LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) I got invited to an optional recruiting weekend, but I probably can't go. It is from Thursday 2/10 to Sunday 2/13 at UIUC. I will be missing a lot of class, and I happen to have at least one midterm on the 14th (I may even have midterms on the 10th and 11th, the semester hasn't started so I don't have syllabi for most of my classes yet). Would not going significantly hurt me? Edited January 10, 2011 by Deven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thanks4Downvoting Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I got invited to an optional recruiting weekend, but I probably can't go. It is from Thursday 2/10 to Sunday 2/13 at UIUC. I will be missing a lot of class, and I happen to have at least one midterm on the 14th (I may even have midterms on the 10th and 11th, the semester hasn't started so I don't have syllabi for most of my classes yet). Would not going significantly hurt me? If you really can't go, then you can't. It wouldn't hurt to talk let them know why you won't be able to make it (exams). I'm sure they'd understand that you have schoolwork to finish up at your current institution. Thanks4Downvoting 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 My sister says I should go, but I don't know... can't make any decision until Tuesday when I find out my midterm schedule for two of my classes... Anyone else have a suggestion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juror#1 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) My sister says I should go, but I don't know... can't make any decision until Tuesday when I find out my midterm schedule for two of my classes... Anyone else have a suggestion? Would you be able to arrange to take your midterm at an earlier/later date? As Lib(eration) said, if you can't go you can't. They will understand. However, visiting the school is a really great experience that can help you determine if the school is a good fit for you. Edited January 14, 2011 by juror#1 rising_star 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SyntheticOrganiker Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 For me, I would not go anywhere that I did not first go and discuss with PI's how they run their lab. Graduate school visits > any remaining coursework and if your professors cannot appreciate that by assisting you in making up the work, then you should go to the department head and explain your situation. All of my professors have been quite understanding in the work I'll miss for graduate school visits, but they are just too important to miss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeChocMoose Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 For me, I would not go anywhere that I did not first go and discuss with PI's how they run their lab. I completely agree! For my master's program, I visited all the programs that I was admitted into. Thankfully, I did because I was surprised how different each program was even though from the outside they were all the "same" degrees. Visiting also helped make a difficult decision easy as one program out of the five emerged as the clear winner. This program was also not in the top 2 before I visited. I would say it is important to visit because you get the opportunity to watch the little things that you can't glean across websites or phone calls. In particular, I paid attention to how the faculty and the graduate students interacted esp. the faculty-student interactions and the student-student interactions. Did they respect each other? Were they complimentary of each others' work? Did the faculty know more than surface details about the students in their program? For the students since my master's program was a cohort model, did the students genuinely enjoy each other’s company? Is it a competitive environment? Will these people make a good professional network in the future? I was also curious to meet my potential classmates as my future master's cohort was small (~ 10 people) and I wanted to check out the areas around the schools to see if they were somewhere that I could see myself living for at least 2 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 I think there is a slight misunderstanding. This is just a recruiting weekend that they are holding; I think they are inviting pretty much any applicant they deem sensible. I doubt it means that I have been admitted. There is nothing in the email they sent me to indicate that. I don't think they make their decisions until March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeChocMoose Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 I think there is a slight misunderstanding. This is just a recruiting weekend that they are holding; I think they are inviting pretty much any applicant they deem sensible. I doubt it means that I have been admitted. There is nothing in the email they sent me to indicate that. I don't think they make their decisions until March. Oh interesting. I did misunderstand as I assumed you knew that you had been admitted and they were using the weekend to recruit you to come. That is typically how it is done in my field. With that being said, it might help them to put a face with a name. Have you had any contact with the program or the faculty? Is this a program that you are really interested in? A whole weekend seems like a long time to spend with applicants who may or may not be admitted. I have been to "open houses" at programs, but typically they are only a couple hours. I am curious how they are going to fill the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 UIUC isn't my top school, but it isn't my bottom school either. I have contacted with the professor, even talked to him on the phone back in September. Thursday the 10th appears to be mostly travel Friday and Saturday is when most of the event stuff occurs. Sunday will be mostly return travel. They are having some research symposium where current students show of their research, as well as time for prospective students to be interviewed by the relevant faculty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeChocMoose Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Wow. That's an intense schedule but I am sure it gives you a good look at the program. Hmmm, I would probably be inclined to still visit assuming that I can reschedule the midterm and my professors are okay with me missing class. Another factor I would think about that hasn't been mention yet is cost. Are they offering any travel funds? Do you stay with current students or in a hotel? The cost of visiting schools can really add up after a couple. I also assume since they are having a pretty formalized event in Feb that they probably won't turn around and invite the admitted students to campus in March. I wouldn't want to miss out on the opportunity to meet with faculty and current students. Lastly, the question I would ask myself if I did not get accepted would I wonder if it was because I missed the optional recruitment weekend? And more importantly, would I care? Best of luck to you with your decision! