Dos and Don'ts for Campus Visits

[stillthisappeal]

I have a few campus visits coming up this week and I'm a little nervous about the whole ordeal, particularly meeting with faculty members. Beyond talking about upcoming courses and particular research interests (and hoping that mine don't seem vague or uninteresting), what topics should I bring up for conversation? I'm worried about filling the half hour on my schedule!

My initial thought is that it makes sense to ask for advice on the first year, their expectations for students, opportunities for RA and TA work, and their thoughts about the undergraduates at their institution.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? How have your visits gone?

[Ex Nihil]

I too am interested in this.

[DisneyLeith]

There have been two very informative discussions on this in the livejournal english "wgi 2011" community. I'll link them below.

http://community.livejournal.com/wgi_lounge_2011/30548.html

http://community.livejournal.com/wgi_lounge_2011/34713.html

The second one is a locked "members only" post, but I strongly suggest making an account (if you don't already have one) so that you can access the information in these posts.

I too am interested in this.

[ecg1810]

Are there any "English specific" bits of advice we can include in this thread?

[crae]

I have my visit next week. I'm scared! I definitely feel like I don't know enough about professors' research, my own research, etc.

[stillthisappeal]

I have my visit next week. I'm scared! I definitely feel like I don't know enough about professors' research, my own research, etc.

I didn't visit any campuses when I was applying for my MA, but when I made "the rounds" during my first semester, it didn't seem like any of my professors cared too much about sharing the details of their work (even though they were producing a lot of it). If you're confident and prepared enough to broach the subject, it can't hurt to bring up their research interests, but outside of "rock star" professors, I don't think most faculty members expect you to be well-versed in the particulars of what they do.

But I could be wrong.

[truckbasket]

it didn't seem like any of my professors cared too much about sharing the details of their work (even though they were producing a lot of it).

I wonder if your experience was the norm or a series of anomalies, Stillthisappeal? One program that offered me a slot has been making a lot of contact, with professors outlining exactly what research they've done and what they are currently working on. In addition, when I was doing my initial program scouting last year, this was the one institution where the profs clearly went out of their way to answer my questions -- many of which went far above and beyond. Consequently, that makes me feel pretty good about the place.

I have a visit lined up this week and, although I could be wrong, it seems that (aside from a standard meet and greet) the goal of this thing is for them to sell me on their resources. I certainly don't feel like I need to go into it trying to impress them at this point, but I am boning up on a few of the prof's texts just in case small talk goes technical. Other than than that, I'm probably going to keep my mouth shut and let them do most of the talking. Love to hear other people's experiences.

[ecg1810]

Are there any "English specific" bits of advice we can include in this thread?

To supplement DisneyLeith's helpful post, of course.

[Chris83]

I'm in composition and rhetoric, so I'm not sure of the advantages and disadvantages of doing this in literary studies, but I thought I'd mention one thing I used my campus visits to do: talk openly and candidly about the other programs I was considering in addition to theirs.

I was really up front with the faculty I spoke with about what my other options are. I think comp/rhet is a smaller community, and I felt comfortable being candid with everyone I spoke with. I wasn't doing it to brag-- I was doing it because it added some context to our discussion, and I really valued the different perspectives that I've heard. I found it really helpful, and I even had one professor, hearing me list my acceptances and then say which among those I was considering, tell me "now wait-- I don't want to sound like I'm not advocating our program, but you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss school X because blah blah blah."

Again, I'll stress that this is something I've felt comfortable doing as a comp rhet person because it's a small community of scholars. In fact, my top choice school has graduates placed at my other schools, so they have been helpful in giving me some perspective for both their programs and the one they graduated from.

Another advantage to being open and candid about this process is that you might get to meet others who have been in your shoes. At both of my campus visits I was referred to students who had found themselves choosing between the school I was visiting and one of my other options. So those conversations have been really helpful for me.

My take on this is that comp/rhet is such a small community of scholars that do sort of want to be collegial and help each other out. In fact, one of the best parts of this experience for me has been realizing that even if I don' choose School A, for example, I will still be a part of the community of scholars that school A belongs to. I've made some really great connections during this process that have made me feel really great about my decision to pursue a PhD in this field.

