Campus Visits

[maengret]

@TakeruK ...and radio silence since I asked 

[TakeruK]

3 minutes ago, maengret said:

@TakeruK ...and radio silence since I asked 

If you just asked today then maybe they haven't had time to get to it yet! Or, if they are indeed seeking approvals and such, that might take some time. I wouldn't worry about it---I know that the admins at my PhD school were always very careful to only provide correct information so whenever they were not sure about something, they would check with all the right people before sending a response!

[punctilious]

Thank you so much @WildeThing, @a_sort_of_fractious_angel, and @maengret! It's tough because we don't want to prevent other students from getting a chance to attend if they are on a waitlist/secret waitlist. And it's unlikely that husband would choose Delaware over Harvard (especially since he wants a job in the EU/UK after). But his POI there is phenomenal so we don't want to burn bridges (she may not attend the visit day as she's on sabbatical, however). Ugh! This is tough.

[Oklash]

Im visiting a university I got accepted to, should I tell the department I am coming for a visit?

I was recently admitted into the University of Alabama’s graduate program and will more than likely be accepting. I was accepted without an interview so I’ve only seen the campus in the context of crowded football games. I scheduled a visit to get a feel of the place and to let my parents look around but I’m wondering if I should let the English department know that I’m coming?

Id like to ask some questions and meet a few people in person, but is it really needed if I am already accepted? Would they even want to make time for me? If I did contact anyone what’s the chances of getting reimbursed?

[M(allthevowels)H]

1 hour ago, Oklash said:

Im visiting a university I got accepted to, should I tell the department I am coming for a visit?

I was recently admitted into the University of Alabama’s graduate program and will more than likely be accepting. I was accepted without an interview so I’ve only seen the campus in the context of crowded football games. I scheduled a visit to get a feel of the place and to let my parents look around but I’m wondering if I should let the English department know that I’m coming?

Id like to ask some questions and meet a few people in person, but is it really needed if I am already accepted? Would they even want to make time for me? If I did contact anyone what’s the chances of getting reimbursed?

Yes! Absolutely tell the department, especially if you want to speak to a faculty member, current student, or sit in on a class. I made a tiny joke to one of my programs about just showing up, and they seemed quite nervous about that. If you've been admitted into their PhD, they might already have funds set aside for visits (though if so, it will likely just be for you. A few programs have specified that they can't pay for the travel of guests so your parents would be on their own financially).

If you're just visiting to see campus and don't actually want to speak with anyone, I guess going incognito is fine, but it would be a good opportunity to get a feel for the people and atmosphere.

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

My first visit is this week and I've typed up all the questions I could possibly think to ask - to those who have already been on visits, is there anything you'd suggest a newbie like myself do or ask or look for? Stuff one wouldn't perhaps think to ask about? 

 

[punctilious]

Is anyone planning to check out the graduate student housing during their visit(s)? I found a place I'd LOVE to live in through university housing but I'm not sure if it makes sense to visit while we are there (if it's even possible to take a look at grad student housing).

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

9 minutes ago, punctilious said:

Is anyone planning to check out the graduate student housing during their visit(s)? I found a place I'd LOVE to live in through university housing but I'm not sure if it makes sense to visit while we are there (if it's even possible to take a look at grad student housing).

I would check it out! Or at least see if you can schedule it! I lived in graduate student housing during my MA - it was a bit of an ususual gig, but I went down in April to see what is was like and whatnot. Probably could have checked it out during the open house for the MA, had I gone. 

And it's pretty much the same as asking about the areas/neighborhoods grad students live in, right? I've been encouraged to check those areas out on my visits - a trip into Pitt's neighborhoods is actually legit scheduled for my CMU visit - so I think they'd probably be more than happy to give you info on how to learn more/actually see the place(s).

Edited February 25, 2018 by a_sort_of_fractious_angel

[punctilious]

4 minutes ago, a_sort_of_fractious_angel said:

I would check it out! Or at least see if you can schedule it! I lived in graduate student housing during my MA - it was a bit of an ususual gig, but I went down in April to see it was and whatnot. Probably could have checked it out during the open house for the MA, had I gone. 

