Visit Dates?

[Bopie5]

Is there any way to know visit dates any time soon? My March is starting to get crammed up, but I want to leave it relatively open just in case (although that also feels presumptuous)...ugh! Hard to get things planned out. ?

[WildeThing]

I’ve seen some noted on program websites (sometimes prominently, sometimes very much the opposite). Sometimes they’re specific (I think Rutgers is one?), and others are general. But I think most are not stated. Just got to wait it out and see, I guess.

[Musmatatus]

I think it's also somewhat likely that the departments don't know what the exact visit dates will be anyway. It might depend on when they release admissions decisions, and then smaller factors like when will key people (like the DGS and the chair) all be mostly free and on-campus at the same time. 

[havemybloodchild]

Does pretty much every school conduct visits?  I never even thought about this until I saw a thread on here a week or so ago.  

[Glasperlenspieler]

20 hours ago, sugilite said:

I think it's also somewhat likely that the departments don't know what the exact visit dates will be anyway. It might depend on when they release admissions decisions, and then smaller factors like when will key people (like the DGS and the chair) all be mostly free and on-campus at the same time. 

For a department to run efficiently, it's got to think pretty far in advance (some are better at this than others). I'm betting they know when visit days are even if it's not publicly available yet. My department had their's scheduled at the beginning of fall semester.

19 hours ago, kendalldinniene said:

Does pretty much every school conduct visits?  I never even thought about this until I saw a thread on here a week or so ago.  

Most programs have specific visit days when they attempt to get all their recruits to visit. A handful schedule visits individually (although this is probably rarer in English since cohorts are larger). If you can't make the official visit time, they will often work with you to schedule a time when you can visit. If a PhD program won't offer to reimburse you for a visit and organize lodging, that's probably a red flag (unless your on the wait list, which is a different ball game).

Edited January 7, 2019 by Glasperlenspieler

[havemybloodchild]

@Glasperlenspieler Danke!

[Musmatatus]

36 minutes ago, Glasperlenspieler said:

For a department to run efficiently, it's got to think pretty far in advance (some are better at this than others). I'm betting they know when visit days are even if it's not publicly available yet. My department had their's scheduled at the beginning of fall semester.

Most programs have specific visit days when they attempt to get all their recruits to visit. A handful schedule visits individually (although this is probably rarer in English since cohorts are larger). If you can't make the official visit time, they will often work with you to schedule a time when you can visit. If a PhD program won't offer to reimburse you for a visit and organize lodging, that's probably a red flag (unless your on the wait list, which is a different ball game).

In my experience (working university events, currently as an event coordinator for a top 10 program in a different discipline), scheduling that far in advance is usually not what happens. Your university sounds much more efficient than the norm. 

Edit: Conversely, the department I work for might be incredibly inefficient  

Edited January 7, 2019 by sugilite

[Glasperlenspieler]

2 minutes ago, sugilite said:

In my experience (working university events, currently as an event coordinator for a top 10 program in a different discipline), scheduling that far in advance is usually not what happens.

To be clear, by scheduled I mean that the dates were decided on. That still leaves a lot of scheduling of specific events, ordering catering, reserving rooms, etc. to be done. 

5 minutes ago, sugilite said:

Your university sounds much more efficient than the norm.

It often doesn't feel like that haha. But perhaps you're right.

[Musmatatus]

1 minute ago, Glasperlenspieler said:

To be clear, by scheduled I mean that the dates were decided on. That still leaves a lot of scheduling of specific events, ordering catering, reserving rooms, etc. to be done. 

It often doesn't feel like that haha. But perhaps you're right.

Yes, I understood that. I think in my department they are just now starting to think about the dates.

[Warelin]

20 hours ago, kendalldinniene said:

Does pretty much every school conduct visits?  I never even thought about this until I saw a thread on here a week or so ago.  

Of the 6 programs I was accepted into last year, 4 of them had visit days or a visit weekend. Only two of them offered a paid visit/reimbursement.

[Bopie5]

42 minutes ago, Glasperlenspieler said:

If you can't make the official visit time, they will often work with you to schedule a time when you can visit.

This is kind of what I'm banking on. I'm nervous though, because I know lots of visit dates are in March, and I'm going to a conference on the 22-24. My friends want to take a vacation together the next weekend (March 29-31), but I'm afraid to say yes to them and then miss the chance for visits since two weekends in March would be booked for me.

[havemybloodchild]

9 minutes ago, Warelin said:

Of the 6 programs I was accepted into last year, 4 of them had visit days or a visit weekend. Only two of them offered a paid visit/reimbursement.

Thank you for your insight @Warelin

[mustmatatus]

@Bopie5 I have a similar problem. My friends want to go on vacation the last week of March, but I don't know about visit weekend dates yet. Are you going to book flights or wait for a bit?

[Bopie5]

@manymusings14 I'm holding off until around Feb 10--that's theoretically (based on past data) when I should hear from some of my schools. After that, I feel like I'll have a better sense of the territory!

[illcounsel]

Just for information's sake, the visit weekend for Alabama is Feb 28 to March 2nd. 

[mustmatatus]

Also for info, Wisconsin-Madison's visit weekend is March 3 to 5.

[Bopie5]

@manymusings14 @illcounsel Oooooh--this wasn't my original intention when I made this thread, but I think it could be helpful if we all could post visit weekend dates as we learn them? Could be good for applicants in future years to get a lay of the land!