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- Life at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
- FAQ: Life in Madison, WI
- Life in Madison, WI
Q: Are you happy with UW-Madison as a
graduate school?
A: As a first year student, I am very happy with my situation.
There is too much to do but the majority is very interesting.
The longer I'm here the more I have discovered that confirms my
decision to attend UW.
A: Yes.
A: Basically. I have been offerred fantastic opportunities. I have not
always had as much advice or support as I might like, but all in all the research training has been stellar.
Q: Are most students in the department happy with the program?
A: I think so. The PhD program is long and students do need
a lot of commitment to get through it. My impression is that well-
organized people who keep grinding the work out day-by-day
are the people that will make it though.
A: Some are happy, some feel it's OK at best, some are decidedly
unhappy. It seems to come down to a question of whether a grad
student and an adviser "fit" and whether one's reasons for going to
grad school were solid in the first place.
A: There is a wide range of satisfaction
levels. However, the majority of students seem to have the support and opportunities they
desire.
Q: What is student life like?
A: Don't really know yet. So far, people are friendly. Haven't
made a lot of friends yet, but this is probably because I haven't
taken the time to socialize as much as others.
A: It's what you make of it. Virtually everyone works a lot.
Beyond that, one can have a fairly active social life or one can
sit at home and watch tv.
A: All UW students work quite a bit. If you are interested in socializing
with students in the department, there are certainly opportunities to get to
know other grad students. However, if you prefer to keep your personal
life separate from the department, nobody holds it against you.
Q: Do you feel well-supported by faculty in your research and studies?
A: Definitely. I feel very supported by my own advisor as well
as other faculty. They are very accessible for exchanging ideas.
A: Yes. I feel lucky in that respect.
A: I've been well-supported financially and in terms of having the
opportunity to do cutting-edge research. I haven't always had as much
instruction as I would like.
Q: Do you have easy access to a computer in the lab?
A: I wanted to laugh at this. There are so many computers available.
Access is very easy. Quality of the computers is also very good.
A: Yes, I also feel lucky in that respect.
A: Yes, absolutely.
Q: Do you find that your financial support is sufficient for life in Madison?
A: Is it ever? I have enough support to be able to do the research
I want to do. In that sense, I'm getting paid to go to school. I don't
get paid much, but my time is my own and I'm doing what I like to do.
A: Yes, I have a fellowship. TA positions used to not pay sufficiently,
but they do now thanks to changes in appointments and the new TA
contract.
A: Yes
Q: Is there much interaction among students in the department?
A: I don't think I'm overwhelmed by the amount of interaction I've
seen but, again, that hasn't been my priority.
A: It depends. There can be. The opportunities to meet other grad
students certainly exist.
A: Quite a bit, especially within area groups and during the first couple
years of one's program.
Q: Do you feel well-prepared for the job market?
A: It's too early to give a personal answer to this, but I believe students
here are as well-prepared as anyone can be for the academic job market.
A: Does anyone ever?
A: The department certainly offers the opportunity to become
well-prepared for the job market.
Q: Do you interact with undergraduates?
A: Unless you have undergraduate lab assistants or teach a class, I think
the interaction is nill.
A: Not so much anymore, but I did when I was a TA.
A: Yes, in the lab and as a T.A.
Q: Do you interact much with faculty?
A: More than with fellow students.
A: Yes. In classes, in brownbags, and just around the department.
A: Mostly with my own advisor and clinical supervisors. However
there are many opportunities to interact with faculty. It's a good idea to
develop a mentoring relationship with at least one faculty member in
addition to your own advisor.
Q: Are your future goals in academia? Industry? Other?
A: Academia is my goal at this point.
A: My future goals are in academia. Obviously there are plenty of
people who get PhDs and go on to non-academic jobs, but it makes
the grad school experience smoother, I think, if what you want is
congruent with what the department wants you to want -- a research
career in academia.
A: I plan to stay in academia as a
professor. I may do a post-doc before I take on a faculty position.
Q: Is there much collaboration among graduate students?
A: Most of the collaboration I've seen so far is that which
happens in the lab.
A: Not usually. There is opportunity for it -- a scholarship fund has
been established to encourage students to pursue independent lines of
research -- but most students don't take advantage of this.
A: Within labs there is a lot of collaboration among grad students.
Between labs, it's a little more difficult to collaborate, but several students
from different labs have managed to collaborate.
Q:What is your opinion of the coursework?
A: Too much to do, but interesting and valuable.
A: It's inconsistent. Core courses are not always offered on a regular
basis. Some professors don't bother to update the readings they assign
as the literature grows. On the other hand, some courses are really
excellent -- interesting and well-taught. The stats courses are very good.
A: Very good. There is quite a bit of it, especially for clinical students.
However, the department continues to cut back on coursework requirements.
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