rising_star Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Given the budget cuts going around, I wouldn't expect state universities to be able to fully reimburse you for everything. I had schools that offered a set amount for the visit (ranging from $250 to $400*) and it was up to arrange the details. Now if they can't help with costs, ask if you can stay with a grad student. That will save you money plus give you a chance to talk candidly with them about their program and their experiences. *The school that offered $250 put me up with grad students. A school gave me $300 for flights and put me up with grad students. Neither of those covered the whole cost of the flight but I went anyway because it's a decision about the next 4+ years of your life and it's worth spending $100-200 out of pocket, to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rutabaga Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Do you think there is some amount of latitude in how you do spend the money for the visit? I am thinking I will drive and spend the money on a hotel close to campus instead. I already booked a room on price like and it was almost $300 for two nights with taxes and everything. I had $400 for the visit. Is this bad form? I mean, I need somewhere to stay when I'm there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewurgler Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 If you're admitted but there's no visiting weekend, what exactly do you ask about arranging a visit? "Hi, I'd like to visit, when should I come and where should I stay and what should I do"? Really, I have no idea how to approach this email.... I just scheduled one with a school that has no recruitment weekend. Because it is spring, go online and find when their break is. Don't schedule it then. Then, email the coordinator and DGS and say "i'm really hoping to visit, do these days work?" Also, ask about where is best to stay, at which point they will most likely offer to have you stay with current grads. Ask what the best transport is to and from the airport, at which point they will most likely volunteer to have someone pick you up. THen, they will probably arrange itinerary for you. This is what a school has done for me. They asked me who I wanted to meet with, and they will schedule it all for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socialpsych Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Do you think there is some amount of latitude in how you do spend the money for the visit? I am thinking I will drive and spend the money on a hotel close to campus instead. I already booked a room on price like and it was almost $300 for two nights with taxes and everything. I had $400 for the visit. Is this bad form? I mean, I need somewhere to stay when I'm there! Of course you need somewhere to stay. One of my schools sent a detailed policy regarding what would be acceptable use of their travel stipend. All of them have somewhere in particular they're expecting visiting students to stay--either with current students or in a particular hotel. If your program is not putting you up anywhere in particular, I'm sure it would be acceptable to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiselab Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 For hotel arrangements, you might want to ask the department in advance. One offered $250 towards plane tickets and in addition is putting all prospective students up in a hotel together and if we want to come a night early they'll arrange for us to stay with a grad student. They didn't mention the hotel in the initial email though, just the $250 but I asked the coordinator and she told me about that part. Is it strange that theirs is essentially 3 days worth of programming (Thursday at 12 to Sunday afternoon)? I got a schedule that has faculty dinner, grad student dinner, socializing, tour of the city, research seminars, workshops, one-on-one meetings... They really jammed all they could into this! And if I'm driving, can I be reimbursed for gas or is that not proper visiting etiquette? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socialpsych Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 [quote name="Louiselab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperphd Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I have been wait listed at my top choice. I interview well so I am thinking about taking a trip to see the school before they make a final decision on the wait listed candidates. The trip would be to the total opposite coast. Is it worth the trip? Would it possible play a role in my coming off the wait list first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplepepper Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Sorry another question on visiting: There is one school that I've been accepted to that I would like to visit as I've never been there before and have no idea what the general atmosphere of the school/department is like. They've offered me only $250 towards airfare (all else is included) the only problem is, I'm out of the country and a round trip ticket is around $1500.... $250 doesn't even come close to covering the cost of airfare and I really cannot afford to spend $1200 on what would probably end up being less that a week trip. Any suggestions? My potential advisor there has been more than helpful in being available for questions, but is it really possible to make such decisions based on phone conversations and email interactions only? I've been accepted to 2 schools so far, and making this decision feels impossible without making a campus visit. (the other school has not given me info about their accepted student's weekend just yet, but I imagine it would be around the same deal) So confused! How to decide when you can't visit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_ruth Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 Are both schools in the US? They might be willing to both contribute towards one ticket which may help out a little more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
socialpsych Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 How to decide when you can't visit? Get in touch with some grad students and have some long skype/email conversations. You can expect your life to look very similar to theirs if you attend that program. Profs may not give you all the information you need, because they lack the student's perspective and because they are trying to recruit you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lycoris Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 So, one of my departments is flying me out and putting me up at a hotel. The other doesn't have any funding, but will try to secure a spot for me on a student's couch. I have friends in the area but not the kind of friends I can impose on, and the department's "special deal" at a local hotel is still $70 a night (which, in fairness, is a pretty good deal for the area). If the department can't rally a student-couch for me, will it look bad if I use couchsurfer.com or stay at a hostel? I mean, I'm 26, and I do it when I travel . . . I guess they don't technically have to know, but it may easily come up. Any words of warning? I'm in the humanities, so we're all a little boho anyway, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miratrix Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 Why would you look bad? It wouldn't even occur to me to think that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boneh3ad Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 Alright, I suspect I am no alone in this situation. I have been admitted to several schools so far, so over my spring break next week, I plan to jetset around to as many as I can squeeze in so that I can get a feel for my top choices before that April 15 deadline. Some schools, like Ga Tech, have a set routine that they do for admitted grad students, so they already have my visit mostly planned out. However, some schools, like Texas A&M, put the onus on me. I have a tour set up and such, but I need to contact professors and set up the rest on my own it