Community

Q: Is the community of grad students cohesive?

• • Physics: First year grad students have a tight-knit community that works and studies together in the first year office. Everyone in the cohort gets their own desk and works together on homeworks, studies together for exams, and navigates first-year together in that space. First years get student mentors that are farther along in the program and the department hosts small weekly social events, as well as large socials (for grads, post-docs, and faculty) once a quarter. The first years spend a lot of time together and are strongly encouraged to work together. With the new revision to the end-of-first-year comprehensive exam, first-years are encouraged to work together on any revisions they need to submit after the initial exam. Beyond first year students continue to come together for socials and get together frequently outside of work.

  • Astro: Most grad students in astro tend to become pretty good friends with others in their year and, because the class sizes are smaller, will get to know students in the years above and below theirs fairly well. With the weekly coffee and social hours, group offices for the first two years, annual camping trip, and other similar events, you’ll end up spending a lot of time with your peers in the astro program, so the community gets to be pretty tightly-knit.

Q: Are the relationships between graduate students more competitive or collaborative? 

• • Physics: In our department, grad students have a collaborative relationship. First year grad students are encouraged to work together on homework and studying for exams, as well as comprehensive exam revisions. To facilitate this crucial collaboration, all first years are given a desk in the first year office. The office has white boards so students can work together easily.

  • Astro: The community is very collaborative! Students tend to get together and collaboratively work to navigate the courses they’re taking and support each other throughout the program. Students aren’t really ever measured against each other at any stage of the program, so it’s in everyone’s interests to support each other and foster a collaborative, welcoming environment for all!

Q: How involved are grad students in the department? 

• • Physics: Grad students can be as involved or uninvolved as they want. There are opportunities to serve on the graduate council in several different capacities in order to effect change in the department. Students in those positions have the opportunity to be on faculty committees such as Academic Affairs (where core course and comprehensive exam decisions are made) and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee. When the comprehensive exam was reformed recently, 2 grad students served on the committee and were tasked with highlighting grad student perspectives and experiences. Their feedback was instrumental in designing the new comprehensive exam format. If students are interested in being involved, they are welcome and encouraged to do so!

  • Astro: Astro grads tend to be fairly involved in the department during their second through fourth years and lead a lot of the service activities that the department hosts. This is facilitated through a grad “job” system, wherein every student is expected to volunteer for a role during these years (2-4). These jobs range from coordinating the weekly coffee and social hours, to managing the planetarium, to interfacing with other departments as part of the math and physical sciences GSA council. Everyone’s participation in these roles are crucial for creating a cohesive community and supporting the initiatives that are important to us!

Q: Where do you find your support community? 

• • In first year, other first years are a big part of your support system as they are navigating the same challenges as you. You will be given a peer mentor that you should try to establish a relationship with, as that relationship can continue into future years. Brenda and Helen are very supportive and helpful as well. In addition, there are UCLA-wide groups in which students of all backgrounds can find support.

  • It is very important to participate in department-wide socials (both big and small) and show up to events with other members of the department. Having older students you feel comfortable talking to, or go-to faculty members, can be very helpful when you run into difficulty.

  • Older grad students can be some of the best resources you have. They have been through what you’re going through and can help you navigate it. Try to make connections with your peer mentor, other students in the department, the Grad Council representatives, etc. 

  • MIPA (Marginalized Identities in Physics and Astronomy), a grad student run group in our department, also coordinates a number of affinity groups and leads efforts to make sure that all students have access to a network of peers with shared identities to help them navigate any challenges they might be facing.

Q: What kinds of opportunities are there to meet other grad students/interact with the rest of the UCLA community?

• • The Graduate Division at UCLA hosts events for grad students in all departments. They often involve free food so there is good attendance!

  • There are a couple STEM-specific events that our department participates in that bring several departments together

Q: How integrated are the undergrads with the graduate students?

• • For the most part they are separate but if you want to get more involved in the undergrad community you can become a MIPA mentor and provide guidance to undergrads navigating their degree. Besides that, you will see them around the department and likely work with them as a TA. 

Work/Life Balance:

Q: How many hours a week is a typical TA position?

• • A 50% TA appointment is a 20 hour commitment. A 25% TA employment is a 10 hour commitment. These are hard, contract-enforced maximums. Because our university’s grad students are unionized, students cannot be asked to do more than that. In reality, most TA positions do not come close to requiring those maximum time commitments. 

  • As a first year, you are only allowed to take on a 25% TA appointment your first quarter. You will be assigned a lower-level physics course to TA and those courses have well-developed materials, established homework and exam solutions, and a good division of labor. Most weeks you will come well under the 10 hour commitment. Professors understand that you are taking grad classes during this time and are willing to work with you.

