Open House for Those From Afar

[Bukharan]

This is just a general thread to discuss invitations to the Open House of your department/university for prospective graduate students. Especially, for those who live in a different part of the country or even on a different continent.

Are you considering a visit? Are your travel costs potentially exceeding the reimbursement limit of your department?

Any concerns or worries regarding this visit?

Did anyone turn down the offer to visit and, perhaps, you wouldn't mind sharing why?

[waddle]

I won't be going to the Open House of one of the programs to which I applied--the event is smack in the middle of my final exams.

But I'm heading over there (cross-country) on a different date. They bought the airfare & found housing for me, so I didn't have to pay anything up front. Ten thousand miles can't be good for my grades, but hey, they don't matter much anymore, right?

[Langoustine]

I am flying across the Atlantic for an interview. I def would not have done it if they did not say they would reimburse me! Plane tix are expensive! My thinking is I will not go to a pre-acceptance interview unless they pay for it (I'm pretty broke). If it happens they cannot fly me in but they give me an acceptance then I would def try to scrounge up the money to visit before I accept.

My only concern is looking like a fool in front of people I want/need to impress! Ugghhh...oh, and dress code. I know there are tons of threads out there and I need to find them...most people in my field tend to stay casual or business casual but this place is not so much a university as it is a research institute so that may mean I should step up my game...Rarrr I'll figure it out.

[Bukharan]

I am flying across the Atlantic for an interview. I def would not have done it if they did not say they would reimburse me! Plane tix are expensive! My thinking is I will not go to a pre-acceptance interview unless they pay for it (I'm pretty broke). If it happens they cannot fly me in but they give me an acceptance then I would def try to scrounge up the money to visit before I accept.

My only concern is looking like a fool in front of people I want/need to impress! Ugghhh...oh, and dress code. I know there are tons of threads out there and I need to find them...most people in my field tend to stay casual or business casual but this place is not so much a university as it is a research institute so that may mean I should step up my game...Rarrr I'll figure it out.

I totally understand. I need to fly across the Atlantic as well. I am about to (seriously) exceed the reimbursement limit, so I will ask my department about this.

I am wondering how common it is to attend/ choose not to attend such events (i.e. optional visits for already admitted students)?

[newms]

I'm hoping to travel to an open house for next month. Unfortunately they said they usually only invite admitted applicants from the US and Canada due to the cost of international travel, but I'm not too far away and the flight wouldn't be much more than what some people would have to pay if they were travelling from some places in the US, so I'm trying to see if they'll cover the amount up to what they'd pay for a domestic applicant and I'd pay the rest.

I definitely want to visit first - I don't want to go there sight unseen in the Fall. Plus you get all kinds of valuable information from current students.

[philosophy chic]

I applied to U.S schools but am currently living in Japan. As of now, most schools have been understanding about my situation; some have even offered an increase in the amount they are willing to reimburse me for. As of now, I do think that I will be returning. When added up, the amounts from all the schools are a decent amount, so I won't have to pay too much out of pocket. I also would really like to see some campuses and meet professors before I accept.

[hupr]

I'm trying to deal with this issue right now. I've gotten 2 offers so far but am waiting to hear from another 7 schools. The first school is only willing to give me a few hundred dollars for a visit, and the second said in their letter that they'd pay for 100% of a domestic flight. The problem is that the visit I'm most interested in is at the beginning of March, and I'll only be able to make a single trip from Beirut to the states. So I'm thinking about trying to visit at the end of the month in case I get any other offers and want to do several visits in a single trip.

Also, I'd like my wife to come with me to see the cities that we might be living in, but I'm not really sure we can afford to buy an international ticket, since we're already having to save a fair amount for the move this summer.

[Kathiza]

My only concern is looking like a fool in front of people I want/need to impress! Ugghhh...oh, and dress code. I know there are tons of threads out there and I need to find them...most people in my field tend to stay casual or business casual but this place is not so much a university as it is a research institute so that may mean I should step up my game...Rarrr I'll figure it out.

If it's about the institute we were talking about, I can only advise you to dress up. Generally, things tend to be more formal here than in the US. And if it's an interview, I ALWAYS dress up (pantsuit or skirt + blazer; you don't necessarily need to wear a blouse if you don't want to, but it should be a nice top at least***). It may happen that the person you are talking to is not dressed up, but believe me: It does not make a good impression if you're not. I'd rather be overdressed than look like I don't care.

*** I just realized that I don't even know if you're a woman But your username looks female to me. If you're a man, I'd say wear a suit and pack a tie in your bag so you can put it on if you have the impression that everyone else there is wearing a tie.

[Bukharan]

Spent half of today researching flights. My cheapest round trip option is a bit over $1000 and >24 hours each way due to layovers. I currently only have one U.S. offer, so I can't combine reimbursements from various schools. Oh dear...

Edited February 16, 2011 by Bukharan

[hupr]

Spent half of today researching flights. My cheapest round trip option is a bit over $1000 and >24 hours each way due to layovers. I currently only have one U.S. offer, so I can't combine reimbursements from various schools. Oh dear...

If you're in the UK, I don't know how it's running up to a grand (unless you're flying to Alaska or Hawaii). Check out kayak.com for a better deal. I recently found tickets from Beirut to Chicago for about $1000...

[dright]

I am invited to an open house at UIC to check out their campus & housing (PhD)....what does it mean ?

[philosophy chic]

If you're in the UK, I don't know how it's running up to a grand (unless you're flying to Alaska or Hawaii). Check out kayak.com for a better deal. I recently found tickets from Beirut to Chicago for about $1000...

My flight from Japan to Michigan to Pittsburgh back to Japan cost a little over 1200, so a 1000 flight from the UK to the US does sound a bit strange...

anyways, something I learned from my searches: multi-city flights are often cheaper than a round trip from a to b and then b to c (and a-b-c-a is a lot less flying than a-b-c-b-a).

[wannabee]

I am also in an odd situation. I am happy and grateful to say that I received two acceptances--one of these programs has a recruit weekend in March. I am still waiting on five applications.

This year I am studying in Cairo. I would normally be willing to fly back for 6 days in March (4 days in transit, 2 days on the ground), even if I had to pay for the ticket, but my schedule has been thrown into confusion because of the political situation.

I was halfway back to school after winter break but never made it through to Cairo before our program was suspended. Our classes normally meet on Tahrir Square. Two days ago, I received notice that our program is resuming and I will be flying out this Thursday. Because the semester will be shortened, my course work will be condensed and concentrated. It was challenging to begin with and I am certain it will be even more so now! There is no way that I could miss so many days of classes. I hope my school(s) will understand. An interesting situation for someone to be in who wants to specialize in the politics of the Middle East!

Edited February 23, 2011 by wannabee

[dreaming 1]

Spent half of today researching flights. My cheapest round trip option is a bit over $1000 and >24 hours each way due to layovers. I currently only have one U.S. offer, so I can't combine reimbursements from various schools. Oh dear...

You could try virgin-atlantic or BA, they're actually quite reasonable! I'm planning on going from London to one of my schools at the end of March, and its looking to be about £420 or $650 which isn't too bad, and the school contribute to it (I don't think they'll cover it)- I think I would scrape up the money even if they didn't contribute as I want to get a feel of the place, chat to Professors and current students etc before moving for 5 years+ !

My other school is having a visit day in two weeks, but I can't go due to classes- I thought about visiting when I visit my top choice at the end of March, but I think I've made my decision already so will save on the domestic flight...