Campus visits? Worth it?

[zaeta266]

Hi everyone! I've been invited to a campus visit with all travel expenses covered, which I'm super grateful for, but I'm conflicted about going because the dates don't work the greatest with my schedule. I could go, but it'd cause quite a bit of trouble for me. I don't have any decisions to make, since I already know for sure that I'm going there. I guess what I'm wondering is what's your experience been with campus visits. If I don't need to decide between different programs, would you say that it's still a very valuable experience? Is going worth the scheduling headaches?

[Elephas]

If you already know that you will be deciding on attending there are some values(asking questions from current graduate students, getting info on the best way to move there, etc) However these could also be achieved via  video chat. So far my campus visit was very valuable because I got an idea of the culture of the program and the people there as well as what living there would be like. Skype chats do tell a lot but I don't feel that I got the full picture until I visited.

[Glasperlenspieler]

If you're asking about a PhD program, then this is a decision that could affect the next 5+ years of your life and beyond. I think if you can, it's best not to make such decisions sight unseen.

[astrobuzz]

I would agree with the above posters - given how much time you'll be spending at this place, it's probably worth it to lay eyes on the campus, even if you know you're good to attend.

(also for any students who are still waiting to hear back and deciding whether or not to pre-emptively visit...I would recommend it. I've had two positive effects from visiting schools before acceptances. The first school rejected me, but the advisor liked me so much from my visit that she sent me a personal apology email and offered me a summer research position in her lab. In the case of the second one, I actually got the acceptance, even though I didn't think I was competitive enough for the school)

[rising_star]

I would visit if you can. If you know you're going, you can use it as a chance to scope out housing and other aspects of the area you might be interested in.

[saranatali25]

don't play blind. Think carefully

[gradschoolprobs]

Definetely go visit.