Twenty doctoral students in the disciplines of chemistry and history were interviewed to better understand the socialization processes that influence their success and how these processes differ by year in the degree program and disciplinary culture. Five major themes emerged describing these socialization processes and how they facilitate or impede degree success, including Ambiguity, describing the programmatic guidelines and expectations that surrounded much of the students' experience; Balance, pointing to the students' need to balance graduate school responsibilities along with external relationships and demands; Independence, describing the students' desire to find equilibrium as they transitioned to the role of independent scholar; Development, highlighting the significant cognitive, personal, and professional development that occurs in these students' graduate experience; and Support, describing the faculty, peer, and financial support needed for the students' success in their degree programs. Suggestions for policy, practice, and further research are discussed.

Doctoral student attrition in the United States has reached alarming proportions, with reported rates of approximately 50% across disciplines (Nettles and Millett 2006). Attrition rates of underrepresented populations have been reported at higher rates across disciplines (Council of Graduate Schools 2004), pointing to a disparate experience for these students. Socialization has been shown to be a determining factor in doctoral student success and retention (Turner and Thompson 1993) while not necessarily reflecting how the socialization experience differs by disciplinary and institutional contexts. Through this qualitative study I sought to understand the effects of the socialization process upon doctoral student success and retention in the disciplines of chemistry and history at two institutions. Results highlighted a disparate experience for women, students of color, students with families, part-time students, and older students. Suggestions for policy, practice, and further research are included. Key words socialization . doctoral education . underrepresented populationsSylvia is tired. Now a fourth-year chemistry doctoral student at Land-Grant University, Sylvia is not only working full-time on her research; she is also married and is expecting her third child any day now-all three of whom she has had while in graduate school. During our interview, she sighs, and tells me her impressions of graduate school so far: I guess what continues to surprise me is how hard it is, and why I can't figure out why it's so hard. I think I've just determined that it's just emotionally taxing for some reason, and part of it is that everyday you're trying to defend yourself, and I don't think it's very good for self-esteem, personally.Sylvia has also had a rocky relationship with her advisor throughout her program. I am surprised to hear that her advisor is a woman, also with children, when she tells me about Innov High Educ (2008) 33:125-138

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Sixty doctoral students and 34 faculty members were interviewed in departments identified as having high and low doctoral student completion rates at one institution in the United States in order to examine the cultural contexts and structures that facilitate or hinder doctoral student completion. This paper outlines the differences in understandings of doctoral student attrition by role and by department using attribution theory. Implications for policy, practice, and further research are included.

Using the conceptual framework of social capital, this study outlines the experiences of 20 firstgeneration students currently enrolled in doctoral degree programs. The framework highlights those structures and processes that offer tacit knowledge to students about how to pursue higher education. For students who are the first in their families to attend college, this knowledge is often elusive. Through individual interviews, data were collected to understand student isolation, financial challenges, and sources of support. Implications for institutions are offered.It's like, "This is what you can do, this is where you stay." Those invisible barriers are real. People can't see them, but they're real. -Ryan, Social Work Doctoral Student Commonly defined as individuals whose parents did not receive an undergraduate degree