[the giaour]

I just returned from a visit, and only really have one thing to contribute (apart from agreeing with what's already been said, especially about the fact that it's no longer YOU trying to impress the program, but the other way around--and definitely check out those links above). I found that if you really want to get professors to talk about why the department operates the way it does (and this is especially good if you can talk to the DGA/DGS or the chair of the department), you should ask them what about their program in particular prepares its candidates for the job market. Everybody should be ready and enthusiastically eager to discuss the specific reasons for their department's approach to job market preparation, and it certainly opened up other areas of discussion for me as well: why they have certain course requirements, how they see your teaching assignments contributing to your desirability as a new hire, etc. If they can't articulate how their program makes you competitive in the field when you're looking for a job (and not necessarily a job at a tier-one research school, either), then you might want to look at alternatives.

And just fyi: I wrote things down so I wouldn't forget what I had questions about. Sometimes the conversation naturally covered my questions, but having them written down helped me feel much more relaxed. It should be fun for you--so go out there and make them win you over!

[Glossed]

Silly question, perhaps, but what is appropriate dress for a open house admitted student weekend? Casual, dress casual? Thanks all!

[TC3]

Silly question, perhaps, but what is appropriate dress for a open house admitted student weekend? Casual, dress casual? Thanks all!

I'll get the cliche over with: every place is different.

Whew. Okay. Cliche out of the way.

I asked about my visiting weekend, and was told that business casual (including nice blue jeans) was the standard.

[poco_puffs]

At my school, which is pretty casual, prospective students showed up for the open house activities in what I would term dressy casual more than business casual-- men wore polo shirts and button-ups (sometimes over graphic tees) with slacks or nice jeans. The ladies wore nice jeans, dress pants, skirts, dresses, heels, flats, boots, sweaters, button-up blouses-- there was a HUGE variety in terms of style and the way people interpreted "dressy casual" or "business casual" but everyone had their personality showing through and still looked like they were ready for food, wine and mingling.

Whatever you wear, I recommend something that you can sit, stand and walk comfortably in for a few hours, including shoes. It's better to be slightly on the casual side and comfortable than over-dressed with a tortured look on your face all day. At least that's my opinion.

[Phil Sparrow]

Poco_puffs is right on. There will be a grand variety of dress wherever you go, but the most important thing is comfort. Especially shoes!! Prospective visits are almost universally LONG and exhausting and involve a lot of walking, so look presentable but do make yourself comfortable. If you are worried that comfort means slumming it, accessorize. Details can dress up almost any outfit.

As for other tips... Be respectful. Don't try to one-up the students (or the faculty, as I've seen a couple jerks try to do!).

Come prepared. Read up on your potential advisors' recent work. You will not be quizzed (usually, that is--I had a hilarious weird experience with a drunk emeritus at one program) but it will probably make you feel more confident. Also, come with a list of generic and specific questions, and don't be afraid to take a lot of notes.

Finally for now, many programs will ply you with booze. Get super wasted at your own risk.

At my school, which is pretty casual, prospective students showed up for the open house activities in what I would term dressy casual more than business casual-- men wore polo shirts and button-ups (sometimes over graphic tees) with slacks or nice jeans. The ladies wore nice jeans, dress pants, skirts, dresses, heels, flats, boots, sweaters, button-up blouses-- there was a HUGE variety in terms of style and the way people interpreted "dressy casual" or "business casual" but everyone had their personality showing through and still looked like they were ready for food, wine and mingling.

Whatever you wear, I recommend something that you can sit, stand and walk comfortably in for a few hours, including shoes. It's better to be slightly on the casual side and comfortable than over-dressed with a tortured look on your face all day. At least that's my opinion.

[stillthisappeal]

The visits went well. Here are a few questions that worked for me:

-What is your approaching to mentoring/ teaching?

-What are your expectations for graduate students in your courses/ at the dissertation level?

-In your opinion, what do graduate students struggle with the most, particularly in the first year?

-In your opinion, what has made your best students so successful in their careers?

During the best meetings, professors had specific questions for me about my interests and aspirations. When they didn't, I felt somewhat frustrated with their blunt, "What do you want to know?" attitude.

Edited March 31, 2011 by stillthisappeal