Visiting on non-visiting day

[StellaBa]

I'm currently accepted to two PhD and two Master's programs in education. I'm freaking out because I can't decide which program to choose. The PhD programs have a pretty good fit, but I haven't spoken to my potential advisor about the details of the program. One of the Master's programs I'm accepted to is in Harvard GSE, and since I'm coming straight from undergrad, I think a getting a Master's at such a renowned school may be a great thing to do as well. 

I'm thinking of attending the Ed.M. Open house in Harvard GSE to get a better picture of the program. And since I would be travelling a very(VERY) long distance, I'm considering paying visits to the two PhD schools. The thing is, I would be visiting the two PhD programs when it is not visiting day. I'm not sure what to expect and what kind of information I can get when I go to a campus on a regular day when people are not expecting me. I will try to make appointments with potential advisors, but I'm afraid that's all I would get.

Would the two extra visits be worth the cost and time? What can I expect when I visit a school when it's not visiting day?

[Elephas]

On a non explicit visit day you wouldn't likely be able to view as much of the research/work generally going on in the department, will meet less people, and will likely have to work around the schedules of potential advisors. You would have the chance to visit the campus and see it in person, get a vibe of the deparment as well as the students (undergrad & grad) on a regular day and see how they are enjoying their time. Since it's not an explicit visit day you'll likely have to visit on a week day, which is preferable as more people will be around, but can be inconvenient in terms of your current schedule. 

Budget wise I think that's a personal decision on how much you're willing to spend, funding offers at the PhD programs vs masters program and things like that. If you're able to visit I think it's always a good choice.

[SomeoneThrewMyShoe]

I'm not in your field, but in my experience schools are usually pretty accomodating when it comes to visiting days, especially since they've already accepted you, they're probably going to be very open to helping you visit the school. Although it's nice to attend the visiting days to meet your potential fellow cohort and get the FULL experience, if you contact the department ahead of time, they could very well offer to coordinate your visit/potentially fund it.

I'm on a trip abroad during the visitation days for one of my programs and I asked if there were any other options: and they're paying for me to fly out, arranged for me to meet with the faculty, and to have a lunch with a few of the current students. It's not the FULL experience, but they were super willing to help - because they want me to attend the school (and I'm likely going to). 

It's possible that they won't be able to fund you, but if they were going to pay to fund you during your official visitation days, they might extend the courtesy to a different day. I think the grad director would also happily help you coordinate a visit with potential POIs. 

 

[emjayco]

I went to both of my accepted schools on non-visitation days. The school admissions person or graduate assistant set up meetings for me with faculty, students and gave me the opportunity to sit in on classes. It definitely felt more authentic as to what being at the school will be like. I had no issues when I explained that I simply was unable to travel on that set visitation date. They've accepted you, so they want you to come. If they are not flexible, I might wonder how flexible of a program that would be to participate in (unless they are on spring break, have conference conflicts, events, etc). I haven't gotten any kick back and one school even said for doctoral students its even better to come on non-visitation day as it can be more focused to you and your questions/experience. I hope this helps!

[rising_star]

@StellaBa, you should definitely make sure the schools are expecting you, regardless of whether or not it's an official visit day. I think most of my visits were outside of official visit days. But, the departments were basically always able to arrange for me to meet with a few faculty one-on-one, have lunch with current grad students, sit in on a graduate seminar, and get a campus tour from a current grad student. A few departments also made it possible for me to join grad students for happy hour but that largely depends on when in the week you visit (less likely if you're there on a Monday, for example). You visit when, if, and how you can. I do think it's worth it to visit when possible but I also know finances can prevent it. I never visited the PhD program I ultimately attended but did phone/Skype with current grad students and had previously met and had long convos with my PI.