Good questions to ask current students of your person of interest?

[SigmundFreudMD]

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Hello. i know that may sound like a silly question, but im stupid and will mess this up.
this rapport between me and current students will take place via e-mail, at least at first..
anything more specific than "whats it like working w/ X.." what was your first year like, hows the weather, etc..

Thanks

also, any suggestions about good questions to ask the actual POI would be much appreciated as well

 

[SigmundFreudMD]

also, feel free to message me 😀

 

[LM02]

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head:

How often do you meet with POI?
How are lab meetings structured?
How much collaboration is going on within the lab?
What kind of support do you get for your own research from POI?
What kinds of projects are current grad students in the lab working on?

I think this last question is important, because a lot of people ask about the POI's research studies, but often not about a POI's students' work. It can help get a feel of how flexible the POI is in terms of what he/she is willing to mentor. If everyone is just doing a replication or some variation of a study that examines the POI's main theory or specific research question, that's good info to have.

 

[psychnerd7]

I definitely agree with the questions related to what it's like to actually work with your POI. I would recommend asking specifics about the working style of the POI (hands-on vs hands-off etc, because this can make a big difference). I would also perhaps try to find out about the future direction of the lab. Sometimes the current work- which might be really interesting to you- may be fading out in favor of work that may be less in your area of interest. Good luck!

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head:

How often do you meet with POI?
How are lab meetings structured?
How much collaboration is going on within the lab?
What kind of support do you get for your own research from POI?
What kinds of projects are current grad students in the lab working on?

I think this last question is important, because a lot of people ask about the POI's research studies, but often not about a POI's students' work. It can help get a feel of how flexible the POI is in terms of what he/she is willing to mentor. If everyone is just doing a replication or some variation of a study that examines the POI's main theory or specific research question, that's good info to have.

 

[school psyc app]

A friend of mine last year asked current students how they would rank their life satisfaction on a scale of 1-10 working under their advisor and the program as a whole. Seems like a good way to see how "happy" they really are!

 

[JockNerd]

Ask about how far the stipend goes in that city.