When picking a graduate program, there are quite a few things to keep in mind. While most folks like to shoot for the best of the best, sometimes a smaller, more personal program can be a better fit. The tabs below provide some questions to consider as you search for your dream program.
Location can make or break a graduate program. Here's some questions to ask yourself:
Do you want to stay close to family? Or move away?
Can you afford out of state tuition?
Can you afford rent in that town/state?
Are there job prospects there? Or will you have to move after finishing your degree?
What's the climate like there (both atmospheric and political)?
This website lets you search graduate programs by topic and location within the US.
Most folks who pursue a graduate degree do it for the long haul, but some programs have higher drop-out rates than others. This can be caused by many things, so it's important to look out for:
Length of program (How long do most students take?)
Graduation percentage of both undergrads and graduates
What are current graduates doing with their degree from this school?
Most of these statistics can be found on program homepages or FAQ sites.
Depending on the type of graduate degree you're pursuing, you may be in need of research funding or tuition wavers. Regardless of the field, graduate school is an expensive process, so you need to determine:
Is this program funded? If not, what costs will you have to cover each semester?
Are there teaching or research assistantships available to you? Or will you have to work outside of the university/your department?
How does the cost of living there compare to the money offered?
If you're doing research, are there grants in place already? Or will you have to find them yourself? Or will you have to pay some out of pocket expenses?
Are there any relocation funds?
Most of these questions can be answered by thoroughly looking through the department or program home page. If you can't find it, try emailing the head of the department. If you need to know about a specific lab/advisor, check the finding an advisor page.
Unless you're going to medical or law school, lots of schools are doing away with standardized tests. Some things to consider when looking at program testing requirements are:
What test(s) does this program require?
Can you afford the required test(s) or are fee waivers available?
Do you want to go to a school that bases admission on test scores?
Is there a minimum score for acceptance? Did you get that score/do you think you can?
Lots of college students use websites like RateMyProfessor to choose classes, so it makes sense to do the same when choosing a university or program. Reaching out to students that are currently enrolled in the program you are looking at is always a good idea. Some questions you might want to ask these students are:
What is the timeline of the program? Do you feel it is too fast or slow, or just right?
How does the program/professor support you?
Is this professor/program understanding of the issues that are important to me? (May be mental health, social justice, racial equality, etc.)
What has this professor/program done to help overcome systemic barriers?
Do you feel that the school is affordable? Do you have to work extra outside of school to survive?
What are the biggest drawbacks of this program/professor? What are the highlights?
Would you recommend this program/professor to other students?
Most department websites have their graduate students posted, along with their emails and the type of work they are doing. If you see a graduate student that does something that interests you, or they are in the same program you would like to join, shoot them an email and see if they would be willing to answer some questions you have as a prospective student.
The last thing to consider is the timeline you are on and how that works with the graduate program you are looking at. Most graduate schools have an early December application deadline. If the program has a Spring application, it is usually due in March. While this usually isn't a make or break factor, it is important to get a head start on looking at graduate programs because of these early deadlines.