Post-Acceptance, Pre-Visit

[CulturalCriminal]

12 hours ago, katie64 said:

I find this conversation about titles quite interesting and funny. I call all of my former professors Dr. X, even the one I have met at Starbucks after I graduated and the one I'm Facebook friends with that randomly texted me last week 

Same. Even when they ask for first-name basis, I only use first names when I’m talking in person to them. If I’m talking about them or emailing them, it’s Dr so-and-so. My friends all assume it’s my military background, but I was doing that long before I was in the army. University email often becomes semi-public to view after so long in some states; I don’t want people seeing emails from me that start with “hi Bob”.

[LeeLeeCzechIrish]

On ‎2‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 2:34 PM, jrockford27 said:

Rule of thumb, address them as Dr. until they tell you not to (they should do this very quickly unless they're way into titles).

This is such a great question!! One of my POIs (he read over my SOP) said nobody uses "Dr." since almost everyone has that title, and that using first and last name was the way to go. However, this was for an SOP. Still not sure what to call people!

Also, I did kind of get a little high when my students would call me "Dr" or "Professor" in their emails! I guess I should have corrected them...

[renea]

In my undergrad I called all my professors by Dr or their last name alone, but now I don't do that.

I always call people Dr in an email to them and wait for their signature, but otherwise I go by their first and last name (when referencing them in a conversation or paper), and by their first name in person or if I know them. 

No one in my department goes by Dr, and when we get new ppl who refer to them as Dr or professor it is super cringey and noticeable.

Grated I'm in rhet/comp and our discipline had always felt more casual compared to lit. 

[signandsignifiers]

On 2/15/2018 at 11:26 AM, a_sort_of_fractious_angel said:

*Also, this is not a stupid question - this is a great question and I spend a lot of time fretting over if I'm coming off as weirdly formal and, if so, am I within the boundaries of normal weird or not.

I, also, have spent an inordinate amount of time worrying about this. I was operating off of the assumption that I would call them by whatever they signed off as in their email; now I'm wondering if I committed a post-acceptance academic faux-pas by addressing both of the POIs that I've emailed so far by their first name (especially since I have really no grasp of academic formality as my undergraduate institution is really chill about titles--I called all of my profs by their first names).

[signandsignifiers]

On 2/15/2018 at 4:05 PM, chellyfish_ said:

the time between when they accept you and you accept them should be the funnest time for admits,  because it's when the school basically wants to court you for your favor  

Now I'm imagining going up to whichever program I accept with a rose (or would it be the other way around? I've never actually seen the Bachelor(ette)).

I've also heard from a couple of people that if a program accepts you, that means they want you, so don't be afraid to try and negotiate with them. The're not going to rescind their offer because you ask for something.

[chouette]

1 hour ago, signandsignifiers said:

I, also, have spent an inordinate amount of time worrying about this. I was operating off of the assumption that I would call them by whatever they signed off as in their email; now I'm wondering if I committed a post-acceptance academic faux-pas by addressing both of the POIs that I've emailed so far by their first name (especially since I have really no grasp of academic formality as my undergraduate institution is really chill about titles--I called all of my profs by their first names).

Same here, I’ve been using first names in all my communication because that’s what  my profs preferred in undergrad. It wasn’t until I saw the debate on this thread that I realized it’s not the norm ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[JustPoesieAlong]

I call all my professors from my MA program by their first names, but it's been SO DIFFICULT to call my undergrad profs, even those I'm Facebook friends with, by their first names. I guess it's just about the different styles of interaction between undergrad and grad, but it's still so weird to me. 

Edited February 17, 2018 by JustPoesieAlong

[Mellowyellow]

Hi! Could someone direct me to data on comparative placement? I've looked through some forums but I haven't found any recent info that lists schools clearly based on placement records. 

[Mellowyellow]

I thought this would be a good forum for the Q since i'd like to have this info in the back of my mind before the visitings.  

[bpilgrim89]

10 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Hi! Could someone direct me to data on comparative placement? I've looked through some forums but I haven't found any recent info that lists schools clearly based on placement records. 

So Yale has this weird website which seems like the best resource I have seen. It's a little dated (Top US 30 Rankings here include Chicago down at #9!) but importantly, it's divided up by assistant, associate, and professor. So, you can see who is producing a lot of assistant professors, i.e. their most recent placements.

Also, this is by raw number. For example, Johns Hopkins might seem lower with their placement, but you have to keep in mind the size of their graduate class is tiny as well.

I know this isn't helpful for those applying outside of these arbitrary rankings, but for any of you who are, this might be of some use.

Edited February 18, 2018 by bpilgrim89
Additional hesitations

[renea]

10 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I thought this would be a good forum for the Q since i'd like to have this info in the back of my mind before the visitings.  

Other than a program's site, I cannot think of where you would find this info (at least up to date), especially considering that different schools define placement differently. Although, I would imagine that this would be a good question to ask on your visit. A DGS should know

[Mellowyellow]

@bpilgrim89 and @renea, thank you!

