Post-Acceptance, Pre-Visit

[la_mod]

Thank you so much, @renea! I am also very very relieved to hear that you’re already expecting your last snow. I’ve been reading online about how Michigan is in a near-constant state of winter, and though I suspected it was perhaps a bit overstated, it’s nice to have this confirmed, ha.

I also tend to dress very casually (probably because I’m tall and can’t do heels), so it’s good to have some context on what you’ve seen in your experience! Also that dress is super cute!

[FishNerd]

7 hours ago, renea said:

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. 

My partner and I are likely not going to be visiting our two programs together either like you, but we will be both still seeing the area and our respective programs independently. This is mainly due to the fact that it appears that our programs are the one's footing the bill for the travel so they are each scheduling things independently and I really hate to ask programs that likely don't interact to plan a trip for both of us. I will bring up the option of my partner coming with me/staying in the same hotel only if I would have a room to myself or something else that would make the school be able to save money overall. While I would love to visit with him I really don't want to be a hassle since we are in such separate departments... Also my schedule is much more flexible than my partners so I think it's just easier to plan separate trips.

[Wabbajack]

11 hours ago, la_mod said:

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.

Hmm, I guess it depends on why you want him there are how long you'll stay. I'll be going to two visit days in March. The first one is for Minnesota, and I'm choosing to bring my husband. Neither one of us have ever been to (much less lived in) the midwest. I think it's important for him to see what it's like and help decide what neighborhood we'd like to live in if we do move there. Thankfully, there is a lot to do in Minneapolis, so he'll keep himself busy on the visit day. We're also taking a few extra days to explore the Twin Cites. My second visit day is for USF (in Tampa), and I don't think my husband will be joining me. He is originally from Miami FL and is familiar with Tampa. He doesn't need to revisit the area to get an idea for what it's like, and I'm not taking any extra days to explore. He doesn't have much of a reason to tag along, and we wouldn't interact much if he did anyway. 

[Pezpoet]

Question for y'all! 

My Pitt visit is all planned and in the books. Since it's a top choice, I was pretty confident I would accept, but decided to wait on one other school. Well, I heard from said school today (a no go). So, now I'm 100 percent on Pitt (yay!). Is it a faux pas to go through the formal acceptance before visiting? Or should I hold off until after I visit, since that time/money is usually allocated as recruitment. 

Thanks for your help!

[signandsignifiers]

Anyone have suggestions for questions that we should be asking our PoIs? I'm arranging a phone conversation with a potential advisor for later this week, and I have some questions in mind, but I feel as though I'm lacking in content I should ask (particularly since I asked the DGS a bunch of the more general program questions).

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

4 hours ago, Pezpoet said:

Question for y'all! 

My Pitt visit is all planned and in the books. Since it's a top choice, I was pretty confident I would accept, but decided to wait on one other school. Well, I heard from said school today (a no go). So, now I'm 100 percent on Pitt (yay!). Is it a faux pas to go through the formal acceptance before visiting? Or should I hold off until after I visit, since that time/money is usually allocated as recruitment. 

Thanks for your help!

Hey! I (obviously) haven't been in that position and I don't recall knowing anyone who has. But, if I were you, I'd think that (on one hand) they're obviously excited to have you and they host the recruitment event with the hope that you will accept, you know? And if you do say yes prior to going, the visit will still serve a purpose for you in terms of meeting people, getting the low-down on the living situation, etc. 

However, I totally get why it feels a bit weird. When is the visit? Is it possible to just hold off until you go and then maybe tell them in person (if you'd like to do that) at the conclusion of the visit? And then fill out the forms/paperwork? It'll give you (in theory) the opportunity to make sure that it's a cool spot/people don't mysteriously disappear into broom closets/you don't have an evil, 3-headed doppleganger in the 'burgh. And will bypass the maybe weirdness of saying yes prior to showing up?

Apologies that this really isn't a definitive answer but I am super jazzed for you.

