Survey example: College Doctoral Student survey about mental health and well-being

This is an example of an AI survey for college doctoral students about mental health and well-being—go ahead and see and try the example.

It's hard to design a thoughtful mental health survey for Ph.D. students that gets honest, actionable answers without overwhelming your respondents or yourself.

At Specific, we've turned the science of conversational surveys into a fluid experience for both creators and respondents—every tool you see here is built by Specific.

What is a conversational survey and why AI makes it better for college doctoral students

Making a good survey about mental health and well-being for college doctoral students is tricky. Traditional survey tools often feel rigid and generic—they don’t dig deep, and people drop off halfway. That’s a challenge, especially considering that nearly 40% of graduate students globally experienced anxiety or depression—six times the rate of the general population [2]. We need deeper insight, not surface-level data.

Conversational surveys powered by AI change the game. Instead of a static form, you engage students in a real conversation. The AI adapts, asks smarter questions, and makes every response feel acknowledged. With Specific’s AI survey generator, what used to take hours is now done in minutes—well-structured, empathetic surveys that sound human and adapt in real time.

Why use AI for college doctoral student surveys?

• AI instantly adapts, probing for nuance—essential for capturing honest mental health insights

• You get deep, qualitative feedback, not just checkboxes

• No survey-building expertise required: describe what you need, and the AI handles the rest

Specific leads in conversational surveys, so both you and your respondents have a smooth, engaging experience every step of the way. If you want to perfect your survey structure, see our guide to the best questions for college doctoral student mental health survey or learn how to create a college doctoral student mental health and well-being survey with AI—and, if you want to build something custom, try our AI survey generator from scratch.

Automatic follow-up questions based on previous reply

One thing that really sets Specific apart is its ability to ask automatic follow-up questions in real time. Our AI listens to each answer and then asks a smart, relevant follow-up—just like a skilled interviewer would. This produces far richer insights, especially in sensitive surveys like those about stress, depression, or anxiety among Ph.D. students.

Manual surveys that don’t ask for clarification often leave you with incomplete data. Here’s a typical scenario:

• Doctoral student: “Sometimes I feel overwhelmed during deadlines.”

• AI follow-up: “When you feel overwhelmed, are there specific factors or events that make it worse for you?”

Without that follow-up, you’d be left guessing what “overwhelmed” means or what’s causing it. Worse, you might miss out on context—like if financial worries, lab culture, or isolation make things worse. Automatic follow-ups save you from manual email chains and make feedback collection seamless. Learn more about AI-powered follow-up questions here.

Want to see the impact? Try generating a survey and see how natural the conversation feels—this is what makes it a truly conversational survey.

Easy editing, like magic

Editing your survey should be as simple as chatting. With Specific, just tell the AI what you want changed or added—use everyday language, and the AI will instantly update your survey, bringing expert context to every tweak. No more fiddling with settings or structure; get your desired changes in seconds and focus on what matters most. Get a feel for how easy it is with our AI survey editor.

Flexible survey delivery: landing page and in-product options

Reaching college doctoral students where they are makes a big difference. With Specific, you can:

• Sharable landing page surveys: Perfect for emailing, posting on student portals, sharing in group chats, or distributing on social media. For mental health and well-being surveys, a private link helps students feel safe responding on their own terms.

• In-product surveys: If you have a university system, learning platform, or student app, embed the survey right where students log in. This is ideal for catching thoughts in the moment, like checking in during major project deadlines or stress peaks.

The flexibility helps you maximize participation and get timely feedback.

AI-powered insights: analyze mental health and well-being survey responses instantly

Once responses start rolling in, analyzing them is painless. Specific’s AI survey analysis instantly summarizes answers, surfaces the most important themes, and gives you automated survey insights—all without exporting data or manual number crunching. You’ll see key issues like anxiety, isolation, or academic pressure at a glance, with features like automatic topic detection and the option to chat directly with AI for deeper exploration. For details, see our guide on how to analyze college doctoral student mental health and well-being survey responses with AI or try the AI survey response analysis feature.

See this mental health and well-being survey example now

Jump in and see how a real AI-powered conversational survey can transform feedback from college doctoral students about mental health and well-being. Experience deeper context, fast setup, and genuinely better insights in every response.