seems. Can anyone offer some advice as far as what to do while I am there and what sort of things to ask professors? I got guaranteed a TA or RA position, so its not like I have to go fishing for them, I just need to meet some professors that I am interested in as far as I can tell. The problem is, I have no idea how that meeting should go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddys_girl Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 I got accepted to two engineering programs and neither paid for you to come visit... Everything was on your own dime... I scraped some money together to do it..and I'm glad b/c it totally changed my mind on the universities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boneh3ad Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 So...... any advice on what to talk to profs about when you finally get there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceflyer Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 So...... any advice on what to talk to profs about when you finally get there? Ask them about their research. Ask them about their advising style, about the program, about the qualifying procedures and requirements, about the city, anything. Chat with them and see if you feel like you can 'connect' with them. Get a sense of whether the department specifically and the school in general are 'cohesive' (i.e. do the faculty all like to collaborate and work together? are there any sharp 'divisions' between groups of faculty within the department? do the faculty generally have an 'open-door' policy? is it easy to secure advice, help, or support from other labs and departments at the school?) and whether funding is secure. All of these are very important factors when it comes to selecting a program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickelsaur Posted March 19, 2009 Share Posted March 19, 2009 So I got an admit for MS at Stanford, and am 100% sure I'm heading there (the only program that suits what i want to study.) I don't have a funded visit, but I'm extremely curious to attend their Admit Day and to explore the surroundings, just to have a feel of the campus, and an idea of where I will want to stay. I don't really have questions about the program i'm going into, and going to a coursework-only MS i really don't have to talk to faculty before i arrive -- so is there any reason i am not considering that would make a ~$500 trip there worthit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted March 20, 2009 Share Posted March 20, 2009 So...... any advice on what to talk to profs about when you finally get there? There have been entire discussions on this elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boneh3ad Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 There have been entire discussions on this elsewhere. Thanks for the succinct and unhelpful answer, rising_star. You mind linking me to some of those threads instead of giving these short and condescending answers? On another note, does anyone know just how nice I should dress up for a campus visit? I have already been admitted and guaranteed funding at one place, and admitted without funding to the other. There was one other thread discussing what women should wear on an interview with a professor, but seeing as how I am not a woman and am going on a visit to schools where I have already been admitted, that my circumstances may be different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rising_star Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Thanks for the succinct and unhelpful answer, rising_star. You mind linking me to some of those threads instead of giving these short and condescending answers? I assumed that you could use the search function built into this site. But, if you want, there are some in the discipline-specific threads and some here in "Decisions, Decisions". For instance, viewtopic.php?f=67&t=16110 and viewtopic.php?f=67&t=15863. But I bet if you searched, you could find more. On another note, does anyone know just how nice I should dress up for a campus visit? I have already been admitted and guaranteed funding at one place, and admitted without funding to the other. There was one other thread discussing what women should wear on an interview with a professor, but seeing as how I am not a woman and am going on a visit to schools where I have already been admitted, that my circumstances may be different. The general consensus is decent pants and a decent shirt. Khakis if you want or black slacks. The shirt should have a collar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rundown09 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 This may be a different tangent... My top choice has offered to pay for their "Grad Day" but I had a trip planned previously for that weekend that has become impossible to move. I've already visited the campus, met with advisors, students, etc. but my real question is how much am I missing out on these Grad Days? At first I didn't feel bad for missing it but all of the sudden I have some anxiety over falling behind with the networking, being that other accepted students will be there. I plan to visit again before the end of the year, but does anyone think missing these puts you in a defacit as far as meeting with profs and getting your foot in the door with classes you want? Or is visiting on your own equivalent? :?: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzle Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Is it poor form to use univerisity funds to fly out and visit if I've already accepted a school's offer? I accepted after already discussing my visit - the school offered to give me $500 for the trip - but now I'm worried I've made a major faux pas. What are everyone's thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceflyer Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 Is it poor form to use univerisity funds to fly out and visit if I've already accepted a school's offer? I accepted after already discussing my visit - the school offered to give me $500 for the trip - but now I'm worried I've made a major faux pas. What are everyone's thoughts? I think it's fine. After all, technically you are free to back out at any time before the 15th. It is not unusual for you to still want to visit the school and check out the program even though you're already planning on joining the program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flit Posted March 26, 2009 Share Posted March 26, 2009 rundown09, a few people in my cohort were discussing the grad day they attended last year (I missed it).... and how many of the people they met and made connections with ended up not attending anyway ... this year, they're not even having one... they felt they could use the resources more effectively Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiselab Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 This may be a different tangent... My top choice has offered to pay for their "Grad Day" but I had a trip planned previously for that weekend that has become impossible to move. I've already visited the campus, met with advisors, students, etc. but my real question is how much am I missing out on these Grad Days? At first I didn't feel bad for missing it but all of the sudden I have some anxiety over falling behind with the networking, being that other accepted students will be there. I plan to visit again before the end of the year, but does anyone think missing these puts you in a defacit as far as meeting with profs and getting your foot in the door with classes you want? Or is visiting on your own equivalent? :?: I visited for a school I have no intention of going to now, as a result of the visit, but I will say that I don't think you'll be at any networking disadvantage. You already know/met the professors, you won't be put at the bottom of a list since most places haven't even started fall registration yet... Not to worry, you'll be fine! It's not all it's cracked up to be, I've found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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