Rethinking the Doctorate
If you could make just one change that would improve the quality of your doctoral program, what would it be?
Faculty
Emily M. Klein
Associate Professor. Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences
More graduate students (for greater critical mass that leads to more cross-fertilization).
Gordon Klintworth
Research Professor, Pathology, Clinical Services, and Ophthalmology
Have all graduate students meet with every faculty member at least once. This could be a group meeting. Most graduate students are not familiar with the research activities of the numerous members of the faculty. More exposure would provide a broader background.
Charles H. Lochmüller
Professor, Center for Biochemical Engineering and Chemistry
Restoration of the Graduate Awards budget and return to the faster response mechanism of direct Department contact with applicants and Departmental offers of a decade ago. Our better competition has always been able to get the jump on us by giving the impression of greater enthusiasm on their part. The best applicants make decisions on differences of $100s of dollars offered, on perception of Departmental not Institutional enthusiasm for their application, and personal contact is a part of that.
Linda B. McGown
Professor, Chemistry
Greatly reduce graduate fees and use money to increase student stipends.
Paul Modrich
Investigator, Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
I think one of the most productive things a department/program could do would be to provide incoming students with a one–or two–page document that outlines departmental expectations with respect to graduate student performance.
Carol Wikstrand
Research Professor, Pathology
I would add some format (seminar series, informal lunch tutorials, etc.) centering on careers in science—what to expect in industry, academia, or start-up; how to go about planning for same; and the rigors of grant-dependent research: not only securing grants, but how to renew them, integrate them into other programs, etc. I think students need to be aware of this before becoming a post-doc—where frequently they may not be mentored as closely.
Students
Jennifer Brown, Pharmacology
One change to improve the quality of my doctoral program would be to have a better support network. One of my friends was left to slip through the cracks, and all the administration did for her was show her the door.
Elesha Coffman, Religion
The Graduate Program in Religion encompasses nine areas of study. While some cognate areas maintain regular colloquia, several (including mine, American religion) have become isolated. I’d like to see more dialogue between specialties—especially if free food could be involved.
Nayeli Garci-Crespo, Literature and Film/Video/Digital Program
I would make the position of Director of Graduate Studies a full-time, exclusive, and well-rewarded position. I can honestly say that 99% of the grief I’ve had in my department comes from the fact that the DGS is not knowledgeable or prepared enough to deal with his or her duties because of the nature of the job. The DGS changes frequently and is expected to learn an incredible volume of information and to put in many hours of work. As DGS, you have a crucial and irreplaceable role in the department that can make or break the graduate student experience. It is too important a job to be performed by a faculty member.…I find it is a frustrating situation all around—both for the students and the DGS. Graduate school can be a very stressful and confusing experience and we really need to have someone knowledgeable, caring, and committed to guide us through our years here in a consistent manner.
Jennifer Reineke Pohlhaus, Biochemistry
Graduation from the program should be focused on effort, not on published work.