[Pezpoet]

Thanks for your response @a_sort_of_fractious_angel. The visit isn't until the end of March, so I'm just feeling super itchy eager. But I decided today, over a burrito and beer, to just wait until after the visit to officially accept. Because, broom closets and 3-headed dopplegangers!

[bumbleblu]

That's very exciting, @Pezpoet! I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about the visit; if I get off the waitlist, Pitt is a real possibility, so any info I can get would be welcome. I know it's way out in March, but if you think about it, that would be cool!

[marisawhy]

13 hours ago, signandsignifiers said:

Anyone have suggestions for questions that we should be asking our PoIs? I'm arranging a phone conversation with a potential advisor for later this week, and I have some questions in mind, but I feel as though I'm lacking in content I should ask (particularly since I asked the DGS a bunch of the more general program questions).

I've been using this list of questions from the Campus Visits thread (I don't think it's been dropped here yet - sorry if it has): 

 

While it has questions for a variety of people, some of them are (to me) definitely important for PoIs. Hope this helps!

[Pezpoet]

6 hours ago, bumbleblu said:

That's very exciting, @Pezpoet! I'd be interested to hear your thoughts about the visit; if I get off the waitlist, Pitt is a real possibility, so any info I can get would be welcome. I know it's way out in March, but if you think about it, that would be cool!

I will for sure! I'll PM you when I get back!

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

This may have come up previously, but is anyone here prepping placement questions? I keep trying to formulate a few but I'm not sure I'm asking the right stuff or in the right way .... I'd be happy to chat on here or via PM about it (if anyone is also trying to figure out how to phrase these kinds of questions). 

[melian517]

Hi all, long time lurker but first time poster here. I have a situation where I feel like committed a faux-pas but at the same time it seemed reasonable when I asked? So I got into UBC and Rutgers, which are some of my top choices. They have both offered generous funding packages, but UBC's funding offer expires on March 1st. I'm trying my best to get that extended as much as possible, but it looks like I'll only get an extra 1-2 weeks. Rutgers' visiting weekend isn't until late March, so I asked if I could possibly visit informally before then so I can get a sense of the department before making a decision (I realize that I'll miss out on a lot of the stuff they have planned, but I was hoping to at least get the chance to talk to a few people. Also, I live in NY and driving distance to the campus, so I'm not looking for any kind of reimbursements). But when I mentioned it to my POI and even my friend who's a student there, they both seem really surprised and even kind of frustrated that I have a shorter deadline and want to visit early. Did I make a major mistake? Should I forget about visiting early and just try to make my decision anyway, or was I right that this wasn't such a big deal to at least inquire about it? I have pretty severe social anxiety, so I am probably overthinking this but I just don't want to sour a relationship with some really great people at Rutgers.

[M(allthevowels)H]

1 hour ago, melian517 said:

Hi all, long time lurker but first time poster here. I have a situation where I feel like committed a faux-pas but at the same time it seemed reasonable when I asked? So I got into UBC and Rutgers, which are some of my top choices. They have both offered generous funding packages, but UBC's funding offer expires on March 1st. I'm trying my best to get that extended as much as possible, but it looks like I'll only get an extra 1-2 weeks. Rutgers' visiting weekend isn't until late March, so I asked if I could possibly visit informally before then so I can get a sense of the department before making a decision (I realize that I'll miss out on a lot of the stuff they have planned, but I was hoping to at least get the chance to talk to a few people. Also, I live in NY and driving distance to the campus, so I'm not looking for any kind of reimbursements). But when I mentioned it to my POI and even my friend who's a student there, they both seem really surprised and even kind of frustrated that I have a shorter deadline and want to visit early. Did I make a major mistake? Should I forget about visiting early and just try to make my decision anyway, or was I right that this wasn't such a big deal to at least inquire about it? I have pretty severe social anxiety, so I am probably overthinking this but I just don't want to sour a relationship with some really great people at Rutgers.

You are totally within your rights to visit informally!