And it's pretty much the same as asking about the areas/neighborhoods grad students live in, right? I've been encouraged to check those areas out on my visits - a trip into Pitt's neighborhoods is actually legit scheduled for my CMU visit - so I think they'd probably be more than happy to give you info on how to learn more/actually see the place(s).

Sounds great! We'll see what they actually have on the docket for the Harvard visit (it's three days long, so perhaps something like you mentioned is included) and otherwise check things out on our own. He also got an email from a grad student recently so I'll definitely have husband ask about where grad students live and thoughts on different neighborhoods/university housing. This place is exactly what I was looking for though, so hopefully it's available and as good in person as it is on paper!

[a_sort_of_fractious_angel]

10 minutes ago, punctilious said:

Sounds great! We'll see what they actually have on the docket for the Harvard visit (it's three days long, so perhaps something like you mentioned is included) and otherwise check things out on our own. He also got an email from a grad student recently so I'll definitely have husband ask about where grad students live and thoughts on different neighborhoods/university housing. This place is exactly what I was looking for though, so hopefully it's available and as good in person as it is on paper!

That sounds so exciting! I hope it works out for you guys  

[automatic]

I have a visit day later this month but as it's the only place I got into (not that I'm complaining) and I am HAPPILY going to be accepting, I'm not sure what to ask and also whether or not to suggest I'm still really considering any other option? What types of questions do you ask when you know you'll be going? If you only have one offer are you forthright about that?

[punctilious]

5 minutes ago, automatic said:

I have a visit day later this month but as it's the only place I got into (not that I'm complaining) and I am HAPPILY going to be accepting, I'm not sure what to ask and also whether or not to suggest I'm still really considering any other option? What types of questions do you ask when you know you'll be going? If you only have one offer are you forthright about that?

We're similarly curious. Husband's POI seems convinced that husband got into Chicago and Stanford or something, based on how he's been trying to sell Harvard. But like... do we play it cool at the visit? Or are we straight up like "Listen... I'm going to Harvard. Don't worry." Lol.

To perhaps help a bit, on our POI call we went through the very same list of questions we had prepared for our UD POI. There's no harm in getting all the information you need, even if it's the only or clearly best option!

[TakeruK]

8 minutes ago, punctilious said:

We're similarly curious. Husband's POI seems convinced that husband got into Chicago and Stanford or something, based on how he's been trying to sell Harvard. But like... do we play it cool at the visit? Or are we straight up like "Listen... I'm going to Harvard. Don't worry." Lol.

To perhaps help a bit, on our POI call we went through the very same list of questions we had prepared for our UD POI. There's no harm in getting all the information you need, even if it's the only or clearly best option!

If you are for-sure going to Harvard you can say that. We had one prospective student told us at the end of the first day (out of two) that he will be attending our program for sure. The next morning, he told us he officially accepted the offer last night after our evening social event ended!

[punctilious]

4 minutes ago, TakeruK said:

If you are for-sure going to Harvard you can say that. We had one prospective student told us at the end of the first day (out of two) that he will be attending our program for sure. The next morning, he told us he officially accepted the offer last night after our evening social event ended!

Yeah, by the time we have our Harvard visit, the other visits we plan to or might attend will have already passed. So I'd imagine we'd have our minds made up. It would be nice to officially accept during the visit so that we could start our housing application if need be. Do students ever accept before the visit days, to your knowledge?

[TakeruK]

8 hours ago, punctilious said:

Yeah, by the time we have our Harvard visit, the other visits we plan to or might attend will have already passed. So I'd imagine we'd have our minds made up. It would be nice to officially accept during the visit so that we could start our housing application if need be. Do students ever accept before the visit days, to your knowledge?

Yes, sometimes people have already accepted our program when they visit (since the visit is to also learn about the program and the city, not just a "convince you to join us" thing). Of course, we never know for sure (but why would people lie about this?). Typically this is rare though because the visit is usually only 4-6 weeks after the acceptance and we generally have our visit before some schools even give decisions back. This is more common when a student visits outside of the regular visiting dates (typically later on in the year).

Also, some people accept without visiting at all because they might not be able to visit. 