  • After your first year, you may TA higher level classes. These might require more of your time and effort, but those maximum time commitments are still not allowed to be exceeded.

Q: How do you balance courses, TA responsibilities, and finding a research group your first year?

• • Your main priority in your first year is your courses. It is important to put your time and effort into learning the material well. You need to maintain a certain GPA and pass your comprehensive exam at the end of your first year (at the end of the summer).

  • Once you get used to your TA obligations, you’ll be able to establish a flow that works well for you to follow each week.

  • Research-related tasks should be minimal in your first year. As a part of your required courses you’ll take a seminar class where research groups looking for students come and present their research, essentially bringing opportunities to you. In first year, students might talk to a couple advisors, read some papers, or even attend group meetings. However, their contributions to the research should not be their main focus. Most advisors support focusing on classes until you pass the comprehensive exam. Talk to current grad students in the groups you’re interested in to get an idea of what the advisor is like with first year students, and have an open conversation with the advisor to hear their expectations.

TAing

Q: Is being a TA a requirement if we have external funding (first year included)?

• • Physics: Being a TA is not required by our degree. However, most grad students will TA at some point. If you have the funding from other sources (external, GSR, etc.), then you are not required to TA to get your degree.

  • Astro: Students must have at least 3 quarters of TA experience.

Q: What types of classes do you TA? 

• • First year: You will TA a lower-level physics course. This will typically be a 1-series (foundational physics for physics or engineering majors) or 5-series (foundational physics for life science majors) class. You will either TA a discussion course or a lab course.

  • Beyond first year: You might TA higher-level (“upper division”) courses. You can see which classes the physics department offers by looking at the course catalog on MyUCLA.com. 

  • When you ask for a TA position, you will fill out a form and select your top 5 course preferences. Often you will get one of the ones you indicated you would prefer.

Finding an advisor:

Q: When should you find a research advisor?

• • Unlike core classes and the comprehensive exam, everyone’s “finding an advisor” timeline looks different. Some people come in already knowing who they will work with. Other people finish up their first year without a group and they are not “behind”. 

  • You should keep your search for an advisor in the back of your mind throughout your first year, attend your seminar class where you hear about research in potential groups, and do some of your own research into opportunities in the department.

  • If you find a group that you’re interested in, you should reach out! Some groups will only have space for one or two students in a given year, so reaching out promptly is a good idea. Most advisors respect the need to focus on first year courses, so even if you establish a connection and have an understanding that you want to join the group, they shouldn’t overload you with work/responsibilities. Remember to focus on and prioritize classes throughout your first year.

Q: How should I reach out to a potential advisor?

• • Send an email! Introduce yourself as a first year graduate student in the department, express interest in their work, and ask to have a meeting where you learn more about their current projects and find out about opportunities to join their group.

  • Before you meet, read (aka skim) some of their recent papers to have some background in their areas of interest.

Q: What questions should I ask a potential advisor?

• • Are your students funded through GSR (to do research) or through TA (to teach) appointments?

    • Note: it is common for theory groups to require more TA appointments throughout their graduate careers  

  • What is the typical time to degree in your group?

  • What are your expectations for graduation?

  • There are many things you will want to find out before committing to join a group. Most of the questions can be better asked of a grad student currently working in the group.

    • See the list of “questions to ask current grad students” for a list of questions you should consider asking

Q: Are there any advisors you've heard bad things about, or advisors to avoid?

• • Everyone has different work styles and preferences when it comes to finding an advisor. It is important to remember that your time with your advisor will be long, so you should think about what matters to you as a student/researcher and prioritize finding an advisor that will be a good match.

  • You should ALWAYS talk to current grad students about what it's like to be in the group before committing to join one. See the list of questions to ask potential advisors for some ideas. 

  • If you try a group and feel it isn’t a great fit, it's better to find a new group than to stay. Finding a group you’re comfortable in should be a top priority. 

Other

Q: Are students allowed and encouraged to take interdisciplinary courses outside Physics? 

• • As a fully enrolled student you are allowed to take any class at UCLA (except ones that are limited to certain majors). It is not recommended to add additional classes in your first year, but after that, if you have time, you certainly can! Students have taken classes that will aid them in their research (in chemistry, biology, materials science), classes that will help them in their career (public policy, second language), fitness classes (tennis, gymnastics, olympic weight-lifting), and even classes just for fun (art, music).

  • Courses and their times will vary quarter by quarter so check the course catalog when you register for classes to find out what is available

  • NOTE: fitness classes and other “fun” classes fill up quickly so you have to be on top of registration