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I am currently near completion of a PhD. in Political Studies at Queen’s University. I did the MA degree at the University of Saskatchewan, and undergraduate work at both University of Victoria and University of Calgary. In framing the discussion I would like to focus on the following four major items: (1) Funding; (2) Supervisor; (3) Department; and (4) City/town.
One of the most important issues when thinking about grad school is funding (unless you are independently wealthy, if so, ignore this paragraph). Lack of adequate funding can lead to significant stress and anxiety, and is perhaps one of the greatest factors affecting rates of attrition. Grad school is stressful enough without having to constantly worry about debt levels and paying rent. Thus, it behoves you to make every possible effort to ensure that you have sufficient funding to complete the program. First, apply for EVERYTHING, and start thinking about this well in advance. For example, applying for SSHRC funding happens almost a year before you start a grad program. Yes, that means it happens before you even start applying to grad school. If you intend to apply for a Master’s program directly from fourth year, the SSHRC application needs to be completed in October or November of your fourth year of undergrad. The application is long and arduous, but DO IT, and DO IT NOW!!! Second, if you are accepted at more than one school, push each of them with regard to the funding issue. Ask about Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant opportunities, and feel free to ‘bargain’ or ‘negotiate’ to some degree. Do not do this in an arrogant or condescending manner, but simply let them know that you are considering other offers and whether or not these other offers are better. These departments normally have some discretion in allocating funds, and will view this as a competition if you are a high quality candidate.
Choosing a good supervisor is crucial at the doctoral level, and somewhat important at the Master’s level. The MA is short (only one or two years), and some don’t even have a thesis component anymore, so having an excellent supervisor doesn’t matter as much as having a good set of courses to take and an engaging intellectual environment. However, at the Doctoral level, you need to find someone who you can work well with, preferably before you start the program. This obviously requires a lot of work in terms of surfing prof’s webpages, contacting a number of them via e-mail to see if they appear interested in you, and speaking with as many people as possible who might know these people personally. If you work well independently, you might want someone who is relatively ‘hands off’. If you need deadlines and someone to push you, find someone who wants to be more involved and ‘hands on’. Find someone who is well respected in their field of study, and preferably someone who has an extensive network of contacts in academia and beyond. Find a supervisor who has a history of getting students finished in a reasonable amount of time. Also, find someone who is interested in the same things that you are. Finally, find a supervisor who is prepared to speak bluntly, but constructively and productively, about your work. This is a wish list, and you may never find all of these attributes in a supervisor, but TRY!!
Find out as much as you possibly can about the department where you intend to study. Is there a lot of infighting or are there factions among faculty or grad students (this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you will want to know the nature of this)? Do the grad students have a well-organized social and intellectual community (not crucial, as you can always start one upon arrival, if this is important to you)? Is there a general feeling among faculty that the graduate program is important to the department (you don’t want to be neglected or ignored)? Does the department have a history of grad students taking forever to finish their degrees (this is bad)?
The location of the universities can also be very important, especially for the PhD., as you will need to live there for four or five years (hopefully not more). Visit the place if you’ve never been there before, and see if you think you could live there. This brings me to a point that relates to all four of the themes discussed here: if at all possible, go to the schools and speak to current graduate students in the program. Ask the Department Head, Graduate Chair, or Administrative Assistants to put you in touch with a few students. Talk to at least a few in order to avoid landing accidentally with that one oddball who really hates or loves the department. Most graduate students will have the ‘pulse’ of the department, and will speak candidly with you.
The last thing I would like to mention is specifically directed at those interested in pursuing a PhD. This is not a decision, or a task, to be taken lightly. You WILL feel like quitting the program more than once throughout the course of five years, and roughly half of those who start a PhD. in the Social Sciences and Humanities do not finish. The key to finishing is not intellectual brilliance or genius, but stubborn persistence. In fact, you don’t even need to be an extremely creative or innovative thinker. Intelligence and creativity obviously help you excel as a scholar, but the key is that you work hard and refuse to quit. You need to be prepared to take an intellectual beating at times, and then get up and carry on, normally with a greater sense of humility.
On a lighter note, the past five years have been wonderful for me. Graduate school has been rewarding on a number of levels, and I wouldn’t trade these years for anything. The intellectual richness, the friends, the lifestyle, the struggles for social justice, and the lessons learned about oneself have all been profoundly formative and rewarding.
Good luck,
Dave Thomas
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