Choosing a graduate school can be a stressful
and challenging experience. After all, the task
of deciding where to live and attend school for
the next four to seven years isn't one to take
lightly because this decision will also influence
your future career choices. However, knowing what
factors are most important can make the process
easier, and can ultimately help to make graduate
school a more enjoyable experience. Here's a look
at what is important to consider when choosing
a school, and additional resources for the prospective
graduate student.
The first step is deciding
which schools to apply to. The number of schools
depends ultimately on your own preference and
on the amount of time and money that you want
to devote to the applications. Between three and
six applications is probably a manageable number.
Most departments provide brochures about their
graduate programs and research to prospective
students, and also include this information on
their Web sites. Investigating the schools involves
a lot of reading, as well as thinking about the
types of research you may or may not want to do.
Your research interests are helpful guides in
the decision process, because some schools will
have stronger programs in certain areas than others.
In narrowing down the schools on which to focus,
it can be very helpful to talk with professors
at your undergraduate institution, as they often
know about programs at other universities. One
common mistake that potential graduate students
make is basing decisions solely on the US News
and World Report list of top graduate schools
and departments or divisions, warns Dr.
John Dorsey, the Katherine Blood Hoffman professor
of chemistry at Florida State University, and
editor of the Journal of Chromatography A, because
this list is often out of date. You are usually
better served by talking to faculty members or
consulting other sources to determine which schools
have strong reputations in a certain area.
When looking at graduate schools,
go where at least two faculty members do research
that you want to pursue. An interest in multiple
faculty members will allow you more choice and
flexibility upon arrival at graduate school. Having
the option of working for one of several professors
is extremely important, in case you change your
mind or there isn't a spot available in one of
the groups. Dr.
Jill Robinson, an academic professional lecturer
at the University of Wyoming, and a recent graduate
of the University of Colorado, thinks that it
is also important to know if the department conducts
interdisciplinary research, since this gives students
access to a larger range of experience and knowledge.
Additionally, if all other things are equal, Dr.
Dorsey advises choosing a graduate school with
a larger number of faculty members in your area
of interest because there will be a wider range
of research topics. In turn, this will allow students
to gain a broader education in general via seminars
and interaction with other research groups.
Perhaps the best way to decide which school to
attend is to visit the schools you're considering.
In fact, Dr. Dorsey states, "My number one
tip [to students] is that there is no substitute
for visiting." It can be difficult and expensive
to arrange visits to several schools, but it really
is essential. Visiting a school will give you
a better idea about the atmosphere of a department
than any brochure or Web site could ever do. It
enables you to meet with faculty members and current
graduate students to decide if you like the people
who are there. The other students will give you
the best idea of what life is really like at that
institution. If problems exist within a department,
the students will be the ones to tell the truth
about the situation. You will learn most of the
details and information from the graduate students
that are helpful to know when making a decision.
It is important to have a first-hand impression
of whether the students are happy, and also to
know what type of students seem to predominate
at a particular school. During the visit, you
may decide that the students and faculty are friendly,
motivated, intelligent people with whom you are
willing to spend the next four to seven years.
On the contrary, you may find the students seem
too competitive and intense (or too unmotivated)
or that the faculty members seem like they do
not care about their students. Only a visit will
allow you to evaluate the personalities of the
people at a school. In addition, the visit provides
insight into the type of lab work that occurs
in the research groups that interest you. For
example, you often will learn in touring each
lab if most of your time would be spent in the
lab (doing synthesis or laser work, for instance),
on a computer, or in the field collecting samples,
as well as whether the work would be repetitious
or varied. There may be professors whose research
sounds really exciting on paper, but would be
incredibly boring to you in real life.
The location and atmosphere of a graduate school
are two essential aspects to be considered when
choosing a school. The town and department where
you attend graduate school should a place where
you enjoy living, according to Dr. Dorsey. Graduate
school should be a fun time in a person's life.
This is important advice, because most students
will spend more than four years of their lives
in graduate school. To be somewhere where you
like to live can make the difference when there
are rough times in school, and to make the entire
graduate school experience more pleasant. Enjoyable
activities outside of graduate school will also
be easier to pursue if you like where you live.
Another factor to consider is the possibility
of remaining in that town after finishing graduate
school. I know several people who remained in
Boulder after they completed graduate school.
