Strongly Considering a Particular Graduate Program? Plan a Personal Visit

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Posted September 1st , 2009

The best way to get certain kinds of information about particular graduate programs is to visit the school. You should make every effort possible to pay a visit to at least those schools that interest you the most. Find out who the Graduate Program Director is and contact that person a couple of weeks in advance. Let them know who you are, what day you expect to be visiting the campus, and ask to make an appointment to find out more about the program. When you meet this person, also ask if he or she could put you in touch with one or two of the current graduate students.

Find out as much as you can about what it is like to be a graduate student there. The current graduate students will be the best source of information about what it is like to be in the program. You must be careful, however, not to put too much stock into the reports of only a single graduate student. Talk to several of them and look for points of general consensus and recurring themes. The danger in speaking with only one or two is that their attitudes and opinions may not be representative of the majority of students in that program.

You also want some idea of whether you are likely to enjoy working with your prospective graduate advisor. A single visit and a few emails might not be enough interaction for you to discover the more important aspects of someone’s personality, but there will be others who know this person better. Chances are, some of the graduate students will be frank in telling you about the faculty members, who is well-liked and respected, and who is not. Once you get to the website of a prospective graduate program, its not too hard to track down contact information for the graduate students associated with a particular faculty member.

Trust your instincts when deciding whether a particular program is right for you. If you do not like what you see or the people you meet, if you hear a little voice telling you to stay away, then you should.

It may not be practical or possible to make a personal visit to every graduate program on your list, but this should not stop you from contacting some of the graduate students who are currently in those programs. You could ask the Graduate Program Director to help get you in touch with a graduate student, preferably someone who has been around long enough and has the experience needed to provide well-informed answers to your questions. Use email to ask your graduate-student contacts a few questions, but if they seem receptive, you should try to arrange a time to phone when they would be willing to talk with you. Keep in mind that these graduate students may discuss your correspondence with their graduate advisors. More on choosing a graduate advisor

This article was provided by Dave G. Mumby, Ph.D. Author of the book:

Graduate School: Winning Strategies for Getting In With or Without Excellent Grades

Copyright ©1997-2004

For more information about applying to graduate or professional school, check out the eBook

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