For my school, you can start housing application as soon as you have accepted and for some types of housing, it's on a first-come, first-serve waitlist system (specifically, for family housing). So for those visiting our school who are certain to attend and might be interested in that, I generally give the advice to accept as soon as they are 100% sure so that they can get on the list faster. It takes around 2 years to clear that wait list** usually and being one of the first names on the list for the class of students starting 2018 (or whatever year it is) can make a difference between whether you get a place in your 3rd or 4th year. But this process can be done online, after the visit too. 

** All new grad students are guaranteed housing (furnished apartments) for the first year. This main grad housing is lottery based each year beyond the first year. However, there is a small amount of unfurnished apartments for lease on the above waitlist system at heavily discounted rates (when we were in it, our rent was 50% of market value). There's a max time limit of 2 years in residency (5 years if you have a child), so people generally try to aim to move into this housing in their final 2 years.

[LibraryLivingJT]

16 hours ago, punctilious said:

Is anyone planning to check out the graduate student housing during their visit(s)? I found a place I'd LOVE to live in through university housing but I'm not sure if it makes sense to visit while we are there (if it's even possible to take a look at grad student housing).

I'm going to try to check out the family housing at Delaware, since the website only has a floor plan and more pics, and as my fiancé isn't coming to the visit days, I want to get some pics for him

[Isocrates2.o]

Anyone else have a job and need to make some tough decisions in regards to which programs to visit? I'm deciding between three programs, all of seemingly equal merit, and trying to determine which is the best fit. 

BUT- I'm a practicing teacher, and I can't just cancel three or four class sessions at the drop of a hat because programs want us to visit on weekdays. My students NEED to hold class. Such a frustrating situation to be in. What I'm doing is narrowing down to my top choices and only visiting them, but... AH! So frustrating. 

[LibraryLivingJT]

2 hours ago, Isocrates2.o said:

Anyone else have a job and need to make some tough decisions in regards to which programs to visit? I'm deciding between three programs, all of seemingly equal merit, and trying to determine which is the best fit. 

BUT- I'm a practicing teacher, and I can't just cancel three or four class sessions at the drop of a hat because programs want us to visit on weekdays. My students NEED to hold class. Such a frustrating situation to be in. What I'm doing is narrowing down to my top choices and only visiting them, but... AH! So frustrating. 

I lucked out in that U of Delaware's visit days are March 11-12, and March 12 is the start of spring break at the university where I teach.

I definitely understand as someone who doesn't want to cancel any classes at all ever if it can be avoided. 

[renea]

20 hours ago, Isocrates2.o said:

Anyone else have a job and need to make some tough decisions in regards to which programs to visit? I'm deciding between three programs, all of seemingly equal merit, and trying to determine which is the best fit. 

BUT- I'm a practicing teacher, and I can't just cancel three or four class sessions at the drop of a hat because programs want us to visit on weekdays. My students NEED to hold class. Such a frustrating situation to be in. What I'm doing is narrowing down to my top choices and only visiting them, but... AH! So frustrating. 

Well I'm a grad student currently, but I do teach and take classes and I'm finding it really hard to move my schedule around. Even though many second year MAs are currently in the process of applying, not all my profs have been helpful or understanding of my need to attend preview events. I already had one visit cancelled (due to flight delay/weather), but I had moved around my schedule for the visit still and missed a class. Now I'm having to reschedule the visit and I'm having a hard time juggling everything. My husband currently works full time, and luckily his job is flexible that he can make up hours- but it means his visit is requiring him to work extra hours the following week which is a bummer.

I'm currently accepted into 3 programs which all have preview days, I'm attending 2 rn, one of which is scheduled on my spring break so I don't miss class. I guess one thing to think about is that you don't have to attend the full visit. It'll suck to miss part of the events, but at least you'd be able to visit.. I know I'm only attending Miami's event partially (since it's more than one day).

I have a separate question for you guys: How many of you are paying out of pocket for your visits.

