Visiting A Lab at Cornell

[dandelion0627]

Hi, I decided to pursue a PhD degree in biomedical engineering program at Cornell University.

 

I will visit one of the labs that I am interested in on Wednesday. The professor is not going to be there, but one of her students will show me around.

I am not sure how to get prepared for this visit, since it's not a formal interview.

I'm not trying to impress her graduate student, but I guess it may do help to my application if I can ask some sophisticated questions rather than the very fundamental ones.

 

Does anyone have any ideas about what kind of questions I should ask?

Thank you in advance.

[Dubblebubble898]

I had a phone conversation with a UCSD graduate student (also bioengineering prospective) and I mostly asked questions about the research and the PhD program for bioengineering.  But I don't think that call really had any say in decisions as I think UCSD's application review does not include professors directly.  I would ask questions about the research and the PhD program at Cornell.  I think in general that people like to answer questions specifically about their experiences, so maybe good questions to ask could be "what do you like about the program?" or "why did you pick Cornell".

 

Just some thoughts, but I still haven't even gotten accepted to any PhD programs so idk really.

[dandelion0627]

I had a phone conversation with a UCSD graduate student (also bioengineering prospective) and I mostly asked questions about the research and the PhD program for bioengineering.  But I don't think that call really had any say in decisions as I think UCSD's application review does not include professors directly.  I would ask questions about the research and the PhD program at Cornell.  I think in general that people like to answer questions specifically about their experiences, so maybe good questions to ask could be "what do you like about the program?" or "why did you pick Cornell".

 

Just some thoughts, but I still haven't even gotten accepted to any PhD programs so idk really.

Thank you for your suggestion. I was also considering asking about their personal experience with the professor and their opinions about the program.

 

Good luck with your application!

[TakeruK]

I would think of this experience as a way to learn more about the lab and the school rather than a way to get a boost in your applications. Graduate students don't generally have very much sway in admissions. After your visit, the professor might ask the graduate student how your visit went and what they thought of you as an applicant, but I don't really see it making a huge difference unless the student expressed major concerns about having you as a colleague (i.e. inappropriate behaviour). In addition, obvious attempts to impress graduate students with fancy questions will likely end up awkward! 

 

Instead, I agree with dubblebubble898 and really make the visit about finding out more information about the school instead of trying to give more information about yourself. Ask both basic and deep questions about the lab and research as they come up (but don't ask questions just for the sake of asking questions). And definitely ask for the graduate student's opinion on things--ask how they like their advisor, ask how they like the lab, ask what it's like to work for this advisor, ask what the classes are like, ask what it's like to live in Ithaca, ask if their stipend is enough to meet basic needs etc. etc. Although you do want to know about negative aspects too, always try to frame your question as a positive or neutral, especially since you are not yet admitted. For example, don't ask things like "What is the worst thing about classes here?" or "What do you hate about your program?" etc. These are some actual questions I got from prospective students and it makes things super awkward. If you ask about classes or the program in a neutral way, you'll get a balanced response with things that we like as well as dislike!

[dandelion0627]

I would think of this experience as a way to learn more about the lab and the school rather than a way to get a boost in your applications. Graduate students don't generally have very much sway in admissions. After your visit, the professor might ask the graduate student how your visit went and what they thought of you as an applicant, but I don't really see it making a huge difference unless the student expressed major concerns about having you as a colleague (i.e. inappropriate behaviour). In addition, obvious attempts to impress graduate students with fancy questions will likely end up awkward! 

 

Instead, I agree with dubblebubble898 and really make the visit about finding out more information about the school instead of trying to give more information about yourself. Ask both basic and deep questions about the lab and research as they come up (but don't ask questions just for the sake of asking questions). And definitely ask for the graduate student's opinion on things--ask how they like their advisor, ask how they like the lab, ask what it's like to work for this advisor, ask what the classes are like, ask what it's like to live in Ithaca, ask if their stipend is enough to meet basic needs etc. etc. Although you do want to know about negative aspects too, always try to frame your question as a positive or neutral, especially since you are not yet admitted. For example, don't ask things like "What is the worst thing about classes here?" or "What do you hate about your program?" etc. These are some actual questions I got from prospective students and it makes things super awkward. If you ask about classes or the program in a neutral way, you'll get a balanced response with things that we like as well as dislike!

Thank you so much for you response. My visit was nice and I really liked the labs there, especially the working environment.