Post-acceptance visit

[ogopo]

I finally received an offer of acceptance with funding from the one and only school I applied to. There is no question that I want to attend here. I applied here because I wanted to work with a particular prof an for some reason (I really do spend quite some time trying to figure this out) he liked me and helped me to get admitted with a less-than-stellar application. It's pretty hard to believe. But I digress.

I am planning on visiting the school and city sometime in April. During this time I will probably be staying with someone in his lab. I will probably get a tour of the lab, meet the people, have a meeting with the prof, maybe go for beers? I have no idea!! I need to spend some time sorting out housing as I already have a lead there.

My question is: has anyone gone on such a visit? Any suggestions for what I should wear? Anything to look out for? Questions to ask? Anything?

Should a take a suitcase full of stuff and put it into storage if I know I will be moving there? Is that crazy?

[rising_star]

What Will Happen: You'll meet with that professor and likely others whose classes you will be taking and/or who might be on your committee. You will probably have the opportunity to sit in on a class. You'll go out to dinner or lunch with some of the current grad students. You'll get a tour of the department, the lab, and possibly of campus (if you ask). You'll get shown around town a bit so that you can start to get a sense of what there is to do outside of the lab. This would be a great chance to ask grad students where they live, where they recommend living, etc. and to possibly see these neighborhoods.

What to wear: whatever you want, just don't look like a slob. You're already admitted with funding, so there's no need to wear a suit to impress people. Just dress as you normally would, and remember to bring comfortable shoes.

Questions to ask: Do the grad students like it? Would they come there again if they had the chance? What, if anything, would the change about the program? What do they do outside of the lab/classes? What's the social atmosphere like? How is it working for your POI? etc. So basically the same questions you'd ask on any visit. If there are any red flags, don't go!

Storage: I wouldn't bother with putting stuff in storage. It would be cheaper to keep it with you and move it when the time comes. It is totally crazy. Think about it. It's $25 to check a bag. A small storage unit where I live rents for ~$50/month. So, you're spending something like $200 to store a suitcase until you get there. Personally, I'd just mail it to myself, ship it, move it in a car, etc.

[ogopo]

Thanks rising_star! Your response was very helpful