Every single one of my schools but one decided it'd be cool to have a visit on the same weekend, one when I have immovable obligations, so I am going to one formal event and visiting informally the others. No one has acted like it was an issue, and they've even still used the funding that would have been set aside for that time period for the alternate time instead. Honestly, I say this as someone with only mild social anxiety, it may be a better choice for you anyway. It's just you rather than a group, which means you won't run the risk of sharing a hotel room and will have more moments alone to kind of decompress. You can arrange to sit in on a class and have a meeting with a POI (I approached this by saying I would email X for permission to sit in on their Title class during the time period, and most of the organizers have just told me not to worry and set it up instead) and possibly a current student, so you may not get the full benefit of the events planned but you can certainly learn a lot about the program.

I mean, honestly, I expected to kind of be left to my own devices because I was going on an off time period and didn't want to disrupt anything, but the schools have been so, so great about making sure I'll still have every opportunity to get a feel for the campus. Maaaaybe they're just afraid there'd be this weird girl wandering around eavesdropping on people and so they wanted to make sure I had an itinerary, but in any case, so far it has really worked out.

[renea]

6 hours ago, melian517 said:

but UBC's funding offer expires on March 1st. I'm trying my best to get that extended as much as possible, but it looks like I'll only get an extra 1-2 weeks. Rutgers' visiting weekend isn't until late March, so I asked if I could possibly visit informally before then so I can get a sense of the department before making a decision

First off: it is totally reasonable to want to visit earlier and offer to pay for your own expenses. 

However, I think you should really be looking to UBC for flexibility rather than your other program. It's ridiculous to make a funding offer expire before the April 15th deadline. Many applicants do not even hear from all their programs prior to then (even I haven't heard from all my programs yet). I would honestly try to talk to UBC again. Let them know that you have another offer and about the visit. I feel that they should be considerate of your options and your time. 

[melian517]

Thank you, @M(allthevowels)H and @renea!! I'm glad to know I'm within my rights to ask for an earlier visit. I had mentioned to UBC that the US deadline is April 15th, and the head of the department understood but didn't feel like she'd be able to do that. I'm definitely frustrated with UBC but I also don't want to antagonize them because I'd never be able to afford moving there if not for the funding package.

[JustPoesieAlong]

Edit: Question no longer relevant. 

Edited February 27, 2018 by JustPoesieAlong

[Crow T. Robot]

So... how have everyone's experiences exchanging phone calls/emails with programs been? I'm trying not to read into them too much, but the faculty and students in one of my programs, who all seem absolutely lovely, have been not the most responsive in communicating... i.e., scheduling calls with multiple profs (after they reached out to me) and them not calling, profs and students not emailing me back (after they initiated contact), etc. I'm really, really trying to not feel entitled to anyone's time--I know how busy everyone is, and it's incredibly generous that people are even taking the time to talk with me in the first place--but nothing like this has happened with any of the other programs I've been in contact with.

My basic fear, I guess, is that I really do not want to end up in a program where people are too busy to work with me and I have to move heaven and earth to get on anyone's calendar. I don't really know if this kind of contact pattern is enough to extrapolate from, and I recognize that my MA experience in a very small department where students got more access to profs may be coloring my perception, but I can't help but be a little concerned. Thoughts??

[Hermenewtics]

2 hours ago, Crow T. Robot said:

So... how have everyone's experiences exchanging phone calls/emails with programs been? I'm trying not to read into them too much, but the faculty and students in one of my programs, who all seem absolutely lovely, have been not the most responsive in communicating... i.e., scheduling calls with multiple profs (after they reached out to me) and them not calling, profs and students not emailing me back (after they initiated contact), etc. I'm really, really trying to not feel entitled to anyone's time--I know how busy everyone is, and it's incredibly generous that people are even taking the time to talk with me in the first place--but nothing like this has happened with any of the other programs I've been in contact with.