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

In prepping for my first visit, I realized that I don't know if I should/could take notes? 

Looks like there are 4 parts to the visit: one on one meetings, social meetings/gatherings, a sit-on on a class, and some prepared remarks. 

I think taking notes at a bar gathering/lunch/one on one meetings is perhaps a bit much but would it be bonkers to take notes during the class and the presentations? 

Edited February 19, 2018 by a_sort_of_fractious_angel

[unicornsarereal]

38 minutes ago, a_sort_of_fractious_angel said:

In prepping for my first visit, I realized that I don't know if I should/could take notes? 

Looks like there are 4 parts to the visit: one on one meetings, social meetings/gatherings, a sit-on on a class, and some prepared remarks. 

I think taking notes at a bar gathering/lunch/one on one meetings is perhaps a bit much but would it be bonkers to take notes during the class and the presentations? 

oh hun my notebook is going to be on me AT ALL TIMES.

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

3 minutes ago, unicornsarereal said:

oh hun my notebook is going to be on me AT ALL TIMES.

 this brings me joy.

[FishNerd]

@a_sort_of_fractious_angel & @unicornsarereal

I'm definitely going to have a notebook on me at all times during my upcoming visits! My master's advisor greatly encouraged me to do so because if not you could easily forget things/impressions that you wanted to take note of and remember for later.

Also if you are worried about looking silly I totally plan on commenting/joking about it (that's just my style when I feel awkward about something). This could maybe be a poor choice though because while it could ease any awkwardness or potentially make it exponentially more awkward haha!

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

3 minutes ago, FishNerd said:

@a_sort_of_fractious_angel & @unicornsarereal

I'm definitely going to have a notebook on me at all times during my upcoming visits! My master's advisor greatly encouraged me to do so because if not you could easily forget things/impressions that you wanted to take note of and remember for later.

Also if you are worried about looking silly I totally plan on commenting/joking about it (that's just my style when I feel awkward about something). This could maybe be a poor choice though because while it could ease any awkwardness or potentially make it exponentially more awkward haha!

That's solid advice for sure - I'm sure these visits seem to fly by. 

And I will definitely crack a joke or two myself - I've already (awkwardly) revealed my deep love (and need) for paperwork to the DGS of one program, so perhaps they won't be all that surprised. But the jokes are ready for everyone who hasn't yet been introduced to my multi-color clicky pen. 

Also, the thought of sitting in on a class and just .... staring at people .... I can''t. I won't. I figure I'll just note down what's discussed and in what way. That's gotta be less awkward than peering at people, right?

[FishNerd]

15 minutes ago, a_sort_of_fractious_angel said:

Also, the thought of sitting in on a class and just .... staring at people .... I can''t. I won't. I figure I'll just note down what's discussed and in what way. That's gotta be less awkward than peering at people, right?

I would think taking notes on what's discussed would be fine and a good way to occupy yourself. I'm not sure if I will be sitting in on any classes (don't have my itinerary yet for my visits) but I might take notice/notes of how engaged the students are in the class, what I like/don't like about the class, and anything else that jumped out to me as important to note as a prospective student.

[hotpotato]

On 2/16/2018 at 9:00 PM, renea said:

Ugh I wish I had thought of asking this. I'm going to a visit next weekend which is a 3 day/two night stay with two days being travel. I told the graduate coordinator booking the flight that I was open to leaving early my first day and staying late my second because I wanted to see the area, and she ended up booking me a flight getting in at 9pm and leaving at 7am. I'm so grateful that they're paying for everything, but I'm basically only going to be there for one day which doesn't seem like any time to do anything besides see the school. 

I didn't even think of it myself tbh, lol. I was telling someone "I wish I would have had more time to look around" and she suggested it to me.

It was a little awkward because the school had already booked the tickets, but they were really cool about it and changed it for me pretty quickly, so I wound up with an extra day at no extra cost to me, except for paying for the extra hotel night.

Let them know (email them now maybe!) that you want to see the area a little bit and if time allows at all, they'll probably try to help you out! People seem pretty accommodating when it comes to admit visit days. I hope you enjoy the visit!

[renea]

14 hours ago, hotpotato said:

I didn't even think of it myself tbh, lol. I was telling someone "I wish I would have had more time to look around" and she suggested it to me.

It was a little awkward because the school had already booked the tickets, but they were really cool about it and changed it for me pretty quickly, so I wound up with an extra day at no extra cost to me, except for paying for the extra hotel night.

Let them know (email them now maybe!) that you want to see the area a little bit and if time allows at all, they'll probably try to help you out! People seem pretty accommodating when it comes to admit visit days. I hope you enjoy the visit!

Thank you, I will consider it (although the visit is this Thursday so idk if they'll be able to change things around that quick)

[renea]

14 hours ago, hotpotato said:

I didn't even think of it myself tbh, lol. I was telling someone "I wish I would have had more time to look around" and she suggested it to me.

It was a little awkward because the school had already booked the tickets, but they were really cool about it and changed it for me pretty quickly, so I wound up with an extra day at no extra cost to me, except for paying for the extra hotel night.

