I am starting PhD (in computer science) in a couple of weeks, and I'm relocating from Europe to USA for this purpose. I still need to buy tickets, and it costs less if you buy a round-trip rather than a one-way tickets. However, it may be hard to predict when is the best time to return and visit Europe.
My term times are:
September 23 - December 14
January 2 - March 22
March 27 - June 13
Although instruction usually starts 1-4 days after the start of the term.
It does seem that there are two times per year for visiting home - during Christmas and summer. I am not considering using the Christmas time during the first year, as this time is better spent getting used to the (still) new environment at the university. However, I am wondering about the summer time.
Do I understand correctly that most PhD students prefer to stay at the university during their first summer, rather than looking for an internship? I guess this is a nice time to get to know your professors better, and actually focus entirely on the research. Are there any guidelines what is normally the best time of the summer when you can leave the campus to miss out on as few things as possible? I assume it's either right after the end of term 3, or right before the start of the next academic year.
How long is your usual summer vacation at home?