My basic fear, I guess, is that I really do not want to end up in a program where people are too busy to work with me and I have to move heaven and earth to get on anyone's calendar. I don't really know if this kind of contact pattern is enough to extrapolate from, and I recognize that my MA experience in a very small department where students got more access to profs may be coloring my perception, but I can't help but be a little concerned. Thoughts??

I'm actually having similar issues with a couple of my schools. They ask graduate students to e-mail you, the faculty reach out, and then people seem to lose interest. I've got one e-mail that I sent to a POI two weeks ago and I haven't heard back. Comforting, isn't it? But I'm not taking it too seriously unless I've heard or been told that the department has these kinds of issues on the inside. For example, Temple has kind of sucked at communicating with me so far, but everyone I've talked to who's not from Temple has really great things to say about people there or friends who've reported good things. If you're having consistently bad interactions with a department it may be time to ask around and see what people are saying about the department outside of the (admittedly odd) context of wooing graduate students. 

[clinamen]

3 hours ago, Crow T. Robot said:

So... how have everyone's experiences exchanging phone calls/emails with programs been? I'm trying not to read into them too much, but the faculty and students in one of my programs, who all seem absolutely lovely, have been not the most responsive in communicating... i.e., scheduling calls with multiple profs (after they reached out to me) and them not calling, profs and students not emailing me back (after they initiated contact), etc. I'm really, really trying to not feel entitled to anyone's time--I know how busy everyone is, and it's incredibly generous that people are even taking the time to talk with me in the first place--but nothing like this has happened with any of the other programs I've been in contact with.

My basic fear, I guess, is that I really do not want to end up in a program where people are too busy to work with me and I have to move heaven and earth to get on anyone's calendar. I don't really know if this kind of contact pattern is enough to extrapolate from, and I recognize that my MA experience in a very small department where students got more access to profs may be coloring my perception, but I can't help but be a little concerned. Thoughts??

It’s actually surprising to me how much communication from the programs (or lack thereof) is playing in my decision making process. I have similar worries — I don’t want to end up in a program that doesn’t make grad students a priority or with faculty that isn’t super communicative. I guess I just wanted to add that I’m also having these problems with some of the programs I’ve been admitted to and I am equally concerned. I’m also hoping all this might change after visits? Alternatively, some programs have been great and it’s really making me lean in those directions. 

[bumbleblu]

7 hours ago, Crow T. Robot said:

So... how have everyone's experiences exchanging phone calls/emails with programs been? I'm trying not to read into them too much, but the faculty and students in one of my programs, who all seem absolutely lovely, have been not the most responsive in communicating... i.e., scheduling calls with multiple profs (after they reached out to me) and them not calling, profs and students not emailing me back (after they initiated contact), etc. I'm really, really trying to not feel entitled to anyone's time--I know how busy everyone is, and it's incredibly generous that people are even taking the time to talk with me in the first place--but nothing like this has happened with any of the other programs I've been in contact with.

My basic fear, I guess, is that I really do not want to end up in a program where people are too busy to work with me and I have to move heaven and earth to get on anyone's calendar. I don't really know if this kind of contact pattern is enough to extrapolate from, and I recognize that my MA experience in a very small department where students got more access to profs may be coloring my perception, but I can't help but be a little concerned. Thoughts??

I'm having this problem with one of my schools as well, and I'm glad (?) I'm not the only one. Between my acceptance at the end of January and this week, I had heard nothing from the DGS (despite having emailed him). He called me yesterday to tell me about my funding offer, and the phone call lasted less than 4 minutes and felt really rushed (we had scheduled a time to talk according to his schedule). It's put a really bad taste in my mouth regarding this school. I've had good interactions with some students there (and they've had good things to say about the faculty and DGS), so I'm wondering how much I'm reading into this.

All my other schools (including the waitlists) have been very responsive and communicative, and are making it clear that they want me there. 

It's definitely starting to influence my decision-making process as well.

[EspritHabile]

@Crow T. Robot, you are certainly not alone!