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khasiv Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 A whole weekend seems like a long time to spend with applicants who may or may not be admitted. I have been to "open houses" at programs, but typically they are only a couple hours. I am curious how they are going to fill the time! This is actually EXTREMELY commonplace in psychology and cognitive science. It is an extremely long time to spend with applicants, and is pretty nerve-wracking for applicants, as far as I remember and from what my peers indicated. Essentially they set up a lot of activities (introduction to the department, lab tours, dinner, interviews with individual faculty members, chilling with the grad students you may be working with, etc.). Furthermore, in psychology, I don't know of many individuals who were accepted without attending the interview weekend. OP: If you can reschedule the exam at all, I would do that. It's not a lot of class to miss if it's a school you really really enjoy going to. I visited three schools last year and missed a lot of class and still ended up with a 4.0 that semester after writing a 91 page thesis. It's not undoable, though it may be pretty stressful to transition between school and visiting weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 They are paying for the flight; they pay up to $500 in flight expense, the rest I pay. It would be from SFO to CMI with a lay over or two. There is absolutely no chance they will move my exam, because it technically does not conflict with my program. The problem is the program prevents me from having any time to study, and I miss lecture on the 11th that contains material that would be on the test. Also, this isn't a school that I am all that eager to go to. I sent the graduate secretary and email to get some details (who gets invited, does lack of attendance hurt my chances, and if I don't go do I get interviewed in some other manner) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeChocMoose Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 This is actually EXTREMELY commonplace in psychology and cognitive science. It is an extremely long time to spend with applicants, and is pretty nerve-wracking for applicants, as far as I remember and from what my peers indicated. Essentially they set up a lot of activities (introduction to the department, lab tours, dinner, interviews with individual faculty members, chilling with the grad students you may be working with, etc.). Furthermore, in psychology, I don't know of many individuals who were accepted without attending the interview weekend. Oh, I agree if it is an interview weekend. I have been to a couple of those for my master's program and they can be extremely exhausting after awhile because you are "on" all the time. I didn't get the impression from the OP that this is what the weekend is since it is optional and because the OP said that "I think they are inviting pretty much any applicant they deem sensible." Usually if it is an interview weekend, they only invite a small group of finalists to come visit the campus and have interviews with faculty. The interview weekends that I attended weren't optional either. If you chose not to come, you weren't admitted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongGraduatedStudent Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 The POI at UIUC wants me to go, so it is basically settled. Unless one of the three professors whose class I will be missing says "no", it looks like I have to go. I assume for these events one dresses casual? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riceandbeans Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 The POI at UIUC wants me to go, so it is basically settled. Unless one of the three professors whose class I will be missing says "no", it looks like I have to go. I assume for these events one dresses casual? You might want to err on the side of business casual (or at least khakis and a nice sweater/button down) for the interview part of the visit, since they are still evaluating you at this point and you probably want to make a good first impression when you're meeting faculty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKMD Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I went to a recruiting weekend last year and I should warn you that it was very intense and exhausting. You might want to do as much studying for your midterm as you can in advance. However, it was well worth it because it ended up changing my perception of the school, and I ended up going there even though I hadn't expected it to be my top choice going in. It's important to visit every school/lab you get into because the people you'll be interacting with are really the most important factor, so you should try to meet them. (If they're interviewing you, it means you're on their shortlist, and it sounds like they want you.) From your last message, it sounds like you've decided to go, so that's good. As for dress - I would ask one of the students or administrators, especially if there is a person coordinating the events. No one will mind you asking, and it's less awkward than asking faculty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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