Questions to Ask to Identify a Supportive Graduate Program as a Woman or Gender Minority in Math

By Brittany Gelb, Kathryn Beck, Joy Hamlin, Hamidreza Mahmoudian, Nkhalo Malawo, Lucy Martinez, and Rebecca Whitman

When I attended open houses as a prospective graduate student, I wanted to know: is this a program where I would feel supported and be able to thrive? In order to get that information, I remember asking current woman graduate students: “Do you find the program supportive?”

Now near the end of year two of my graduate program, this question strikes me as so vague that if I were asked to answer it, I wouldn’t know where to start. Based on the answers received, I think this is also how the students who received my question felt. That experience motivated me to work with others to put together this blogpost, which contains a list of questions to ask graduate directors, faculty, and students at prospective graduate programs.

It’s important to realize that “supportive” has a unique meaning for each person: someone else could feel supported at a program, while you could feel differently because you have different needs, identities, and goals. For these reasons, I think it’s essential to narrow down what “supportive” means to you and to ask specific questions that will elicit specific responses.

On the other hand, narrowing this down for myself is something I’ve only been able to do since after starting to experience graduate school. For example, it was only after I received extensive feedback from a faculty member when applying for external funding that I realized I needed opportunities to develop relationships with faculty members beyond a single advisor. I learned after failing qualifying exams that I needed additional preparation and flexibility. I learned after experiencing social dynamics in a male-dominated field that I crucially needed a culture among graduate students that was professional and respectful, with women who I could discuss my experiences with and others who I could consider allies and advocates.

Several graduate students at my institution and others graciously contributed to this list of questions. I hope that the number of authors and their varied experiences means that we have been able to capture many different perspectives on the meaning of a “supportive” graduate program for women and gender minorities. I furthermore hope that you can draw upon one or a couple questions from this list when attending an open house, or that reading this list gives you the courage to ask your own questions that are specific to you.

A List of Example Questions to Ask

Faculty Relationships and Mentorship

Who are some faculty members who you have gone to for support, and what was their response like? Which faculty members would you recommend talking to if I face challenges in the department or if I’m seeking a mentor to support me?
What unofficial or official mentorship opportunities exist?
Do any faculty members have a reputation for sexism (explicit or implicit) or sexual harassment? I am thinking of working with Professor X. Is there anything I should take into consideration about working with them as a [woman, non-binary person, etc.]?
How easy or hard is it for students to find advisors? Do women and gender minorities typically have a harder time with this? Are there faculty that avoid taking [women, non-binary, etc.] students, or who should be avoided?

Department Culture

Would you say the culture among grad students is respectful of women and other gender minorities? Why or why not? Would you say the culture among faculty is respectful of women and other gender minorities? Why or why not? Among undergraduate students, especially if you may be teaching?
What is the community among women and gender minorities in the department like? Is it supportive, uplifting, not really existent, or something else?
In what recent ways has the department or university supported women and gender minorities? In what recent ways has the department or university harmed women and gender minorities?
What is one aspect about the department culture that you wish you could change? What is one aspect about the department culture that you think all math departments should have?
How is service work distributed among the graduate students? Are there paid positions or fellowships available for service work? To what extent does the department/faculty value service work? (For why this should be asked, see this blog about service work by Kayla Gibson.)

Department Demographics and Intersectionality

How much of the department leadership is made up of women and gender minorities? (e.g. graduate director, department chair, graduate committee, DEI committee, etc. and other decision-making bodies.)
What are the [gender, LGBTQ+, etc.] demographics of the current students and faculty?
How do office assignments work for first year students? Are students asked for preferences, or are offices automatically assigned?
What is the plan to hire more tenure track faculty of color that look like me for the next 5 years that I will be here?
What steps are you taking to counteract lack of diversity in the department?
How many students that applied were of diverse backgrounds, and how many did you accept into the program?