 

One program assured me that folks would be in touch soon after my acceptance. It took about 3 weeks or so, but then they REALLY got in touch.  I have since received multiple emails from faculty (oh god, they are all so nice!), and incredibly generous emails and phone calls from grad students. I've been given straight answers to all of my questions, sample syllabi and job duties explanations, etc. etc. I'm being wooed. It's nice. And without prompting, students have said that the kindness, accessibility, and helpfulness of the program's folks continues beyond this courting phase. That makes me feel good about my prior assessment of fit at this program. And a LOT of helpful info is available on the website, so it seems like the institution as a whole does a good job of making expectations and resources readily accessible.

 

Another program was being awkward about notifications, addressed my admissions letter to *not my name* and has not followed up with me. I've also not been contacted by a single faculty member, and the graduate student who was asked to email me ghosted (going on a month now). I've heard great things about the program from other people, and obviously I thought they were a good fit or I wouldn't have applied, but the total breakdown/lack of communication significantly shapes my impressions.

 

Another program was very outgoing, friendly, and responsive but did not give me straight answers to some of my key questions. They kinda seemed like they didn't know some of the basic info they should, which was a little alarming. And on one point, they refused to come out and say "no" and instead beat around the bush and tried to couch their response in some weirdly unrelated information. And it's not like I am asking inappropriate or privileged questions. Their website also has a lot of missing or contradictory info,  so while I still like this program a lot for the POI, curriculum, and professional opportunities,  and the funding is a-mazing, I'm on the fence. 

Yet another program has been SO FREAKING NICE and helpful and charming and lovely.  In the course of conversations with their faculty and students I realized they're not the right fit for my Ph.D. aspirations but holy crap do I wish I'd done my MA work there. 

[jrockford27]

On 2/20/2018 at 5:03 PM, Pezpoet said:

Is it a faux pas to go through the formal acceptance before visiting? Or should I hold off until after I visit, since that time/money is usually allocated as recruitment. 

Thanks for your help!

Absolutely not! A visit will start your formal relationship with faculty who want to work with you, as well as your future colleagues, and also give you a sense of the city so you can better prepare to move there.

Edited March 2, 2018 by jrockford27

[Cassifrassidy]

Not sure if this is the place to post, but am wondering: how important is the "prestige" of your program? I've been accepted into a fully funded MA program which I really like--but I'm wondering if it is "prestigious" enough to help me get into a good Ph.D program if I eventually go down that route, or if that even matters? While I'm not first gen, only three of my family members have college degrees, none beyond the BA, so applying for graduate programs has been very confusing for me (thank god for GradCafe), so any info would be helpful!

[la_mod]

3 minutes ago, Cassifrassidy said:

Not sure if this is the place to post, but am wondering: how important is the "prestige" of your program? I've been accepted into a fully funded MA program which I really like--but I'm wondering if it is "prestigious" enough to help me get into a good Ph.D program if I eventually go down that route, or if that even matters? While I'm not first gen, only three of my family members have college degrees, none beyond the BA, so applying for graduate programs has been very confusing for me (thank god for GradCafe), so any info would be helpful!

I’m sure someone who has a MA could speak to this better, but: fuck prestige for BA / MAs! It matters what you do there. I went to a kinda meh-ranked school and made up for it by doing well while there, taking extra research opportunities, etc. I know that other people on this forum went to unranked MAs and got into great schools. 

[Cassifrassidy]

6 minutes ago, la_mod said:

I’m sure someone who has a MA could speak to this better, but: fuck prestige for BA / MAs! It matters what you do there. I went to a kinda meh-ranked school and made up for it by doing well while there, taking extra research opportunities, etc. I know that other people on this forum went to unranked MAs and got into great schools. 

That's what I definitely want to hear! I'm from a very small, rural town in Kentucky (read, less than 1,000 people), and I went to a wealthy private school for undergrad which I didn't enjoy much beyond academics. I was hesitant to apply to an Ivy League or other private institution for grad school, but it seems to me like grad programs (especially funded ones) are all pretty competitive and can be what you make them (like you said)? Now I'm just wondering if that's my own bias though lol