How important is an Open House for admitted students?

[athenianstranger]

I just received an acceptance email from Georgetown and an invitation to their Open House for admitted students. I didn't receive funding, so I thought attending the open house and meeting a few professors might help my chances in securing funding. Unfortunately, I'm scheduled to be out of the country for the next few months to study Italian in Florence and will have to miss the scheduled open house day. How important are these days for admitted students? Is there any chance I could network a bit for funding? My program in Italy is purely for enjoyment, interesting experience, etc. It's something I've been looking forward to, but I recognize that it might be better for me to cancel my plans overseas, visit Georgetown, and figure out if it's the right place for me.

Thoughts? Advice?

[joenobody0]

I'd be more worried about seeing if you would like living there than I would be about funding. If you know (for some reason) that you'd like to live in the area, I don't think you're missing out on anything by not going. Start emailing professors now to network, if you think it's possible to get some funding this way.

[hupr]

If you explain that you'll be out of the country during the visit, you can probably figure out a time for a visit that would work for both you and the school. Visiting at a time other than the recruiting event can also be a good way of seeing a school as it is on any given day instead of how it looks when they've rolled out the red carpet.

[athenianstranger]

Ack, my earlier post made it seem like I was only interested in attending for the possibility of getting money, which isn't the case. Just wondering if events like this one are worth attending, even if it means changing some big plans.