Residency Requirement – Ph.D Students

[SportPsych30]

Going through some of the Student Portals and Grad Student Handbooks of schools that I've applied to, I'm surprised to see that some require a first year Ph.D student to live on campus in the student housing. Does anyone have experience with this? Surely it can't be freshman year all over again. I barely fit into a twin-XL back then, and I sure haven't gotten any shorter since.

Also, for me personally I loved the social atmosphere of living on campus, so this is certainly not a deal breaker. I just find it kind of odd, and was wondering what your thoughts and experiences are.

[TakeruK]

I didn't see this in any of the places I applied to, but I did see that in some places, first year PhD students are guaranteed on-campus housing if they desired but they are not required to. Usually on-campus grad housing is separate from undergrad housing though, so it's a bit better.

[SportPsych30]

Thanks Takeruk, I was hoping the grad dorms might be step up. If you are interested, here is what the Student Portal said for this particularly awesome school:
 

Residency Requirements

The residency requirement in graduate programs is intended to ensure that students become integrally involved in the academic life of their program and of the university. By being in residence, students are more likely to become fully immersed in graduate study for a substantial period of time and to develop a relationship of scholarly and professional collegiality with faculty and fellow students.

To this end, it is desirable for students in graduate programs, especially those in doctoral programs, to be full-time residential students for a significant period. During their residency period, students are expected not only to take courses, but also to participate in other aspects of the intellectual life of their discipline and of the university community.

Many doctoral students have research assistantships in which they work closely with faculty members and peers on research and development projects. Some have teaching assistantships. There are also many other opportunities to attend presentations, colloquia, conferences, and brown bag lunches where participants discuss theoretical and practical issues in their discipline.

Participation in national and regional professional meetings, including the presentation of scholarly papers, is encouraged during this time.

 

Residency Requirement for Ph.D. and Ed.D. Students

For Ph.D. and Ed.D. students, two consecutive semesters in a single academic year (exclusive of summer session) must be spent in residence on the campus. This residency period must be subsequent to admission to the program. Nine (9) credit hours of program course work must be completed in each of these semesters.



Maybe I saved some of my dorm stuff from Freshmen and Sophomore year!

Edited December 16, 2013 by SportPsych30

[BeingThere]

^ I think by "residency" they mean something other than living in a dorm on campus or even in on-campus housing.  "Residence" can also mean attending the campus in person and showing up, having an office with office hours, etc.  Not necessarily sleeping on campus.  As a grad student it is possible to work on your thesis or dissertation while even living in another city (or state).   

 

I would get clarity from the graduate school.  A simple phone call could clear this up.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Bren2014

[SportPsych30]

Thanks Bren. That actually makes sense, I think I misconstrued the word..

[TakeruK]

In most graduate program, "residency" is equivalent to "full time graduate student on campus", so like Bren2014 said, it means attending seminars and otherwise participating in department academic activities. In some schools, they formally record this by having students formally "enroll" in these seminar classes. Also, at many places, this residency requirement is basically a "minimum time to graduate" policy. At most schools I've been to, the minimum residence time is usually 2 or 3 years. 

[lewin]

The MUST mean be physically on campus or something other than actually living there. Telling PhD students they have to live on campus would be a capital S Stupid thing to do.

 

 

....I also wonder whether it's telling that they spell this out. In my program, the expectations that they list would be required of every student regardless of year.

[PsychGirl1]

Yeah... only one PhD program I looked at even had housing that was available to get on-campus if we wanted it. Most don't have that, let alone mandatory housing :-D. You never know though- maybe there are a few schools out there that I don't know about!

Edited December 16, 2013 by PsychGirl1

[psychdork]

Like others have mentioned residency in this case most likely refers to full-time on-campus work.  For my university, we need to complete a certain amount of coursework (measured in credit hours) during 3 consecutive semesters in order to meet the doctoral residency requirement.  However, the way my specific program is structured I'll be a full-time on-campus graduate student every semester until I graduate.

Edited December 18, 2013 by psychdork