So two of the programs I applied to are covering the majority of my visit (flight, hotel, most meals, etc), but one department I was accepted to is barely covering anything (only 1 night at a hotel, which for an out of state applicant my out of pocket expenses for travel and everything else would easily turn it into a $600-700 trip). I've already asked about additionally funding and was told there was no more available. I'm having a really hard time deciding whether or not to go. I don't really have extra money to spare, but I could probably get the money together by the time of the trip and I have a free hotel night through a rewards program that I could use. Part of me feels like I should just not go, but right now this is the program we'll most likely be attending (since it's the only school my husband and I have both been accepted to). If we end up there, I feel like I'll regret not going. Additionally, I feel like it's going to be hard to make our decision if I had the chance to visit the other departments and not this one.

So in the long run is it worth paying for the visit? Are any of you guys turning down unfunded visits? Are any of you paying for your own expenses?

[Isocrates2.o]

1 hour ago, renea said:

I have a separate question for you guys: How many of you are paying out of pocket for your visits.

I'm generally deciding to not do this at all, simply because these programs have already made at least $100 off of me through application fees and GRE scores, and because I assume any competitive program will have the funds allotted to bring grad students in to visit. Frankly, I have more than one program asking me to come in and covering my costs to do so. It's not a good look to ask me to pay for my own ticket to your out-of-the-way rural university in comparison, haha. The difficulty comes in when there's a program not holding an accepted students event (or at least not covering travel costs for it), yet is one I'm very much interested in getting a first-hand account of. 

I'll be meeting you at the Miami open house! Which day will you be there? 

Just out of curiosity, how did you find out about your Virginia Tech acceptance (congratulations, by the way)? I'm still waiting to hear back from them. Was it over email or through the portal? 

[renea]

1 hour ago, Isocrates2.o said:

I'll be meeting you at the Miami open house! Which day will you be there? 

Just out of curiosity, how did you find out about your Virginia Tech acceptance (congratulations, by the way)? I'm still waiting to hear back from them. Was it over email or through the portal? 

I'll be coming in on Thursday and for sure be there all of Friday. I'm going to try to get there in time to attend a digital rhetoric class, but I'm driving so it'll really depend on traffic. 

For VT, I received an email from the director. I don't think my portal has been updated. They hosted a preview day the other week (it's the one I missed due to flight cancellation), so I know they sent other acceptances, but since I wasn't able to attend I'm not sure how many were there or whether they'll be sending out more. 

[melian517]

20 hours ago, Isocrates2.o said:

I'm generally deciding to not do this at all, simply because these programs have already made at least $100 off of me through application fees and GRE scores, and because I assume any competitive program will have the funds allotted to bring grad students in to visit. Frankly, I have more than one program asking me to come in and covering my costs to do so. It's not a good look to ask me to pay for my own ticket to your out-of-the-way rural university in comparison, haha.

In general I agree with this, but I think it does depend a little bit on the program. I was just at a campus visit, and it's an amazing department at a public university in a relatively poor state (they're still able to fully fund students though). The DGS told me that they are only given the funds for one prospective student per subfield, and I was it for mine. So even though as a rule I think programs should pay for people to visit, it also really depends on the financial situation at the university.

[Glasperlenspieler]

21 minutes ago, melian517 said:

In general I agree with this, but I think it does depend a little bit on the program. I was just at a campus visit, and it's an amazing department at a public university in a relatively poor state (they're still able to fully fund students though). The DGS told me that they are only given the funds for one prospective student per subfield, and I was it for mine. So even though as a rule I think programs should pay for people to visit, it also really depends on the financial situation at the university.

This is certainly something to take into consideration when deciding where to attend. A program that can't afford to cover the expenses for prospective student visits probably also doesn't have much in the way of extra money for attending conferences, doing research, etc. That's not to say that it might not be a great department otherwise, but the overall financial state of the program and the university as a whole will have an impact on your graduate education as a whole (this is especially true for PhD, although perhaps not as important for MA).

[LibraryLivingJT]

Who will I be seeing at the U of Delaware visit? I'm so excited  

Third application cycle and I am so ready to say YES to a program.

[immanentfields]

This might have been asked in the thread already, but how do you go about asking for additional travel funding? One program is giving me $300 for the flight and putting me up with current students, but flights to the east coast from Nevada are easily $500....