I am currently trying to build my college list for undergrad and was wondering if the number of graduate students (and the ratio of undergrad to grad) should play a roll in my decision. For example, no one is questioning the quality of Georgetown, but when the ratio is over 1:1.5, should I be at all concerned about going there for undergrad?
The numbers for your particular department probably are more important for you than the numbers overall. For example, does that grad school figure include all the MBA students? If so, for your purposes those students don’t exist. They won’t be in your classes, or serve as teaching assistants for your classes, or hog any of your professors’ time or crowd you out of the library, because that program is essentially self-contained.
On the other hand, if you are a Classics major, chances are good that you will get to know some of the grad students really well because they will be teaching assistants for some of your classes, will be at all the departmental seminars, and will sit right across that library table from you on some very late nights of research.
Interestingly, of all schools with a lot of grad students, Georgetown is one place that you don’t need to worry about the ratio of grad to undergrad: undergraduate teaching is a core value at Georgetown. That is one of the risks of taking a purely quant view.
As @happymomof1 pointed out, the MBA (& Med & Law) students exist in effectively separate worlds from undergraduates.
What exactly is the real concern behind the question?
@ucbalumnus I guess I was just concerned that if there was an overwhelming number of grad students that a) the undergrad programs might get the short stack, and b) the campus might not feel “right”. I know both of those are stupid concerns now that I’m typing them, especially after reading what’s been said, but I guess that’s where I was coming from.
@Brandon109 - It is true that some institutions, some departments, and some individual faculty members focus more on the grad students than on the undergrads. However this needs to be looked at on a institution-by-institution, department-by-department, and even faculty member-by-faculty member basis. It’s not something you can sort out by numbers alone. If you find yourself interested in programs that have grad students, when you visit or otherwise communicate with the program, do what you can to find out about how the grad and undergrad programs affect each other.
You might find, irrespective of specific ratios, that, in some examples, institutions with graduate departments and graduate professional schools operate with an undesirable bureaucratic layering compared to more undergraduate-focused collegiate options.