Paid visit?

[ksalt]

I just found out that I've been selected to visit a school I've applied to during a departmental conference. Both my flight and hotel are being paid for by the program, but I haven't been accepted yet. There was no mention of interview, just a visit.. Is this good news, or will I still have to beat out a lot of other candidates? (I'm a master's student, not a PhD, btw.) I know I still need to make a good impression, I'm just trying to figure how on top of my game I'll need to be during my visit.

[Elysia]

I had a similar invite for a program to which I wasn't officially admitted yet. I specifically asked if there would be interviews and they said no. Contact your program and see what they say. I wasn't able to attend their research event but a month later they accepted me without a real interview, so I think it's a really good sign if they invite you to an event outside of the actual interview session.

[ksalt]

hmm.. okay, thanks! I'm just so afraid of getting my hopes up too much.

[jlk88]

I too have been invited on an all expenses paid visit to one of the programs I applied to. Was told no formal interview and am hoping this a good sign.

Talk about nerve wracking.

Good luck!

[fuzzylogician]

They are flying you in and paying for your flight and hotel, of course it's good news! They wouldn't do this for too many applicants - it'd be too expensive - so you're probably among the finalists. Some schools want to make sure the people they admit are not particularly weird/anti-social/raving lunatics, so as long as you don't do anything outrageous you should have a good chance of being admitted.

[TheLadyT]

I just found out that I've been selected to visit a school I've applied to during a departmental conference. Both my flight and hotel are being paid for by the program, but I haven't been accepted yet. There was no mention of interview, just a visit.. Is this good news, or will I still have to beat out a lot of other candidates? (I'm a master's student, not a PhD, btw.) I know I still need to make a good impression, I'm just trying to figure how on top of my game I'll need to be during my visit.

It is definitely good news, but not a guarantee. I've been invited to two of these (two weekends in a row, the last two weeks before Spring Break - YEESH! I'm pressed for time), and after some digging, I discovered that one of them = accepted and the other = "high consideration." For the one that is "high consideration," they also noted that there would "be no interview" during the weekend; however, a current student in the program told me that the whole weekend is basically an interview.

That said, I say just go and be yourself.

[fes_alum]

Hi ksalt-

It is not uncommon for science programs to fly students out for campus visits and/or interviews. Reputable science programs are generally well funded and have pots of money to pay for potential students' travel.

As for campus visits, there seem to be two types for biology/ecology programs. The first type generally involves a one-on-one visit with the professor who will usually arrange a tour of the campus, schedule meetings with other professors who can support your research, arrange lunch with other grad students, etc. It tends to be more informal and generally a good sign that a program/professor is interested in you. Of course there will be indepth discussions about your research interests and goals, so be prepared to discuss how that particular program or professor can support your research.

The second type of visit is the "recruitment weekend" where all potential admits are invited at one time. Many informal gatherings are held throughout the weekend, as well as formal interviews (but not always). One purpose of these recruitment weekends is try to identify a core group of first-year students that not only get along but would likely support one another throughout their graduate studies. Any students that are socially inept and/or wreak havoc on group dynamics will likely be weeded out. The other purpose generally involves the more "formal" interview process with the your potential advisor and/or other faculty in the department/college. As stated above, be ready to discuss your research interests in-depth and how the professor/program can support those interests.

But remember, a campus visit (i.e. paid flight, hotel, etc.) does not guarantee admission. I was invited to a recruitment weekend several years ago and found myself competing for one of 15 spots among 46 potential admits (and yes, the university did pay for all 46 potential admits' travel expenses). That meant 31 people did not receive offers after recruitment weekend.

Best of luck with your application!

[ksalt]

Thank you for all the advice everyone! Now to prepare myself...

[Heather Hoffman]

I'm invited to a "recruitment day," I got the invite after a long phone interview where I discussed my research in great detail. I asked if I should bring anything to the recruitment day, and they said no, just be prepared for a full day of stuff. I assume there will be interviews of some kind, either formal or informal. The thing is, I've been through the C.V.s of all the profs, and no one is doing research in my exact area... so even though I can speak about my research very well, as I've been doing it for 2 years straight now, I don't think I can link it *strongly* to anything the current faculty is doing... so I'm scared I'll either sound like I'm reaching - I have a series of "reaching" notes for 6 faculty members' current research, including my POI, or that I'm from another planet.

I am interested in the research these faculty members are doing, honestly I love reading their work and there are some tenous connections in postcolonialism and gender studies, but I'm scared if I go into that too much and about how I could pursue what I do in their direction, that I'll come off as too broad.

Essentially, I'm panicking. During the phone interview, I didn't try to link my research to the faculty there at all, just talked about what I've been doing for the past 2.5 years. The POI who interviewed me said she found what I said "interesting" and "Fruitful," and I did get the invite to recruitment day.. it's just.. I just have no idea how to link them to me, or even if I should.

BTW I chose this school because it's geographically close to my kid, I can't leave the geographic area due to custody stuff with the ex. So I don't have the luxury of pursuing programs in other parts of the country that have faculty that are actually doing what I'm doing.

Any advice/insight would be helpful...

[ksalt]

Just found out I am the only prospective my POI is bringing in for the symposium... this can only be good news!

[CarlieE]

BTW I chose this school because it's geographically close to my kid, I can't leave the geographic area due to custody stuff with the ex. So I don't have the luxury of pursuing programs in other parts of the country that have faculty that are actually doing what I'm doing.

Any advice/insight would be helpful...

Good Luck and Congratulations on the Invite! That's surely a good sign.

In regards to your last comment, although I understand there are real life restraints to where/what we can go/do, I wouldn't bring this up unless it's specifically asked of you. You don't want the committee to think that geographic location is a primary reason you are applying (although it very well might be)... I mean, no one wants to hear "Yeah, I like you... but partly because it's convenient for me." (It's almost like dating.... in a weird sense).

When I went for my interview, the professors did ask how my research might benefit from their expertise.. In my case, an anthropologist studying Pastoralism in Africa seemed wayyyy off my topic of Chinese Identity in Southeast Asia... but then I found the "link" in that many parts of the African continent are post-Colonial - just as many parts of SEA are also Post-Colonial... and therein, a "weak" but pertinent link was forged. Links might be there in ways that we do not foresee, but the professors who interview us see them... There must be something there or else they wouldn't have offered you an interview; there must be something in your research that they think "fits" with their program..

Good Luck again!

Edited February 16, 2012 by anthroDork