As students enjoy the summer and begin planning for the coming semester, they’re likely just beginning to think about the grad school application process. They’ll spend the fall months preparing their applications and focusing on being accepted. Many of them will be lucky enough to get multiple offers of admission, and will need to make a tough decision. A recent article provided some tips to help students navigate this situation, and how to make a decision that maximizes both future career prospects and quality of life during school. Factors to consider include:
- Housing: How much does housing cost in the area? What on- and off-campus options are available, and is one preferable to the other? How far is potential housing from campus? A little research in this area will go a long way towards helping students envision their day-to-day living situation.
- Employment: Are students allowed to work off campus? If so, what off-campus employment is available? While spreading themselves too thin is never a good idea, knowing what options they have will allow students to plan for many contingencies.
- Curriculum: What percentage of a degree’s coursework is required? What percentage is optional? Are there majors? Different students want different things out of their graduate experience, and these are questions to which they should seek in-depth answers before deciding on a program.
- Advising: Are incoming students assigned an advisor? If not, what’s the process for getting one? Again, there isn’t a “right” answer to this question; it’s about choosing a school at which students will feel that they are supported.
States the author, students “may attend the most prestigious graduate program in the country, but it will be hard to succeed if [their] personal life is miserable”. If students take these quality-of-life factors into account, instead of just comparing schools’ rankings, then they’re much more likely to have a productive and enjoyable grad school experience.
