What is it like to be the only student in one's class?

[cicada]

Hi there!

 

I may have a shot at one of my top choice programs as they are considering me along with 2 other candidates. The thing is that initially, they couldn't make any offers due to budget cuts, but they finally had an opening. They said the downside to this situation was that the applicant they'll accept will be the only one in their class. As it is a small department (12 grad students or so), I'm concerned that I would feel really lonely if I were to be this student.

I have also been accepted to my other top choice program, unexpectedly, and am still seriously leaning towards this school as I feel the department, faculty, financial package are wonderful. I know they accepted 3 students this year, so I wouldn't be alone there. Also, the department is a bit bigger, and they seem to be more into interdisciplinarity which, along with being important for my research, also helps you meet new people, I guess. My only hesitation was about the city, but it seems to be ok after all.

Considering that I will be moving from abroad, and that I need to be socially surrounded to feel good, I am afraid this situation as the only student in my class wouldn't be a good fit for me. But maybe you have already experienced such a thing, or know someone who has, or would just like to share your opinion on the matter, which would be highly appreciated!

 

Many thanks for your input

[emmm]

I am one of multiple students admitted my year (program ranges from 4-6 admits/year generally), and it's really not all that social. You just have too much else to worry about in grad school. Provided you have a good relationship with your advisor, I wouldn't worry about how social the program is, since size alone may not be a great gauge of that. Visiting both programs would give you a better sense of how social the program is, but you may need to find your social supports outside your program. If you can't visit, it is tough to know how comfortable you might be in a program -- bigger programs might offer more research opportunities, which is something you should consider, but I wouldn't necessarily count on the program for a social life.

[TakeruK]

In my MSc program, I was one of five students admitted and here in my PhD program, I was also one of five students that attended. For me, it was really important to not be in a class of just one student so when I visited last year, I kept in contact with the other admitted students and we let each other know where we ended up. There is a good theory that at least in my current program, people either accept in a large group or no one shows up at all. In the last 4-5 years, the class sizes has either been 5+ students or 0 to 1 students. 

 

It was important for me to be in an incoming cohort with people I liked and got along with because I really need to be in a work environment that is friendly. I need to be able to work together on problem sets and coursework with my classmates for hours and enjoy it as much as you can enjoy problem sets. I like to be "social" at work, having lunch together with my classmates, walking into their offices when I'm frustrated at my research and having a chat over a tea or coffee etc. That kind of environment was important to me since that was what I had in undergrad and my MSc. 

 

For social support outside of work, my wife and I have our friends over once in awhile for dinner, or we would go out to movies or restaurants together but I think each of us in our cohort has a mixture of own our social lives and social events we all do together. I think it's a good balance! 

 

So personally, I would not attend a program where I was the only incoming student. I would not be happy at all! However, it is important to note that you are not just limited to people in the same year/class as you. I have friends in different years of grad school in both my current and MSc programs. In Canada, you take a few classes each year instead of all at once so there was even less of a difference between a 1st year and a 3rd year grad student, for example. But even here in the US, although I mostly spend my time with my classmates since we have a lot of classes in common, I feel like the older students are my friends too. So, maybe you can still get the social support you want from the older students (or students arriving a year later) even if you're the only student coming next Fall.

[Kwest]

I thought it might also be worthy to note that even if a program accepts 3 students it doesn't mean that 3 will attending. Like TakeruK said, you may want to contact the other prospective students to see if they plan on accepting. If it turns out they're not, you have the same scenario at both schools of an incoming class of one.

[cicada]

Thank you very much for your input, guys. I don't know about the other students who were admitted - I got admitted from the waitlist so I don't have their email addresses... But I really doubt I will be the only student to accept an offer from them. Like TakeruK, I really like to be social at work, so the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that being the only student in my class is not for me. I wish I could have visited the two departments, but the university that already accepted me also offers more research opportunities and the program seems to be more interdisciplinary, so all in all, I think it really is a better fit in the end.