What to ask during visits?

[FiguresIII]

23 minutes ago, dilby said:

This is something I've been talking about with my SO! She was initially a little worried about me going to Yale because she thought that it would be very difficult to guarantee landing a residency in New Haven after she gets her MD. But I told her that a lot of students and faculty live all over the northeast—basically, anywhere within train commuting distance of New Haven. That was a big relief to her.

I know that you're thinking more pointedly about the professional dimension of this question—with that in mind, NYU, Columbia and Harvard are all very reachable (and, it occurs to me, MIT, where a professor I very much want to work with is teaching).

I'm glad that you are also thinking about the feasibility of this. And I'm considering personal aspects as well: going home to friends and my parents in Europe would be easier and cheaper from the northeast, not to mention that many of my college friends will be around NYU, Yale, and NYC more generally.

Edit: also, I actually love reading on trains!

Edited March 9, 2019 by FiguresIII

[Musmatatus]

@FiguresIII So glad to hear that taking classes all around is doable. I was a bit worried that you were stretching for reasons to take Yale, but this sounds like a legitimate benefit! 

[gloriagilbert]

Engaging with neighboring institutions is also a huge draw for me re: Brown, and a lot of these east coast schools seem to encourage rather than merely facilitate such exchange. I'm also hesitant to leave the Northeast, as most of my college friends and extended social networks happen to be situated here. I feel somewhat guilty taking that into account, though? It sounds a little silly admitting that while Mich might be the better academic fit, I might choose Brown on the basis of "well, my friends are here, so..." But rationally, I know it's a very valid consideration, and it's 5-6 years of my life... Ahh!

[FiguresIII]

2 hours ago, thismortalcoil said:

There are some folk I've seen at Harvard who have external supervisors from other schools among the Ivy coalition — you might inquire with Yale how possible it is to have a professor from Columbia, etc. on your committee. Taking classes at these schools is certainly possible.

One of my POIs at Yale who I feel is doing a great recruiting job actually told me having people from other schools on your committee can be a great professional benefit, it shows that you're in conversation with a wider scholarly community.