Let them know (email them now maybe!) that you want to see the area a little bit and if time allows at all, they'll probably try to help you out! People seem pretty accommodating when it comes to admit visit days. I hope you enjoy the visit!

Ugh I reached out, and got a swift no email. It was pretty awkward. It's weird, because I have found far more convenient (time wise) flights that are reasonable amounts (I don't know how much they paid, but the flight that I'm pretty sure they booked me is far more expensive than the ones I found). Although, I'm sure programs potentially get discounts or might have a preferred airline they use so maybe the flight they booked was the cheapest at the time.

 

[hotpotato]

@renea Oh no, that's too bad! By my suggestion I meant more of a "is there any time in the visit schedule to squeeze in a look around at the area/town?". If you have a few unoccupied hours or a relatively light night I bet a student would be happy to show you around a little. With under a week to go I'm not surprised they couldn't change the flights - changing/cancelling anything with an airline is hell, although I'm sure schools fly people in and out so often that they do have some discount/frequent flyer or relationship with a couple airlines.

[Yanaka]

I had a lot of fun reading the Prof. X and Dr. X messages. I could feel my inner X-Men power vibrate  

[la_mod]

Guys, I don’t want to sound silly, but I have never attended a recruitment weekend and have no clue what to expect. I have some questions:

1. What are some things I should be asking POIs in one on one meetings?

2. How much of this will be awkward small talk?

3. What do I wear? Lol mainly asking for Michigan, because I’m worried it’ll be colder than I’m ised to at the end of March and I know I’m going to want to wear three sweatshirts (but I won’t, because I’m a Serious Academic or whatever).

4. Suggestions on whether or not to bring my boyfriend? Obviously he can’t come to meetings / departmental stuff, but I’d like him to be able to weigh in. I don’t currently have plans for him to join me, but I’m wondering what you all have done. @punctilious, what are your plans for visiting with your husband?

[renea]

21 minutes ago, la_mod said:

3. What do I wear? Lol mainly asking for Michigan, because I’m worried it’ll be colder than I’m ised to at the end of March and I know I’m going to want to wear three sweatshirts (but I won’t, because I’m a Serious Academic or whatever).

4. Suggestions on whether or not to bring my boyfriend? 

Currently living in MI and married so I'll try to address these two.

For Michigan weather, I'd just suggest layers. Any day now we'll be expecting our last snow, so we're basically going back and forth between rain and snow. Do not wear any shoes you would be upset about getting wet though, when it's inbetween rain and snow we get lots of muddy puddles and ice patches. No one will bat an eye if you show up wearing comfy boots (although know that I wear vans or ballet flats plenty of days, our sidewalks on campus are very clear unless we're in the middle of storm or it's the weekend). Just bring whatever coat you have (in case), and maybe a light cardigan or jacket in case it's warm that weekend (we've had some weeks recently in the 40s/50s). Personally I go back and forth between a dress with tights, boots, and a sweater, or a flannel with jeans. If you have gloves and a scarf though you should be cozy regardless of what you're wearing underneat the jacket. If it's super cold (which I don't think it will be) I doubt the program will take you on a full campus tour.

I've never been to a preview weekend, but I'm heading to one this week, and I'm wearing this dress with tights and some low heel boots. I, however, tend to dress like this on an average day. I was by my advisor that most preview weekends are fairly casual and to wear what you're most comfortable in. Basically, be yourself, but just a little more polished. If your visit is more than a day or so, I'd just pack a couple of nicer outfits (read: very casual business or whatever you would wear to meet your BF's parents for the first time) and a couple of more casual (like jeans and a nice top) things. If you notice everyone is more dressed up or down on the first day you can change accordingly. I'm at MSU, and most of the people at our recruitment last year wore jeans and button downs or blouses. 

 

In terms of the BF.... it'll depend on a few things.

A few years ago I went with my husband to a recruitment weekend of his. I had scheduled a few appointments with people in my respective department, but since I wasn't attending an official preview weekend, I had a lot of free time on my hand. Luckily, the department paid for his own hotel room, so I stayed with him. He was fully scheduled for the entire visit so I explored the campus and city without him. I personally didn't mind (I enjoy my alone time and we were at the University of Oklahoma which has a very nice campus and an amazing museum on campus so I was fairly occupied). Later when the visit was over we ended up visiting a few places nearby before we headed home. 

If your boyfriend doesn't mind that you'll be busy or it won't be too expensive to have him come along I say go for it. If you have your own hotel room, then really it shouldn't matter to anyone but you and him if he tags along. If you wanted to be strategic, I'd task him with scoping out the city while you're doing all the recruitment stuff- see what he thinks and if you end up with spare time you'll have a buddy to go site seeing.

 

I know though that this time we are not visiting departments together. With work and school it just didn't make sense, plus these visits are already adding up even if the departments are paying for the trips airport travel, parking, food, time off work- it's getting to be expensive. 

Luckily, we each have scheduled visits at our top two programs, so between the two of us we'll see both cities, just not together.