What do grad students at Georgia Tech actually complain about?

[George]

I'm filling out the Graduate Student Experience Survey and trying to be honest about what sucks . But I'm curious what other grad students are saying.

The survey asks about "advising, finances, academics, teaching, research, and support" . For me, it's definitely money. My stipend barely covers rent and I'm teaching 20 hours a week while trying to do my own research.

Susan Cozzens, the vice provost, said the data will "help everyone — from administrators to faculty members — make more informed decisions when it comes to serving our graduate students" . That sounds nice, but will anything actually change?

The undergrad survey in 2015 led to task forces on teaching and student interaction . So maybe there's hope.

 

[Dennis]

The Cozzens quote about "informed decisions" is admin-speak for "we will look at the data and then do nothing because there's no budget." Sorry to be cynical but I've been here too long. The 2015 undergrad survey led to task forces which led to... reports. Which led to... more reports. Maybe I'm jaded but I'm not expecting my stipend to magically increase because I checked some boxes on a survey.