86: Grad School List Dealbreakers

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Hi everyone. Today, I am going to be talking to you a little bit more about the grad school list, and specifically about grad school list deal breakers. Why am I talking to you about this? Because I think of this as an extension to the conversation that I've had before on how to create a grad school list.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Typically, when I advise students on creating a grad school list, I encourage them to focus on fit. And when I say fit, I'm really talking about fit when it comes to their research interests and the individuals that they might work with in that program- because that is very important. Who you're going to work with, what work you're gonna be doing, all of that has very real, long term implications for you. But I think in doing so, when I say- okay, look at top programs. Have a combination of top programs, have a combination of reach schools, but also safety net schools, just a balanced kind of list. Make sure that you have two to three people that you would look forward to working with, and that they are sending people to jobs, or academic opportunities, career opportunities that are in line with you.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

All of that is great. All of that is very, very important. But I think one thing that I was missing is some of the hidden factors that might impact your ability to thrive in grad school. What do I mean by that? I mean really sitting down and thinking about the things that make you happy or unhappy. I mention this a lot in my conversations, because I'm a California girl and I have a lot of California listeners. One very obvious example of a potential deal breaker for you, if you are from Southern California, is weather. Weather might be a deal breaker for you. Weather might make you unhappy- certain types of weather, particularly very cold weather. Maybe you've never actually been in the snow.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

It might seem silly. I know I often encourage people, like just apply widely. Apply out of state. The more options, the better. Oftentimes, it's a numbers game. Yes, that is true. But at the end of the day, if you were to get admitted to everywhere that you apply to, and you think about your options, is weather going to be a big factor? Is it going to be something that is going to stress you so much to the point that you physically don't feel capable of getting from point A to point B in certain weather, in certain conditions. You see what I mean?

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I cannot identify for you what your deal breakers are. I referenced and hinted at this at a previous episode too, about sitting and thinking about deal breakers. But right now, I really want you to think about well, what conditions, what settings, circumstances make you happy? Do you like being in a really big campus that's booming with lots of things to do, lots of resources? Or do you prefer smaller, more intimate spaces, more smaller towns, more kind of slower environments, slower pace of life? What do you prefer? If that's the case, then thinking about the size of the campus is going to matter.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Now, another big thing that might be a big thing for you, because I know it's a big thing for me, but we're all different, is thinking about transportation and what types of transportation you're comfortable with. Do you not mind driving and long commutes? Or do you not drive? Or you can't stand driving? Or you don't mind the commute so long as it's not over a certain amount of miles or certain amount of time? So thinking about that. That's something that a lot of people don't keep in mind.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Is your campus- the campus of the programs that you're applying to- is one of them a commuter school, and everybody is expected to drive 45 minutes to an hour to get there? Or is your campus in a small town, and everybody walks there. Everybody lives walking distance to campus. So commuting and transportation. That is very important. Maybe you don't have a car, but you're in a school that requires for you to have a car for you to get from point A to point B. That's going to play a role. That's going to affect you.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

The other thing that is a big one- big, big one-because of just the rising costs, and because of inflation is, you really want to think long and hard about cost of living. Because you may be getting a similar stipend from all of the programs you're applying to, and maybe it looks like an okay stipend. Maybe you think- yeah, it's gonna be tight, but I can pay my bills. But you're working under the assumption of paying your bills at whatever physical location you are in right now. Your bills are not going to be the same when you move. That's why it's important to create a budget for at least your top three schools. Or you can wait, you can wait until you've been admitted to certain programs.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

