Tour Grad Schools: Tips for Making a Decision

[CaptainQuaser]

Hey all. I am going next week to tour all the grad schools that accepted me and to meet with prospective supervisors and research groups. Any hints on what to ask or what to look for when making a decision?

 

[vincebs]

It depends on your personal criteria. You should see if the professors you want to work with are nice and approachable, whether there is a good level of communication between professors and graduate students, whether the graduate students work well with each other, and whether they look like they're happy to be at that school.

 

[Cincinnatus]

Go with whichever one serves the best wine

 

[arunma]

Well, you might talk to the professors in whose reseach you're interested in, and ask if they have RA funding for your first summer. You don't want to go somewhere to study cosmology only to find out that the cosmologists can't fund you your first summer (well you can, you'll just have to be a summer TA). Also, see if you can get the preparation materials for each school's PhD qualifier. Most schools give you a "free shot" your first summer, in which you can take the qualifier without any penalty if you fail. If you study hard, getting this beast out of the way before you even start grad school will be a HUGE load off.