Paying for travel to interviews

[ausernamehere]

Hi, I have been invited to interview at a bunch of higher ed/student affairs programs. Which is great! But, the costs of visiting all these places really adds up. Particularly because a lot of them are in parts of the country that don't have major airports, or I am notified only a few weeks before the interview weekend. I have some savings so I can manage it, but it just seems kind of....obscene. I was just kind of wondering what other peoples thoughts were on the price/whether you anticipated it/whether it bothered you/how you paid for it, etc.

 

[i.am.me]

I also got the invites from the schools. Usually don't they have a reimbursement option available to you? It is usually a small stipend.

[Lulubelle]

You know, I was thinking about this just now because I was looking up flights for an interview this month, after already having purchased tickets for two other trips (and I have a wedding to go to in April).

 

I did sort of expect it, but now when I'm actually shelling out the money, it's kind of scary. Especially because this last one is much shorter notice (mostly my own fault, though, because I hadn't decided whether to go or not). Luckily, all my interviews offer the chance to stay with a grad student, so if that works out, at least I won't be paying for hotels. I've been working full-time for the past five years, though, so I have a good bit of savings and have specifically been saving for these trips, so it's somewhat manageable for that reason. Still not fun.

 

Iampheng, I think the difference might be between doctoral and master's programs? Because my programs (and other master's ones, I believe) don't reimburse any travel expenses. 

[i.am.me]

^ Oh, I didn't know that.

[ausernamehere]

Yea, my interviews are for master programs.

[uromastyx]

If programs aren't paying for your visits then I would narrow down the field and only check out my top choices, but it's up to you.

[ZeChocMoose]

Speaking for my own experience (granted this was ~7 years ago), only one program that I was looking at for my master's degree in higher ed paid for part of my expenses.  The other 4 programs, I had to pay out of pocket to visit them.  Visiting is so important though especially if you'll be interviewing for an assistantship during the visit.  Hopefully, the programs will be offering to house you with a graduate student so that should help alleviate the housing costs.  

 

How I managed it-- two of my programs were thankfully in driving distance, two of my programs I had to fly to, and one I dropped out of the process because of the cost of the flight and the fact that they were not offering to fully fund me.  I also was working full-time so I had some savings to pay for the visits.  If your budget for visits are limited, I would look to see how many visits you can reasonably pay for and then use that to narrow down your schools.  It's a little tricky now since you probably still have some offers pending, but I would say in about 2 weeks you should know (hopefully!) where you stand with all your programs.

[emg28]

I'm really hoping those decisions come in, sooner than later. I got just admitted to BC's Higher Ed program and after I emailed them about the possibility of staying with a student I was told the program doesn't do that. Blows my mind how they expect me to pay for a hotel and flight. #GradSchoolProblems lol

[EdYouKateOr]

Just a thought maybe you can go into the current grad forum ( look for scool, major) to see if anyone is "unofficially" willing to host you.

[CQE]

I'm really hoping those decisions come in, sooner than later. I got just admitted to BC's Higher Ed program and after I emailed them about the possibility of staying with a student I was told the program doesn't do that. Blows my mind how they expect me to pay for a hotel and flight. #GradSchoolProblems lol

 

Yeah, I visited BC a couple of weeks ago while in Boston for 3 days. They pissed me off, tbh. To come all the way from Alabama and to only talk to a graduate assistant for 15 minutes? I mean, c'mon now. I didn't even get a campus tour. I was given a map, and the grad assistant circled where the two bookstores were located so that I could "get a BC shirt or hoody." 

 

I mean, it's not something that one should really weigh into their decision to go to that school, I don't think. However, when another school (Penn) allows you to speak with the program coordinator, gives you a shirt, and hooks you up with a graduate assistant to actually give you a tour of the campus...it just makes you look bad, IMO.

 

I'm not saying I expect to be wined and dined, but I do expect some effort considering the time and money that goes into making these trips.  At the end of the day, it just makes you feel like you'll just be another face and another dollar rather than someone who is valued and cared about.

Edited February 5, 2013 by CQE

[emg28]

Just a thought maybe you can go into the current grad forum ( look for scool, major) to see if anyone is "unofficially" willing to host you.

 

Good idea. I'll definitely look into it. 

 

 

CQE, I definitely agree. Presentation counts! I noticed their open house in October was very basic. As of right now, they only scheduled one full day to interview/get to know the program. So as a prospective student, you will have to choose to interview or sit in a financial aid session/faculty panel, etc. 

 

URI was a safety I applied to and they want me to fly in for a 30min interview just to be considered for admission. A whole separate process and visit for assistantships. I couldn't contain myself   .....They've lost their minds. 

