The reasons that I picked the graduate school I attended for my Ph.D. work were economic, academic, but also intensely personal. I had already attended this particular university during my M.A. work and hence had a "foot in the door" already. The costs were such that I could continue there plus I had secured employment in archaeology with the departmental archaeology laboratory during my previous tenure in the Master's program. Academically, the individuals that I wished to work with were there, they knew my research interests, and I had previously developed a rapport with them.
Additional reasons for staying there for my Ph.D. included the caliber of people I was working with and opportunities for field research, both in Jordan and Belize. I venture to say that the research opportunities, both field and laboratory, were quite influential in my decisions. I could still do lithic research in the American Southwest but now also had the chance to expand my experience to include the Mayan Late Preclassic and Near Eastern Middle Paleolithic. The faculty that I worked with also enabled me to turn nearly all of my research into publications and professional presentations.
A Known Quantity
Lest I forget, the peer group that I was associated with in graduate school at the time had a tremendous influence on me. There was group cohesion, group support, and we continually played devil's advocate and sounding board for each other's ideas and problems. In essence I feel that we pulled each other through the graduate school process. I feel as proud of my own success as I do their successes. But this comes from being part of a close knit group of graduate students that entered at the same time and went through the same process. Those experiences are part of graduate school that are typically not considered when choosing graduate schools. One of my main reasons for choosing the graduate school that I did was after I had observed the interactions of the graduate students during an early visit prior to admission. I was impressed at the group cohesion and the moral support that the faculty appeared to provide their students.
Not only is it important to consider the topic, faculty, financial support, research opportunities and the like when choosing a graduate school--it is also important to attempt to gain some understanding of how current students feel about their lot in life at that particular school or in that particular department. After all, five to ten years invested in the M.A.-Ph.D. process is a significant investment in both time, energy, and sanity. If the department fosters a sense of group cohesion among its students and faculty then many of the other choices may be easier to make. I did not necessarily opt for departmental or university reputation in my choice for M.A. or Ph.D. schools but instead focused more heavily on group dynamics, unity, and an overall feeling of suppport from peers and faculty. As I look back on my choices, I feel wholeheartedly that I made the right choices for the right reasons and am pleased with the results.
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