Some people stayed because a spouse or significant
other had a good job in the area, and others simply
liked the town enough to remain there permanently.
The town where the graduate school is situated
will have an impact on the environment of the
university and of the department, in addition
to the overall campus atmosphere having an effect
on the department. Dr. Robinson says that a student
"should be comfortable in the whole environment
of a school. [The other students] should be serious
and smart, but fun." The faculty and students
account for a large portion of the atmosphere
that exists in a department. They will be your
colleagues for several years. Especially for women,
it may be important to note the percentage of
women versus men in both the faculty and the student
populations. The size of research groups may also
contribute to the atmosphere that permeates a
department or a particular division. In addition,
the interaction that exists between students and
faculty is an important part of the environment
at a school. Does camaraderie or distrust exist
between the groups as a whole? In the research
groups of interest to you, consider the type and
frequency of interaction that occurs between the
advisor and the students.
One area that many prospective graduate students
consider to be extremely important, but both Dr.
Dorsey and Dr. Robinson advise should be the last
consideration in a decision, is the financial
offer. Both professors feel that the stipend should
not drive the decision to attend a particular
school, as it will not be the main factor in your
satisfaction with the graduate experience. While
some schools may offer a larger stipend than others,
the difference may not add up to very much. It
is wise to check with current graduate students
about the additional fees and the typical cost
of living. In addition, most schools will offer
first-year students the rate that teaching assistants
are paid, which may differ from the amount that
a student will receive as a research assistant.
Most schools also offer health insurance at reasonable
rates, and some departments pay all or part of
the premium cost. From my own experience, I chose
the school with the lowest stipend and the highest
cost of living, and still could pay my bills and
lead a comfortable (albeit low-budget) existence.
In general, it is far more important to attend
a school that will give you a good education and
where you will be happy than to be concerned about
a few thousand dollars a year.
In addition to the key considerations discussed
above, there may be other factors that hold more
significance for some individuals than others.
For example, what are the class requirements for
a particular program? It may also be important
to you to know the types of classes that will
be offered. Dr. Robinson noted that one of the
big surprises for her was that the style and level
of classes in graduate school were much harder
than she expected. She had to learn to do several
things well simultaneously: teaching, taking classes,
and giving seminars. In addition, you may be curious
about the typical length of the program in your
division. Furthermore, some students may have
personal reasons for wanting to be in a certain
region. Perhaps they feel more comfortable being
within a day's drive of relatives, or they are
trying to coordinate graduate school plans with
a significant other or a spouse. Finally, ask
whether the school has a practice of accepting
a lot of students (to use as teaching assistants)
and then weeding out a high percentage through
classes or qualifying examinations after one or
two years.
So what happens if you have considered all of
the options, but decides after a time that you
aren't happy with the graduate program? One possibility
for many students is to gut it out, get the degree,
and be somewhat unhappy in the process. Stopping
at a master's degree is the best option if you
want to continue your education by switching to
a different graduate school. Most graduate schools
look more favorably upon a student with a master's
degree than one who has only finished a year of
a program and then quit. On the other hand, some
people will get through part of their program
and decide that they don't really want to do chemistry.
It is not altogether unusual for a student to
complete a master's degree or even a Ph.D., and
then go to law school or medical school.
In summary, there are numerous factors to consider
when choosing a graduate school. Some of the key
elements are the impression you receive from your
visit to the school, an interest in several professors
in the department, and an overall environment
of the school that suits you. It is worth noting
that the quality of a graduate program is much
more important than the overall reputation of
a university. Your work in graduate school plus
good recommendations are often more important
than the name of the institution when you begin
job hunting. You should attend the school where
you feel you will receive the best education and
where you think you will be happy.
Sarah L. Roberts received a B.S. from the University
of Notre Dame in 1994, and a Ph.D. in analytical
chemistry from the University of Colorado at Boulder
in 2000. She now lives in the Washington, D.C.
area.
Related Resources
The Directory
of Graduate Research, published by the American
Chemical Society, lists information about faculty
and graduate research programs at universities
across the country.
The ACS Office
of Graduate Education was recently organized
to promote graduate education and assist graduate
students. The Office assists prospective and current
students, educators, professionals, and employers
with information related to Masters (MA, MS),
doctoral (PhD), and postdoctoral issues and activities.
|