But keep in mind cost of living in the back of your head, because living- if NYU or Columbia are on your list. Living in New York- very, very different from living at Ohio State. You know, living in Ohio, the cost of living is substantially lower. Now living in San Francisco is very, very different than living in San Antonio, Texas. You see what I mean? So cost of living in certain states, or even be among states, in certain cities within each state, vastly different. You want to keep that in mind. Would you rather- would you want to prioritize living in a place with a lower cost of living? Or do you think that location is so important for you, that you're willing to sacrifice that and to pick up extra jobs, or take out an extra loan, to be able to live in a place that you know that's gonna help you kind of be your best. That's another one.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Now a big one- and I think that a lot of us keep this in mind already, especially if you're a person of color, especially if you have multiple kind of marginalized identities. The diversity and the demographics of the area are important. For some of y'all- maybe your first gen, but you're white person, and you don't have to worry. You're like, I'm relatively comfortable anywhere I am, because you've never really had to worry about race before. But for some of us, we know what it's like to feel like the oddball out. We know what it's like to have to deal with racism, to have to deal with different types of discrimination, and to be frank about it, to feel unsafe in spaces, to feel threatened in spaces.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

If that's a huge concern for you, which I think it probably is, you want to take a look at the ethnic demographics of the school. Sometimes some schools are- they're great. They might have really wonderful programs, and the program has really amazing faculty. But as soon as you step foot outside of that campus, you could potentially- your life could potentially be threatened. Or you just know your mental health is not going to be doing very well in that area, then that's something to keep in mind. And maybe, unfortunately, even though that's a great program, you might not want to go there.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Another thing that comes up a lot is the topic of having a life outside of grad school. What will your life look like outside of that program? What types of things are there to do? What types of communities are there? What is the culture like in that area? That's something to keep in mind, because you're going to be living there for four, five, six, seven, eight years of your life. That's a long time, and you are a whole person outside of just being a student. So that matters, too.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Another thing I want to bring up that I don't think a lot of people think about until it becomes an issue is the topic of health care. Let me just state this. Not all universities have equitable access to health care resources. Not all graduate schools have the same types of health insurance. Not all graduate schools offer the same health care fees, and not all all graduate schools cover you and family members. And even if they do, they might have vastly different rates to add family members to your coverage.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Why do I mention this? I mention this because some folks take their health for granted, because maybe they've never had any major health issues before. But again, life- I hate to be the bearer of bad news. Some folks might even say I'm being pessimistic right now. But life does happen in grad school. Hopefully, nothing were to happen for you. Let's hope and pray that nothing terrible happens. You don't develop any types of illnesses. But in case you do, it's good to have health care that's going to cover you, that's not going to cost you an arm and a leg. And to not have to stress out over tha. It's one less thing for you to stress about.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

If you have dependents, if you are a parent, student parent, you want to know that you'll be able to afford health insurance for you and your kids, or you and your spouse or partner, etc. That's something you want to keep in mind. You can ask about health care fees. You can ask what it would cost to add a dependent. You can ask, what types of benefits are included? Does it include dental? Does it include vision? Does it include access to mental health support services? All of that matters, is important. It's okay to ask.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

If you don't feel comfortable asking a staff member there- well, first, if you don't feel comfortable asking a professor, you could always ask a staff member. If you don't feel comfortable asking a staff member, you can always ask a graduate student. At some point, whether you're looking through a website or contacting an individual, you will get that information. I just don't want you to be in the position where you have accepted a program, you arrive there. Then you realize, oh my goodness. Health care costs $400 a month. That's a huge portion of my stipend. That's a lot of money. $400 is a lot of money to be paying every month on health insurance. Or if it's something else, you just realize, oh, I have access to health care. But it's going to cost me so much just to get this done or that done. So keep that in mind- health care.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

There are a lot of other factors, I think, that could potentially be deal breakers for you. But in terms of some of the big ones that have come up for me, and for my students, and for people that I've worked with, those are some of the major ones. Whether it's the weather, whether it's the size of the campus, or the city, or the location, or what transportation is like, cost of living, the demographics of the area, demographics of the campus, the social activities and extracurriculars and access to community support in the surrounding area, health care. All those things should be enough to get you started on determining- again, what are your deal breakers? What are the things that help make you happy, help bring you joy? Hopefully that'll get you one step closer to identifying a program where you can thrive.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Thanks so much. That's all I'm gonna say for today, and I hope that you all have a good rest of the week. I'll talk to you all later.