There is a new book out that is based on a survey study of graduate students. Michael T. Nettles and Catherine M. Millett surveyed more than 9,000 students from 21 doctorate-granting institutions and published their findings in a new book - Three Magic Letters: Getting to Ph.D.. I read a Q&A with Dr. Millett in the Chronicles of Higher Education.
The Q&A highlights some interesting findings. For example, Millett commented that "The humanities students were distinctive in the fact that they were the highest socioeconomic class of doctoral students. Doctoral students in general are of higher socioeconomic class than the general population. But humanities students had the parents who were more likely to be postbaccalaureate-trained professionals. They also came from higher-income families."
Here are a few more interesting quotes/findings...
We have found in our study that the higher the social class of students, the more likely they are to have a positive relationship with faculty in the sciences, education, and engineering.
Surprisingly, while 70 percent of students indicated having a mentor, it's important to note that 30 percent indicated not having one.
One thing that distinguished Hispanics and blacks from other students is that they were more likely to be recipients of fellowships. On the one hand, that's really great. But the question we have to raise is whether the fellowships are constructed in such a way that gives students advantages in terms of mentoring and research productivity on the way to the degree.
When I was thinking about graduate school, I originally had planned to (gasp!) pursue a master's degree in philosophy or theology. I didn't want to become a philosopher or theologian/minister, but I was curious about these meta-physical things at the time. However, I learned two things about such programs while doing my research. One, you did not get much financial aid. Two, you had to learn a foreign language (e.g., Greek, Latin). Plus, I came to the sad realization that I also needed to make money upon graduation. So, I next thought of my other options.
I had always been interested in psychology and knew that eventually I wanted to pursue further study in it, but I was not sure of my abilities. Was I smart enough? Could I last 5 years in graduate school? With support from mentors and friends (and a bit of skeptical assurance from family), I applied to graduate schools in counseling psychology. I applied to exactly 4 doctoral programs and 2 masters programs. In the end, I was accepted by the 2 masters programs and 2 doctoral programs, but waitlisted on the other 2 doctoral programs.
I had decisions to make...sunny West coast, Midwest corn fields, or fried Southern food. Having never lived outside of New England, all three would be different experiences, so how to make a decision?
Well, it was fairly easy. In the end, two important factors played a role for me. In fact, the same factors that Nettles and Millett found in their research. One, I could not afford to go to graduate school without good financial assistance. My parents were struggling to make ends meet and I was not about to ask them for help. I also had loans already from college and was averse to accumulating more debt. Fortunately, Virginia Commonwealth University offered the most money in the form of a fellowship. Two, I found a faculty advisor whom I trusted could be a good mentor. Ironically, I was initially admitted into VCU to work with a different advisor but I had the gall to ask to switch because (quite honestly) the originally assigned advisor smoked about a pack of cigarettes a day (hack, hack) and I sense that our interpersonal styles would not match (he was too oblique and abstract for me). I needed someone who was blunt and direct and set high expectations (heck, I am an East coast boy). Fortunately for me, my eventual advisor was all these things in spades.
So, it's not surprising to me that Nettles and Millett found these same issues to be at play in the current state of graduate education. In the end, graduate school is a privilege that only a few in the world get to experience. It is not something to take for granted (though often it is). It is easier for children from wealthier families to pursue. No doubt. It also is easy to forget the responsibilities that come with such privilege.
Posted by richlee at April 4, 2006 09:35 AM