[PhDreams]

Last year I got a travel stipend at one school and realized that I could have applied to receive funding for "special cases" ie poor students lol for the second school. Both masters programs...

 

I just ended up using points for a flight and stayed at a friends house so they both were essentially free trips. Best thing is to ask if they are"funded visits" Sometimes they don't mention that they are but they are... Other times they don't but they have a special fund for students with financial restrictions to visit...

 

 

Best of luck! if you can get creative with flights and take advantage of points or sales and stay with friends or grad students you can def keep your costs down.

[ZeChocMoose]

URI was a safety I applied to and they want me to fly in for a 30min interview just to be considered for admission. A whole separate process and visit for assistantships. I couldn't contain myself   .....They've lost their minds. 

 

Given how far away you are, I would just ask to Skype or do a phone conversation for the 30 min interview.  Perhaps they are not use to dealing with non-local candidates...

 

Given that you already have six acceptances and seven pending decisions, you are going to have to start narrowing anyways.  You might only be able to reasonable visit 5-6 schools depending on how far away they are and your tolerance for traveling/visiting.  You can always ask to talk to faculty/current students via phone or email to help narrow down the list of places that you want to visit especially since you are paying out of pocket.

[emg28]

Thanks for the suggestions and tips PhDreams and ZeChocMoose. I need to look into that funding. I've been waiting to hear back from my other top choices and from there ill start to really narrow down the list to possibly 4. Since I went to school in Boston and London the traveling part is alright with me. It's more of what they're willing to provide me because the cost of traveling starts to add up pretty quickly. If you don't mind me asking, do you have any tips ie. good questions, I could ask while I visit these schools and try to narrow down my list? I always feel like perhaps I'm not asking the "right" questions that get me honest answers from the programs. Thanks!

[Loseric]

Just joining in on this thread because I'm in the same boat. Scouting out airfare for my first visit later this month and it's starting to hit me that these costs are really going to add up! I've already decided that I'm going to only visit my top choices in order to narrow down the field - it'd be too costly and probably impossible to do so many visits otherwise.

 

I've been admitted to two schools so far and the difference between their visit days are striking - one is a full program for two days and the other is just one day of a few sessions. I really hope this doesn't sound entitled or anything, but I hope these visits are worthwhile. The comments upthread about the lackluster BC visit made me nervous for what I can expect! Schools should know that students are paying out of pocket for these visits, so they can at least put on a decent program and present themselves well to their prospective students.

 

Seconding emg's question above - any advice for questions to ask, things to keep an eye out for at visit weekends are much appreciated.

[nerdvana]

Hi all - as far as I know, SUSE offers funding for visits. I can't speak for other programs, but while Penn does not offer funding, it does put on a good program and has a fairly efficient assistantship interview process.

 

In terms of questions, I would ask about assistantships - if they're guaranteed, if students have found employment through them, what kind of guidance they provide, etc. Also, depending on your goals (whether or not you want to pursue a doctoral degree), you might ask about opportunities to participate in research with faculty. Also, you can look at other opportunities to mitigate cost - some schools allow students to be RA's, which gives you free housing and food.

 

Finally, if you're there because you're interested in a particular faculty member, I would definitely ask about course offerings, who's on sabbatical, etc. If it's a 1-year program this can make a huge difference.

[ZeChocMoose]

If you don't mind me asking, do you have any tips ie. good questions, I could ask while I visit these schools and try to narrow down my list? I always feel like perhaps I'm not asking the "right" questions that get me honest answers from the programs. Thanks!

 

I am a big fan of observing people's non-verbal cues.  So-- I like to see how current students and faculty interact and when current students interact with each other.  What is their body language while interacting?  Do they seem like they know each other?  Are people formal or informal in these interactions?  (It's easier to do this when there is an event when people are socializing in small groups.)  

 

I also like to ask the same questions to multiple people to see what they say.  Do you get the same answer or is it widely different?  If people are saying widely different things, you need to investigate and figure out why.  Or if multiple people answer the exact same way to a question that is not factual (i.e. how is the culture in the department as opposed to what do RAs make?), I would wonder am I being fed the party line?

 

Also ask current students what one thing they would change about the program.  Everyone has something-- I would not believe them if they said nothing but be respectful when and where you ask this question.  It might be better to do this one-on-one than in a group or in front of faculty.  Ask faculty what they see as the major weakness in the program.  What (if anything) are they doing to address this?  Where do they see the department heading in the next five years?

 

At the end of the day, no program is perfect-- but you'll want to make sure that you are going in with your eyes open and that you can get the kind of experience that you want out of the program.  I would figure out what are the most important characteristics to you before you begin visiting.  Are there any deal breakers? The most important factors for me when selecting a master's program were: academically focused in the classroom, collegial, affordable, and opportunity to gain policy or research experience.