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So, you want to go to graduate school?
Maybe you are thinking about going to graduate school, maybe you've already decided that you are going, or maybe you've already decided that grad school is a waste of time or effort. Regardless of your current thoughts on graduate school, I ask you to finish reading this page so as to better understand why other people would choose to go to graduate school, and perhaps what the experience is like from application to degree conferral, at least from my perspective. The general organization is "why go", "what is it like/advice", and "how to get there".
I apologize if this isn't terribly organized, it was originally meant to be a relatively short talk, with questions asked for clarifications by students. Being that it is not interactive, I have had to attempt to write down everything I could expect students to ask about.
Before I get started, my name is Josiah Carlson, and I'm (as of March 2006) a 4th year graduate student in Computer Science Theory at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine. I received my MS in Computer Science Theory December 11, 2004, via qualifying exam from May 2004 (I had one more required course that I took in the fall). I have been doing research towards my PhD since Fall of 2003. Enough about me.
Before I get ahead of myself, I want to point out that I am not an expert. I have some experience, which may be helpful, but asking someone in your particular field at the schools you would like to attend would likely be at least as helpful as this page.
Why graduate school?
The short answer is that graduate school is quite enjoyable. The people, the academic environment, the feeling that you are advancing not only yourself but your field; all of these things can help to make graduate school worthwhile. But what else? Career prospects, respect from others in the field, money, etc.
Now, depending on your field, sometimes a Master's degree earned over the course of 2-3 years, or PhD earned over the course of 5-7 years (in total, including the 2-3 year masters portion), even if you have to pay the full ticket for graduate school, can be sufficient on average to earn you significantly more money over your lifetime. This is generally the case in Computer Science. In other fields, like Biology and Chemistry, a Master's degree is about as good as equivalent lab time, sometimes with a PhD opening up other post-degree options. From what I hear, with a PhD in English, your options are generally limited to becoming an English professor, but with a Master's, you have more options than either the Bachelor's or PhD. As I said at the beginning of this paragraph, it all depends on your field. Sometimes these degrees can help when you are looking at a promotion at work, sometimes they can get you into positions that a Bachelor's degree couldn't (in the CS area, places like Xerox PARC, Bell Labs, etc., are really only possible for those with PhDs).
What is graduate school like?
Of course the experience differs from person to person, but here are my experiences and a bit of advice.
Living off-campus is all right. I found it generally inconvenient due to parking expenses, bus lateness, incompatible bus scheduling, and irrational drivers in the bike lanes. On the upside, no cop ever stopped me for riding my bicycle on the sidewalk (technically illegal where I live). I was lucky with my roommates, but be careful. Rent is sometimes better (if you are willing to share a bedroom), sometimes worse (depending on the neighborhood, closeness to campus, etc.). It tends to be difficult to be social around people that you aren't living near (think dorms vs. off-campus in undergrad). In terms of internet access, basically everyone can get DSL or cablemodem nowadays, and if you plan on doing any P2P stuff, off-campus is the only way it is going to be possible (nearly every school has a packet shaper, which will effectively kill all of them). Year+ leases can restrict you, but can be less expensive than month-to-month. Your school will probably have resources for finding off-campus housing, and Roommates.com can help if you are moving cross-country.
Living on-campus is generally the way to go. Now, when I say "on-campus", I don't mean undergraduate-style dorm rooms. At many schools with on-campus housing for graduate students, the housing is university-run apartment complexes, with varying degrees of quality, amenities, etc. They usually include living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and individual bedrooms (no more sharing bedrooms!). Washers, dryers, and/or dishwashers are very uncommon, so get used to doing your own dishes and going to a shared laundry facility. Rent is usually a bit better than off-campus housing, and it is far more convenient (in terms of location). The residential and academic networks are usually connected well, so if you need to transfer data to or from your office and home, it will be fast. Depending on where you go to school, there may be limited-term guaranteed housing, or maybe even unlimited-term waitlisted housing. It all depends. Remember: there are always methods to subvert the system and get in quicker or stay longer (ask the older students). It is not uncommon for university-run housing to pay close attention to your GPA and/or credits, so do the work.
In the first few years of your program you'll be taking classes in the field of your interest, and probably a few courses that you may not be initially interested in. This course load may vary from non-existent homework to 6+ hours a day every day. If you are willing to do the work, you'll probably do reasonably well. If your courses seem too easy, then either you aren't really getting it, or you went to a school that was too easy. Be careful to watch for burnout, as graduate school is not an extension of your undergraduate career, and despite what you experienced in undergrad, there may not be a summer for you to take a 2-3 month break from studies. You will be focusing intensely on one subject full-time, unless you are in a dual-degree program or have cross-discipline options. Remember that those 'boring' classes may become more useful or interesting than you expect - give them a chance!
Your adviser is the most important part of your program. If you choose a poor advisor, your experience will most likely be proportionally as poor. Consider not just academic reputation, but whether your interests match. It wouldn't hurt to ask the adviser's current students what they like, so that you know what you're getting into personality-wise.
