've talked to a huge number of Brown PhD students today.

They almost universally agree that Geoscience students have it far better off than almost any other field - and they also agree that Brown students have it better off than students at almost every other university (though I couldn't find anyone who had both Brown and Yale to compare with). But student conflicts at Brown have happened (though they do get through it without resentment). The dept does guarantee funding for 5 years, but if the adviser has a grant, then yes, the funding will take a chunk out of the adviser's grant. So yes, this could possibly lead to conflict.

(the same is true for the Yale students too. In fact, some of the Yale students I talked to couldn't even relate to PhDComics since they simply didn't have those problems that so many other grad students have - though they still find it fun to read).

Edited February 15, 2012 by InquilineKea

[waddle]

It's the alcohol.

[LCBucky]

ahhh a little comical relief. much needed waddle, much needed.

[NoNO]

AGU is pretty much a contest of which Geologist has the highest tolerance.

[hope4fall2012]

AGU is pretty much a contest of which Geologist has the highest tolerance.

If grad school is like this, then its a lost battle already. I can barely go through 2.5 bottles (650 ml, thats what we get here in India) and not end up sloshed.. Im going end up being an outcast.. booohooo