Topics to discuss with your potential supervisor

Professor Chris Perlman meeting with graduate student.

Topics for discussion between future students and potential supervisors

The questions in each of the categories below may help guide your conversations with potential supervisors. We recommend keeping these for use in future meetings with your supervisor, if admitted to our graduate program.

Team structure

How many students are you currently supervising?
How big is the lab/team I will potentially be joining?
Could you provide names of current or former students who would be comfortable connecting with me to discuss their experience?
Are there group activities for us to get to know one another? If yes, how frequent?
Who is my go-to person in the lab? (E.g. senior graduate student, post doc, supervisor)

Supervisor absence

How often will you be absent from campus?
Are you going on sabbatical during the expected length of my graduate degree?
Do you have scheduled conferences or extended leaves that will take you away from campus for more than a week? If yes, what are the communication expectations in advance and during this time?
Approximately how many times per semester will you be doing field work?
What will your availability be like while you are away? (E.g. remote location, no internet access, no phone access, etc.)

Communication expectations

How often will we meet during the first two terms while I am completing coursework?
How often will we meet during the terms that take place after I’ve completed my coursework?
If I would like you to review my work by a certain date, how far in advance do you require that item?
Does your availability change during spring terms?

Funding

What will my funding look like? From you? From the School of Public Health and Health Systems?
Will I be a Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant? If so, what are the expectations for these roles? What are my responsibilities?
Am I expected to apply to any scholarships? If so, which one(s)? (Ask for links, due dates, etc.)
Will I have your support in the form of reference letters to pursue scholarships or other opportunities?