Cederstacker

As for how to phrase the request, value clarity over politeness. Nobody will be offended that money factors into your decision -- state your other offer and how much it is, and then simply ask the other school to match.

PROFILE: Type of Undergrad Institution: middle of nowhere, unranked SLAC Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science Undergrad GPA: 3.5 Type of Grad: n/a Grad GPA: n/a GRE: 169/156/4.5 Any Special Courses: not really Letters of Recommendation: no one notable, but I know all of my professors very, very well Research Experience: one coauthored article, a pretty decent undergrad thesis Teaching Experience: none Subfield/Research Interests: comparative, methods Other: RESULTS: Acceptances($$ or no $$): Michigan State, Maryland, Penn State Waitlists: Notre Dame, UVA, Michigan Rejections: GWU, MIT, Cornell, Northwestern Pending: Going to: Penn State LESSONS LEARNED: 1. Unlike others, I found fit to be pretty irrelevant. I had a much stronger fit at the schools I was rejected to, and honestly had very few shared research interests with the schools I was accepted to. If fit matters, in my experience, it mattered in terms of the style of research you want to pursue, rather than the specific questions you want to ask. 2. I skipped the formal visiting weekends of all the schools I was accepted into, and visited on my own time. This was probably the best decision I made during the process. By visiting at a different time more convenient to my schedule, I didn't have to rush, and more importantly, I was able to have one-on-one discussions with 8 or 10 faculty members. This was indispensable. SOP: PM me for SOP

Turned down funded offers to Maryland and Michigan State. Both in comparative. Also, when talking to Michigan, I got the impression that all their comparative slots were filled. So take that for what it's worth. Best of luck to everybody!

They don't have an official visit.

Do you have a particular region you want to study? That will go a long way to determine fit....for example, Michigan State would be one of the best places to study African democratization.

Hello fellow folks-that-need-a-legitimate-hobby! Long time lurker, first time poster. Can anyone comment on the utility of these official visit weekends? I'm in a position where I could visit a school outside of the official visit weekend and not take any time off, or visit during the weekend and have to torture my schedule a bit. I'd be happy to go if it's going to be a more informative experience, but if I'm just missing going out to a bar with some other prospects, I'd rather not take time off.