Skype meeting on Thursday, deciding between two schools

[shockwave]

I am a Social Science PhD student and have been accepted to two schools and need to decide.  I have a Skype meeting with a professor of interest on Thursday and have visited the other school.  I am really unsure of which school would be a better fit as they are both better fits for different approaches to my project.  The funding situation is the same in both schools so that really isn't an issue at this point.  I am just really unsure of which would be better which is why I have set up a Skype meeting.

 

I have been looking at what past students have done, how long to completion, funding for fieldwork, etc.  What else should I be trying to focus on with this meeting that might help me get a better idea of this school and the program that may help me decide?

 

Thanks all!

[selecttext]

You should contact each professor's graduate students to learn of their experiences 

[pears]

if you're really neck-and-neck because things like funding and cost, course options, research opportunities, faculty fit, etc. are equal in your mind, you can move on to secondary considerations like location (this is a primary consideration for some, but, personally, i'm flexible, so it wasn't a huge factor until after i'd narrowed my choices down), housing options, cost of living (including gas prices and food prices), and so on. personally, talking to as many students as possible (read between the lines, too- enthusiasm across the board vs. a lot of cut-and-dry answers says a lot) and creating a dummy schedule for my course of study were really helpful and made my choice very clear.