anon_grad

Just sent email accepting his invitation - I figure worst case scenario I'll get to see some cool stuff at the conference and hang out with a few of my friends in Boston.

Let me set the stage. I have been in fairly close contact with a POI at my top choice - met with him twice, once at my current university and again at his. I have been in fairly frequent email contact with him. He is the program chair for an upcoming conference hosted at his university and has invited me to attend as a "student volunteer". This means I have to pay for room, board and travel, but he waives my registration fee. The conference is at the end of March. This is a design/technology program at prestigious northern technology school that starts with an "M" that is very very selective and is notorious for late decisions. Based on previous history, late March may be only a week or so after they send admission decisions. I didn't have the balls to ask if they would could consider the conference an admitted student visit or an interview trip and they could cover my travel - because I assume my admittance is still very much up in the air. I'm thinking I should go. What's another $400 in a process that has already cost me ~$650. I have some money from when I worked and I can kind of afford it. Plus, this is my top choice - what if this IS the interview! What do you think? Should I do it? Am I in? (posting anon and obscuring the program name in case somebody uses google)