Visiting prospective graduate programs

[Mathis2790]

I saw a similar post when I searched the forum but it didn't answer all of my questions so I thought I would submit a post. I'm currently stationed 3,000 miles away from the graduate programs I am interested in and I have an opportunity to visit them this summer before applying for Fall 2015 ( I'm getting an early start). Besides arranging a campus visit and tour what else should I be looking for/doing? I know everyone says to make sure that the school is a good fit but what should I be looking for? I know I probably sound clueless and it's because I am. I currently attend a commuter school with a bunch of returning adults and other military students.  Should I ask to meet with current graduate students? Since this is my one opportunity to visit before potentially attending the university I want to make the best of my visit. Any suggestions? Any advice is welcomed.  Thank you.

[Quigley]

Honestly, I'd wait to visit until you've been accepted.  I almost visited a couple of schools more than 2,000 miles away and I'm glad I didn't because I wasn't accepted to either one.  I love the program that I'll be attending but I waited to visit until they made me an offer of admission.

 

Your post doesn't say what kind of program you're applying to, but one way to look for a good fit is to find professors in a given department that share your research interests and will be good mentors during your grad program.  This can be done by looking at the faculty listings on the department websites, reading their CVs, and skimming their recent publications that might align with your interests and allow for opportunities to co-author.  Your application essay will likely need to have a section that explains why you want to study at this particular school, including which professors you would like to work with in your research. 

 

If you do visit, it is definitely helpful to meet with students and professors who might potentially be your advisors.  I visited the two schools that accepted me and learned the most from informal conversations with current students.  What I learned from these conversations with students were a huge factor in my final decision.

 

When you do meet with students, helpful questions for me were things like - why did you choose X school?  What do you like about attending here?  What would you change?  Are faculty generally helpful and welcoming?  What is the climate like among students -- competitive?  Supportive?  Cooperative?  Are there opportunities to get published while you're here?  Are your peers finding jobs when they graduate?  Where are they finding jobs?  What opportunities are there during the summer months for TAships or funding? 

 

Before making my two visits, I honestly had no idea where I'd go.  I liked the first place well enough and thought I could be happy there.  Then after just a few hours on my second visit, I knew that school #2 was the place for me.  I loved everything about it and I just felt at home there. 

 

Good luck!

[Mathis2790]

Thanks Quigley for all of the helpful advice! I think visiting beforehand will help me narrow down the schools I want to apply to. However, I will be sure to research more about professors and try and find a current student or two.

[Arrowfletch]

If you work out a visit through the department of interest (and not just the school itself), you should be able to get more out of it.  Usually you'll be able to give a list of people you would be interested in meeting with, and the graduate office can try to arrange those meetings for you.  Sometimes they can also arrange for you to talk to current students (either in a group of interest or students who are on a welcoming committee of sorts) who can give you an insider's rundown of how things work there.  What you ask beyond that depends on what's important to you and what point you're at in deciding things.  In addition to questions about the program, though, don't forget to ask about general life in the area--common living arrangements, safety, transportation, etc.  I technically visited after being accepted, but that was really just because I didn't even decide to apply until nearly December, and the only time after that to visit was toward the end of the semester when everyone had official visiting weekends anyway.