Top Things to Consider When Choosing a Grad School

Choosing a graduate school for a master’s or Ph.D. program is a massive decision. And it’s probably one of the biggest decisions you’ll make until you apply for jobs. There are many factors to consider when choosing a graduate school or program. Choosing the right graduate school for you will impact the experience you have over the next several years. Graduate programs vary greatly, so you’ll want to choose one that sets you up for success. In this post, we’re going to go over all of things you should consider why, and how to make this decision based on the experience you want to have.

How to Choose a Graduate School or Program

Don’t Consider University Ranking Rirst

You’ll hear a lot of academics talking about university ranking, like the rankings you see on US News. A lot of people emphasize ranking when selecting where to go to graduate school, but this isn’t something you should be focusing on. Just because a school is ranked doesn’t mean it will automatically be the best fit for you! Yes, ranking means you’ll have the “prestige” behind your degree and research funds, but it also means you could be entering a highly competitive environment or a very different university culture. If you want to consider ranking because it matters to you, please just don’t consider first. Consider other factors before making your decisions.

Location

Where do you want to spend the next several years of your life? A city? Rural? College town? North? South? Where you attend graduate school will become your home, so you want to enjoy where you live. You want there to be a community that you feel like you’re part of. Because of the sociopolitical climate in the US right now, we’re seeing a lot of immigrants, women, and LBGTQ+ people anxious about living in certain states. When selecting a graduate school, consider location and visit the community if possible. You don’t want to move somewhere and realize weeks later that you regret moving there.

Cost of Living

Considering the cost of living in this location goes hand in hand with the location element. Even people not attending graduate school are increasingly anxious and concerned about the cost of living when relocating. Since 2021, cost of living inflation is a major problem. Graduate students are not paid well, so you need to be able to pay your bills. The cost of living should be a factor when considering graduate schools.

Funding and Pay

When considering graduate school, you need to know your compensation and expenses. Does the program you’re looking at offer teaching or research assistantships so you can receive a stipend? Are tuition waivers offered? How much is tuition if you don’t have a tuition waiver? Are there any additional fees that aren’t covered by a tuition waiver? Where will funding be coming from? How many years will funding be available to you? Are there fellowship or scholarship opportunities? You need to ask all these questions when considering a graduate program because you don’t want to take out unexpected loans or debt. I’m a firm believer that graduate students should be offered fair funding and compensation regardless of program, but unfortunately, a lot of programs don’t have the money, which is a sad reality of academia.

Graduate Student Community

Since you’ll be spending several years at the university, it’s important for you to have access to a graduate student community. Many graduate schools have grad student associations, Unions, or on-campus organizations to get students connected. Graduate schools also have designated offices for graduate students and life. What resources do these offices offer?

Department Support

In addition to graduate student support, you want to make sure the department you’re joining is a supportive environment. Does the department offer teaching or research assistantships? Does the department offer funding for conference travel? Does the department host events for graduate students or seminars? What is the department’s culture like?

University Culture

Just like communities, universities have their own cultures. University culture is determined by its location and ranking, which determines the type of people who attend and work at the university. Higher-ranked universities tend to have more research funding, but because they get more funding, very often, these schools and professors have high expectations of their students because they expect a higher research output. I’m not saying that lower-ranked schools don’t have high expectations, but you might experience a more competitive culture in a higher-ranked school. In general, the best way to see what the university culture is like is by visiting and talking to students who already attend the school. They will be honest on the university culture and the program’s rigor. And university culture is often determined by its geographic location as well, a city university is going to have a different vibe than a rural university.

Academic Requirements

Each graduate program will have differing academic requirements, which can sometimes be a deciding factor in selecting a graduate school. Some schools have more course requirements than others, or schools will have a different structure for completing a program. Look into the details of each program and consider which will fit your learning goals. If you’re less interested in taking many classes, you might want to consider a less course-heavy program.

Research Interests

Do the universities you are considering offer research opportunities and resources that fit your interests? If you have a research area in mind already, it’s important to look at schools with professors and groups already working on that research. You want to attend a school that can support the research you want to do!

Clearly, there are a lot of factors that need to be considered when selecting a graduate school! When it comes down to it, you want to ensure you’re making the best decision for your research and career goals. You want to attend a university that will feel like home and set you up for success in the future. Even if you don’t know what you want to do as a career post-Ph.D., you want to attend a school that will help you reach your goals in a welcoming and nurturing space. When making this decision, I recommend that you rank the attributes of the school that matter most to you. Take this list, rank them, and use it as a guide when selecting a graduate school!