Visit During Open House, or scheduling an individual visit at another time?

[amooncame]

I've been accepted to a school that is great, but is not my first choice. Traveling there for the open house is going to cost around 600 dollars, and if I get into one of the other schools that I applied to, then this school is probably no longer an option. The open house is in a few weeks, and I am kind of pressed for time. I figure if I don't get into the other schools, or after some digging I realize that id like to give this school a chance I can visit a few weeks later than the open house. Based on your experience, Is it truly worth visiting a school during the program's open house, or can the same experience and information be achieved by scheduling your own visit and talking to faculty, students on your own time?

 

Thanks so much for any advice.

[rae303]

In my experience the two are different, but both have their benefits.  Often for the open house the school is rolling out the big guns - there will be lots of organized activities, speakers, etc.  When you do an individual visit you don't get to see any of that, but you do get a much more personalized tour.  So, it's not quite the same experience, but you can still get the same information with a little bit of digging.  I'd do what works best for your schedule. 

[ak48]

For me, the Open House visit is more valuable because I get to meet fellow applicants and see what they are like, what they are thinking, and how they are approaching the decision. You also get treated more nicely (one place is taking us to dinner and then a play).

 

That said, you'll probably get a more "honest" view on a personal visit, as Rae mentioned

[zabius]

One nice thing about an open house event is that there are numerous planned activities, and most of the faculty and current students will have worked those into their schedules. So, you get to meet just about everybody, in addition to meeting the other prospective students (as ak48 mentioned). In contrast, on an individual visit you might only get to see the department head/grad committee, the faculty members you have mentioned in your SOP, and a handful of students who have "free time" that day. At least, that's how it worked when people scheduled visits at my old school. Everyone in the department was at the open house, but only a few people took time out of their schedules for smaller visits.

 

That said, if this school is at the bottom of your list, the open house might not be worth it. But if you think that you might want to give it a chance (which you probably should... a campus visit could change all of your perceptions!), then I guess the question is... would visiting on your own time be significantly less expensive? If the open house and the individual visit would both cost ~$600, go for the open house. You'll meet more people and probably get a lot more free food out of it. And it really is nice to feel "courted" by the program, after months of trying to court them. :-)

 

If you want an honest view of the school during the open house, ask the current students questions when the faculty aren't around. Most of these weekends include scheduled dinners/social outings with current students, and in my experience they are very willing to give it to you straight (both the good and the bad) if you ask.

[Laurenzo]

Does anyone else have the problem of schools coordinating their open house on the same dates? I had already confirmed with another school by the time two others had invited me out for the same weekend. Ugh! I'm trying to coordinate personal visits later to help me with the ultimate decision, but it's good to know that I can still get somewhat of an experience from an individual visit.

[DStory247]

I had the same experience Laurenzo-

I'm trying to coordinate an individual visit for the 2nd school now, and hopefully it all works out. I hope yours turns out well also.

 

At least you and I should be able to really answer this original question once we have experienced one of each!