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of chemistry at Florida State University, and editor of the Journal of Chromatography A, because this list is often out of date.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.