Confused....

[MakeYourself]

So I've heard from one of my of POIs who has invited me to an 'interview/recruitment' weekend. But I'm really confused as to what this event means. I haven't been formally accepted so at first I thought it was more of an interview weekend, but now looking at the itenerary, there seems to be a lot of lunches, dinners, tours of the city, tour of the lab, and 'games'. There are only a few 'meet with faculty' blocks. My POI also asked me to list some faculty members that I want to meet with. Will these people be interviewing me too? Or is it just for me to meet with them?

So should I expect that I'm supposed to be impressing them? Or are they impressing me? So confused!

[Kitkat]

This sounds a lot like a weekend full of you getting a better look at them/them getting a better look at you in person kind of event. Not a normal interview setup, but you will probably be working with them for a long period, and they might want to see if they can get through a dinner/lunch situation on top of the education part of it, because it will probably come up if you go there. See it as a opportunity for them to get to know you better, and you to get to know them better. You can use it to see the city and see if you can really live there for years.

[sansao]

I'd be optimistic if I had an interview situation like that. If nothing else, because it's not a rejection. Also, if they're asking about faculty you'd like to work with, that could be a very good sign. This could also be par for the course for your POI, though, so you might not want to read something between the lines that isn't necessarily there. Still, if I got such an invite, I'd probably be all dizzy and butterflied inside. Also, I think Kitkat made some very good points, and would take all of those opportunities as well.

Good luck!

[sansao]

Reading up certainly wouldn't hurt. I know when I was corresponding with faculty at my POIs, I asked for (and read) literature from every single one who replied to my inquiries. The application process was almost the equivalent of an extra course on account of it, but it did help me figure out which faculty and programs I felt were best suited to me.

I guess at this point, speculation is exactly that. But I'd still be speculating instead of sleeping.

[coonskee]

I went to a weekend like this last month (feels weird to say that about January haha). One day of interviews, plus breakfasts, lunches, dinners; one day of exploring the city and being entertained.

It's really, really fun, but it's still an interview weekend. Every program is different; some accept almost all the students they invite to these things, some less than half. That means you have to be polite and engaged - don't walk in there assuming you're accepted already. Definitely read up on the faculty you've indicated you're interested in working with - show them you're into the program! It's a really strange (and really fun!) balance of you showing them how awesome you are, and them showing you how awesome they are.