GRADUATE STUDENT WELL-BEING AND SATISFACTION: DOES GENDER AND ADVISOR CHOICE MATTER?

This study examined the relationships between graduate student gender, advisor-advisee gender match, advisor selection methods, graduate student satisfaction with advising, overall satisfaction with graduate/professional programs, health and well-being. Graduate Student Experience in the Research University (GradSERU) public-use data collected from Purdue University and the administrative records of the 2019 Purdue University Graduate School were used in the study. A series of simple linear regression analysis in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26.0 and RStudio version 3.6.2, were used for all data analysis. Male graduate students reported significantly higher health and well-being scores than their female counterparts. The relationship between advisor-advisee gender match, satisfaction with advising, and overall satisfaction were found non-significant in this particular sample. Advisor selection method was a significant factor in graduate student satisfaction, health, and well-being. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.