Open House questions

[APOCooter]

I've been accepted to the University of Michigan masters in biostatistics program.  I've been invited to attend the department open house.  Since I haven't been to the campus yet (I live about 8 hours away), I figured now might be a good time to check it out.  I have a few questions about what to expect, though.

 

Do students in the masters degree program often attend these sorts of things, or am I going to be surrounded by PhD admits?

 

What's appropriate dress?  I'm obviously not going to be wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but slacks and a tucked in dress shirt seems a little much, too.  Would jeans and a button down shirt be too casual?  Additionally, I have a full sleeve tattoo; is this something I should consider trying to completely cover up?

 

Also, I plan on asking the following questions:

 

What kind of statistics can you tell me about masters degree graduates? How many of them find jobs in the field after graduating? How many of them go on to a PhD program, either here or at another institution? For people who go into industry with a masters, do you have any salary or job quality information, or what areas they go into (clinical trials, statistical genetics, etc)?

 

For masters students who do not have an RA-ship, what kind of opportunities are there to gain real world experience that would make us attractive to future employers or PhD programs?

 

Is it possible to pick of special certifications along the way of completing the program (such as SAS programming certification, etc)? Is it possible to pick an area to specialize in as a masters degree student?

 

For students coming in without any financial assistance outside of loans, is it possible to be reconsidered for possible funding during the second year?

 

What percentage of students complete the program?

 

 

 

For students:

 

How effective are professors with communication? With regards to foreign professors, is it easy to understand them? I ask because I'm hearing impaired and I have a hard time with thick accents.

 

 

Student life:

 

How much free time do you have? Are you able to enjoy hobbies and interests outside of school? What about time for a part time job?

 

Are there programs available for relocating students to help them build a social and support network? Such as meet and greets, or can grad students join on campus clubs or organizations?

 

 

Are there any obvious questions that I'm forgetting?  Should I not ask any of those questions because they'll make me look like an idiot?

 

Thanks for the help!