"If you have any questions..."

[aulait]

There may be a thread about this somewhere else, but I wanted to get one going specifically for political science. Questions! They offer to answer them in the phone calls, in the emails, in the letters, but what kind of questions should we ask?

 

Seriously, this is becoming a personal problem for me. I don't want to look like I'm not interested in the offers I have or that I don't know the first thing about graduate studies (which I guess I don't), and I really do want to find out more about what my opportunities are here. So, any advice? What do you guys ask about?

[wankerlust]

I was just about to start a thread on the subject myself... Since receiving an acceptance to My Dream School (for political theory, if it's relevant), I've received very warm and personalized emails from four different faculty members I mentioned in my SOP. I was so overwhelmed and caught of guard by the first one that I (shamefully) spent an entire week trying to formulate an appropriate response. It seems well nigh impossible to avoid a number of pitfalls, including:

 

- reading like fanmail

- disclosing my total shock at having gotten in (and hence casting doubt on my readiness and/or worthiness)

- asking questions that would be readily obviated by reading the program brochure or a simple google search

- lending the impression that I assume I'll be working with them soon... or generally, that I'm naive/irresponsible enough to accept the offer immediately before having visited or weighed options

- (... or on the opposite end of the spectrum) lending the impression that I'm playing coy or hard-to-get

- launching into lengthy detail re: my experience, research interests, plans for future projects (none of which, I'm pretty sure, is of even remote interest to busy-- let alone legitimately published-- scholars)

- setting up a premature dead-end to our pre-matriculation correspondence

 

And the list goes on. So far, my general approach has been something to the effect of:

"Thank you! I'm thrilled about my acceptance... Been interested in Uof_____'s program for several years... Excited to visit in March... Looking forward to meeting you... Can we set up an appointment to meet while I'm there? .... Do you know yet what classes you'll be teaching next year?"

 

My hope is that mention of their classes will provide a reasonable enough segue into some (very brief) discussion of my interests/background and interest in working with them... Which brings me to another question-- how to vary my responses according to my level of interest in working with each of them (i.e., ideal advisor vs. someone I'd love to take lots of classes from)? I've also been debating whether or not to ask them to provide the names/emails of advisees in my area of interest who I might get in touch with.

 

Basically, I just want to respond graciously and adequately, but without going overboard. Honestly, the most helpful advice I've received thus far has been to chill out-- I'm not still vying for admission, after all, and I will be meeting all (or most) of them in a few short weeks. My understanding is that these emails are more or less standard procedure, plus varying degrees of individuation and maybe enthusiasm... Though I really don't know, as I've never been in a remotely similar position before. I'd greatly appreciate any and all suggestions/advice!

[PhDhopeful2013]

Great thread! I also would like some advice about what to ask, and what not to ask in case any certain questions would give a negative impression. I was so excited to get the acceptance phone call that all of my semi-planned questions were nowhere to be found. I'm hoping my excitement didn't make me sound foolish... But anyway, i'm also working on putting together a list of questions and info that I would need to make an informed decision. Any advice would be much appreciated... Especially from the current grad students on here maybe? Anything you wish you had asked during the decision process? Thanks, all!

[3221]

Most students at admit weekends feel exactly how you are all feeling now. Having gone through the process with no idea with what was going on, here is what I think would be useful to ask now that I am in a grad program:

 

1. What classes will be offered next year?

 

2. What classes will you be teaching next year?

 

3. How have students you advised faired on the job market in recent years (this is very important)?

 

4. What is your philosophy for the types of courses grad students should be taking in their first couple years (i.e. methods classes vs. seminars, etc.)? There is a surprisingly large amount of variation on this and it will be useful to know where your potential advisers stand.

 

5. What do you think I should know about your program? What are your strengths and weaknesses compared to other programs?

 

I would also recommend talking to grad students about all of these things. They will often provide a different picture of the department than profs will. I think the best information I received about programs was talking to current grad students.

Edited February 15, 2013 by 3221

[PhDhopeful2013]

thanks, 3221.  this is helpful.

[geitost]

The one thing I am unsure about is how familiar I need to be with the research of the professors I will be talking to. Do they expect me to have read their (most recent) publications or is it sufficient if I know the general direction of their research, have read the abstracts of their books and journal articles and am familiar with the methodologies they embrace? Also, if a department is heavy on one particular methodology/approach (say statistical methods), will it go over badly if I ask about opportunities to conduct qualitative research or use a mixed-methods approach? Would this seem like I didn't do my homework/ applied to the wrong program?

[scanthiliad]

is it normal to be emailed by a professor who was not a POI? i received an email from a prof in a research area that is, in fact, quite far from mine. a bit confused...

 

[mikexu]

thanks to 3221. very helpful advices.

 

i also got an email from a prof who was not a POI (the POI of the same school already contacted me). still wondering what to reply...

[ThisGuyRiteHere]

I asked what books or resources would you recommend that I review before showing up.

Shows that you are interested and the school and you are a dedicated scholar. lol

[browneyedgirl]

I agree with the questions suggested by 3221.  one big piece of advice, beyond that, is to try to spread out the question-asking as much as you can.  if you ask everything up front, or in the first two hours of your visit, you'll probably dread every subsequent interaction when someone from that program asks what questions you have.  I couldn't even count the number of times I've asked this of an admit, only to have them say something like, "well... I don't know... I think I asked all of them..."

 

also, try to ask questions of as many people as possible.  you might run into a grad student or professor who is well-meaning but out of the loop on a particular topic, but still offers an (incorrect) answer.

 

 

The one thing I am unsure about is how familiar I need to be with the research of the professors I will be talking to. Do they expect me to have read their (most recent) publications or is it sufficient if I know the general direction of their research, have read the abstracts of their books and journal articles and am familiar with the methodologies they embrace? Also, if a department is heavy on one particular methodology/approach (say statistical methods), will it go over badly if I ask about opportunities to conduct qualitative research or use a mixed-methods approach? Would this seem like I didn't do my homework/ applied to the wrong program?

 

on professors' research, no, definitely not - remember, this is their chance to sell their program.  you're already in! they're not expecting you to talk about their work.  obviously, if someone's work is pretty close to what you want to do, you could discuss it. I like to use the visit weekends to tell new admits about my program, and to get a feel for who they are, both academically and personally.  there are only so many times you can give the "I'm X, studying field Y, undergrad at school Z" talk.

 

on the methodology question, I would say that's a "must-ask" question - if you're at all concerned that the department does one thing and frowns upon people doing anything else, you shouldn't hesitate to ask.  even if they think it's a strange question (which most people at most schools will not think), it's so much better to know that now than when you've already started there.

 

is it normal to be emailed by a professor who was not a POI? i received an email from a prof in a research area that is, in fact, quite far from mine. a bit confused...

 

 

yes.  in my experience, odds are good that the person who e-mailed was on the admissions committee and may have been delegated to e-mail students.  it's also possible that the professor thought your work was interesting and wanted to contact you, even though you didn't list them in your application (though, in your case, perhaps this is less likely).

[geitost]

Thanks, browneyedgirl. that is very helpful!