Program Completion

If someone told you that they dropped out of the program because it was an unfriendly workplace, how surprised would you be on a scale of 1-10?
What measures are put into place to mitigate the effects of bias when evaluating students? (e.g. Are written qualifying exams graded anonymously?)
To ask current students: Can you recall people who have dropped out of the program and what the reasons that they left are? To ask a graduate director: What is the most common reason that students leave the program?
To ask current students: What have been the biggest challenges or barriers for you to complete your degree?
To ask current students: How does the written policy about program requirements compare to the reality that you have experienced?
What is the purpose of each of the program requirements? (You may get insight from asking this of multiple faculty members.)
To ask a graduate director: How do qualifying exam scores and pass rates compare by gender? Time to graduate? Funding access?

Consider asking some of the following questions to the graduate director and graduate students, doing your own research, and then finally comparing what you find out in each of these ways.

University Policies and Resources

What resources are there in the department or university that are intended for women and gender minorities? For example, is there a social group for women and gender minorities?
What university resources are available to people who experience gender-based harassment?
Is there a union, and how effective are they at supporting students who experience gender-based harassment?
What is the university’s preferred name policy?
How convenient is it to access gender-neutral bathrooms in the math department?

Healthcare Resources

What are the university policies relating to medical leave, family leave, and parenting/pregnancy? Are there specific policies or state laws pertaining to pregnancy/parenting and degree requirements such as qualifying exams? (e.g. New Jersey Senate Bill 1489)
What resources does the university have to support parents? (e.g. reduced-cost childcare and private lactation rooms).
To what extent can you conveniently access high-quality reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare services in this area?
What reproductive or gender-affirming healthcare services are available from the university?
How would you describe the quality of the health insurance that is available?

Living

To ask current students: What area do you live in, and do you feel safe living there?
Do you have any comments about the location of the university that I wouldn’t know from cursory research?
What are the university’s public transportation options like? How reliable are the transportation options? Do they provide evening and late night transport? Does the university provide any on-call transportation services in the case of an emergency/safety concerns?

Each time I asked someone for questions to add to this list, it grew in ways that I didn’t anticipate due to our varied experiences. As a result, this list is extensive at the cost of possibly being overwhelming. So, I would like to emphasize that you should pick and choose questions that resonate most with you.

One contributor wrote to me, “I included questions which took a lot of courage for me to ask when I was choosing a program, but I asked each of them to the director of each program.” I wish that as a prospective graduate student that I had this kind of bravery: the bravery to ask questions related to gender and inclusivity not only to current students but also to people in positions of power. Doing so not only provides you with insight, but also conveys to the receiver what prospective students (who they wish to recruit and see succeed in the program) expect and value. We hope that these questions provide a starting point for you to advocate for yourself and ensure that you have the support to thrive in your chosen graduate program, because that is exactly what you have earned and deserve.

Brittany Gelb is a second-year Ph.D. student at Rutgers University committed to building inclusive spaces such as the Online Undergraduate Resource Fair for the Advancement and Alliance of Marginalized Mathematicians.

Kathryn Beck is a third-year Ph.D. student at University of Delaware. As an EDGE program alumnus and vice president of her department’s AWM chapter, she is dedicated to supporting underrepresented groups in mathematics and making the math community a more equitable space.

Joy Hamlin is a second-year Ph.D. student at Rutgers University. She has spent the past several summers teaching at Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics, and has worked there and elsewhere to create supportive environments for LGBTQ+ mathematicians.

Hamidreza Mahmoudian is a fifth-year Ph.D. and Iranian student at Rutgers University who shares an office with Brittany, Joy, and their two goldfish.

Nkhalo Malawo is a first-year Ph.D. student at Rutgers University. He is personally committed to making mathematics more inclusive to ethnic and gender minorities through acts of service and mentorship.

Lucy Martinez is a second-year Ph.D. student at Rutgers University. Her goals include supporting the Hispanic/Latinx math community and influencing other Hispanic students to pursue their dreams.

Rebecca Whitman is a third-year Ph.D. student at University of California, Berkeley, who works as an advisor to undergraduates interested in majoring or going to graduate school in mathematics.