The impact of children and family on the graduate student experience

Graduate students as a population are often underserved and under-represented, in terms of student services, by universities that typically focus on undergraduate student populations. This discrepancy may largely be explained by the fact that graduate student populations are typically only a fraction of the total student population. However, graduate students are an important population for administrations to acknowledge. Graduate students contribute toward the overall body of research in education and further prepare the future workforce in countless fields. It was the purpose of this study to explore the perceived effects having a family can have on the graduate student experience. The study looked at the types of student services that graduate student parents need to enhance their graduate school experience. The student experience is viewed in the context of how student services affect overall personal satisfaction and academic progress within a student's years in graduate school. The methodology used for this study was qualitative. Research was collected via interviews. This allowed for the participants to express their experience in a narrative format, providing a deeper insight into their experiences. The results of the study provide insight into how graduate student parents go through graduate school while maintaining their familial responsibilities. Many felt frustrated with the services available at P.C.U. and wanted additional support and guidance to assist with the stress of balancing school work and home life as well as the guilt associated with having priorities split between schoolwork and family life. Academically, graduate student parents do not feel supported and feel that they were not given the tools to successfully navigate through this experience.