Money. If you've managed to get funding from your school, you probably won't be worrying about money until the funding runs out, which can be after the first, second, or perhaps even the third year. After that, sometimes research opportunities, teaching assistantships, grading, etc., can pay the bills. Sometimes you may have to get a job off-campus. If such is the case, sometimes internships, contract work, etc., can be sufficient. Who knows, maybe an administrative position at your school is workable. I wish I could honestly say that you will always have enough money, but that is not the case. My advice is to try to always have a fall-back job, to save as much as you can, and to defer loans from undergrad as long as possible. If you have a credit card, don't carry a balance, because the interest will kill you. Note that federally subsidized loans (as well as unsubsidized) are still available, and may help you out (it helped us out the first couple years). Also remember to do your taxes early: to be eligible for grants, you must finish your taxes and FAFSA prior to March 1.
Depending on your workload, you may not have time for a "rocking" social life. Regardless, get out there, make friends, and have a social life. Even if it's catching coffee Sunday afternoons with a group of people to study. Even if it's watching the latest indie flick at the local theatre. Don't spend all of your time in your lab...unless your thesis or dissertation is due in 3 months, then you better get to it.
The vast majority of extra-curricular activities offered via clubs and such will probably be heavy with undergrads. This isn't a bad thing, but don't be surprised. Be nice, be friendly, make friends, but remember that you may have to grade them in the future. Be wary of dating an undergrad that is in your field; you really don't want to have to grade them. Generally you will find that most of the people you associate with will be graduate students, and usually in your program. This is just fine, but don't be afraid to branch out and talk with other graduate students in other programs.
I have little information about what it is like as a graduate student 'looking for love' (I married my girlfriend from undergrad). I do have a friend who met a girl at an environmental protest, another who met a girl through his church, and others who met at inter-departmental mixers. I have the feeling that it is a bit more difficult than undergrad, but there is still hope if you are searching for someone. Of course in this day and age, sites like match.com, eharmony.com, or even interest/politics/religion-specific singles/matching/dating sites can be very helpful.
Those in fast-paced fields need to consider if and when they are going to have kids. Being out of the loop for too long makes you less attractive to employers, but it looks to be difficult to do a PhD program and take care of a newborn. It's a tough choice and it needs to be made sooner rather than later or by letting fate take its course. I do have friends whose wives have had children, and even a friend who had a child herself while in graduate school. They seem to be doing a good job of balancing finances, school, and family life, but I expect it is difficult. If you have a child while in school; congratulations, and good luck to you.
Getting your degree(s)
Most schools offer two methods by which to gain a Master's degree after completing the necessary coursework. One option is the Master's Thesis; a paper of "publishable quality" in which you do nontrivial research on a subject. The other option is to take the PhD Qualifying exam and pass it at the "master's level". For those who want to go on to a PhD, generally one must take the PhD qualifying exam and pass it at the "PhD level", the Master's Thesis not being necessary, though some schools have opted for advised research and a talk for the PhD qualifier instead of an exam. Know your options.
The qualifying exam (aka "quals", "phase 2", etc.) is usually a two strikes you are out deal, and is generally taken the spring of your 2nd year. Depending on your subject, it may be common for those who are serious to pass the first time. In other fields, it may be common to be underprepared for the first time, then be properly prepared for the second. In some schools, if one is going for a PhD, and is only able to pass at the master's level at the highest, they get a Master's degree and are sent on their way.
If one is going for the PhD and paying out-of-state tuition/fees (where this is applicable), one will likely notice a significant reduction in their tuition/fee costs after getting a master's degree, advancing to PhD candidacy, or after becoming a resident of the state. International students will want to get their master's degree and/or advance as quickly as possible (some states do not allow international students to become residents for the sake of tuition), and domestic students will want to gain state residency as quickly as possible. Read the rules for reducing tuition/fees for your school, and make it happen as quickly as you can.
Getting a PhD is a long task spread over the course of 2-5 years after coursework is done. You will be reading many papers. You will be doing research. You will be writing papers. If all goes well, you will even be published, give a few talks, and manage to combine the results of several papers into your dissertation (which I hear is easier than writing the whole thing by hand). Good advisors will poke you in the ribs when you need it, and good students will actually work when they are poked. You may have desires to put off work until the day of your meetings with your advisor, resist those temptations!
Applying to graduate schools
Preparing to apply
Take the GREs, both the general and the subject test for your field. The general test usually has openings everywhere (if you are willing to go to a standardized testing center), and should be taken late your Junior year, summer between Junior and Senior years, or fall of your Senior year of undergrad. Study for this one, and understand how the test flows. There are free downloads, and reasonably priced very thick books with CDs that can help you.
While not all programs will require results of the subject test, some will. If you know none of the schools you are applying to need it, take it anyways. Subject tests fill up early, so you need to register for them early. Register the spring of your Junior year, to be taken during the summer or spring. I know, taking tests during the summer isn't fun, but if you are thinking about applying to a school with an application deadline of mid-December, you don't really have many options.
Where to apply
What makes a good school? It depends on your field, of course. Talk with someone in your field, get an idea of what is important, and plug your priorities into NRC's graduate school ranking, customized by PhDs.org.
