lauralal

Long story short, when I applied to go to my current state school for undergrad, I had no concrete plans for grad school and certainly did not know that it had an excellent program for my now intended field, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Psychology. I love it here, and because it really is one of the best programs in the country, it was my #1 pick when applying. I just got the phone call that said I'm in for the interviewing process, which I have very few details on, but basically seems to be a lot of one-on-one interviews with faculty and directors of the school's disability center, as well as a group dinner. They said it would span over 2ish days. Other than basic interviewing tips, I want to ask how to approach the fact that I am already an undergrad student here, and want to continue grad school here. When my potential advisor called, he made a point of saying the school covers hotel fees and such, and he seemed a little taken aback when I waved him off because I'm local. I have heard grad schools do not like accepting from their own undergrad, and I don't want this to hurt me during the event. Any tips on how to play this off? Should I avoid it? Use it as a strength? Also, I am graduating early so I am only 20 right now, and I heard that sometimes drinking is a thing after dinner. Will not being able to partake impact some of the socialization aspects of the process? Again, any tips for an event like this are apreciated!