Once you have the list, you should reasonably assess your ability. I understand that reasonably assessing your ability is hard, but that is why you have an academic advisor. Ask them questions like, "Do you honestly believe that I have a chance at getting into school A?" Take their input to heart, and if you disagree with them, point out some things that may make you a more appealing candidate; they are probably helping a few other people who are thinking about similar things, and may have forgotten applicable portions of your academic history. But remember, not everyone gets into Stanford, Berkeley, MIT, Oxford, Harvard, etc (I was planning on applying to Berkeley, but never did the GRE subject test, which was required).
Applying to one or two as "oh my god that would be sweet" options is perfectly reasonable, but you should also apply to a few "safe" schools, and ~50% of your choices should be mid-range schools that you would like to go to.
Choosing a "safe" school is a black art, but you can do it. You should find a place with reasonable monetary funding for grad students (because if you are going to go to a school that isn't preferred, you may as well get paid to do it), and which has programs that you are interested in (because there is nothing worse than being bored in a graduate program for 2-7 years).
Letters of Recommendation
Most schools require 2-4 letters of recommendation from professors and such. Get the best recommendations you can get. What does that mean? Well, if there is a professor who knows you reasonably well, and you've done well in their course(s), ask them to write a recommendation for you; they will probably write some nice things about the quality of your work and such. On the other hand, if you don't know a professor very well, and you didn't do very well in their course(s), asking them is probably not a good idea; while they won't likely say anything overtly bad about you (because such is poor form), the lack of good things said about you will be more than obvious to the readers of these recommendations. If you can get someone who is known in their field to write a good recommendation; bonus points for you!
How important are letters of recommendation? Well, you are not going to get into a graduate school without having them. If not a one of your letters say something truly positive about your character, abilities, work ethic, etc., you aren't going to get in. If you are attending a large undergrad, and it is difficult to have a good professor-student relationship with a professor or two, you ought to consider doing work outside of coursework. Independant projects, as long as they are nontrivial, can get your foot in the door of a professor, and may lead you to a reasonable recommendation. Whether that be to help a grad student of your desired recommendation writer with the mundane task of programming a large system (every university has at least a few huge systems being produced by grad students), or perhaps by implementing an algorithm that was recently published. Start asking, the worst that could happen is that you don't get work to do, which leaves you in the same position you were in before.
Ask about recommendations early. Professors are busy people, and you are going to want to talk to them about it perhaps early fall of your Senior year, at the latest, one month before an application is due. Of course this doesn't leave much time to get to know them with projects and such, but it does give them the opportunity to think about their experiences with you, and what they want to say to other people in their field. If the school you are applying to hasn't gotten recommendations from your writers a week and a half before it is due, you may want to touch base with your writers; more often than not they will have written it, decided to ruminate on it, and have forgotten it for a bit. Gentle reminders should be all that is necessary.
Statement of purpose
You are probably going to write one basic version of your statement of purpose that is customized for each school. My only advice on content is to be sincere and know your audience. Now, being sincere is not necessarily being honest, but being honest comes through the writing, and helps to make it sincere. If you choose not to be honest, and you expect the readers of your application to accept your bullshit, expect to be educated poorly.
When to expect responses
In general those who are notified early are in one of the following three categories:
1. Those they really want, and have the funding for.
2. Those they really don't want.
3. Those they want, who they are unwilling to fund.
In general, those who are notified late are in one of the following two categories:
4. Those that they want to accept with funding, but they don't have enough to go around (they are waiting for some 'no' responses from those they offer funding, so that they can offer some). Sometimes this group may be offered funding, sometimes not.
5. Those they would have room for, without funding, if enough people say no to their acceptance letters. This group is rarely offered funding.
Accepting or refusing offers
If you have gotten more than one acceptance letter, then you have some options. Options are good, but they also require you to make decisions about your future. I know, deciding your future is hard, but remember that you also chose which undergrad you went to, your major, your course schedule, etc. Have faith in your decision, and remember that you can always get your PhD at a different school than you got your Master's degree (in some programs, you get a Master's degree on the way to the PhD). Sure, you'll have to move again, but most undergrads move at least twice a year. You are an adult now, you can handle it.
Why was this page made?
In the fall of 2004, I was speaking with my undergraduate capstone advisor, Dr. G. Michael Schneider PhD, and we talked a bit about my experience in grad school. He then asked if I would be interested in telling other students what grad school was like, so as to perhaps give them information from someone who was actually in graduate school.
Well, due to laziness on my part, I didn't contact the organizer of the seminar in which I would speak about getting scheduled until too late, and it didn't work out. I still believe the information itself is worthwhile (or at least my perspective), and I've written up this page with bits of information that may (or may not) help current undergrads decide if graduate school is what they want to do (it is most helpful for those who are currently Juniors). I'm also writing it so that those who are planning on going to graduate school understand the timelines they are looking at, so they won't be quite as surprised as I was. Some parts have been modified with suggestions from those commenting here, including a few almost verbatim bits.
If you have any questions, comments, etc., as long as they aren't of the form "do you think I will get into school X", feel free to email me. If people actually ask questions, I'll probably add a Q/A section in there somewhere.
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