Campus Visits

[tinymica]

4 hours ago, caffeinated applicant said:

@tinymica: Remain calm--it's going to be okay. They are not going to pull your acceptance. All you have to do is be professional--as in, show up showered and don't tell bawdy jokes. They already think that you are extremely bright and prepared. You have nothing to prove to them. These visits exist for one reason: they want to make you want to come here. Seriously. Shake off the imposter syndrome. Swan into every room. This is your victory lap. You have earned it. Don't worry about trying to look smart. Be prepared to talk about the work that you've done in undergrad and the work that you're interested in doing in the future. Dress fairly nice. Bring questions for the current grad students about quality of life and department support. Wipe clear your memories of prior (non-)interactions with that one faculty member. You've got this.

(NB: My perspective here is as someone who has listened to many a grad student describe these events, which they attended as current students and prospective students, in various fields.)

Edited to add: Just want to underscore that this goes for everyone nervous about going into visits. You earned this. 

...I really needed this. Thank you so much for your kindness; I appreciate and respect you a lot. I'll definitely be coming back to this comment when I get nervous again

[Ramus]

For all of you attending the OSU Open House on Monday, feel free to send me a DM with any last minute questions or concerns! I'm happy to help in any way I can. 

[MundaneSoul]

Anyone going to Oregon or Stony Brook? Hope to see you there! Oregon in particular looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun.

[meghan_sparkle]

lol i had to book an air bnb in NYC for a period in-between campus visits (just wouldn't have been worth it to fly back to the UK only to turn around again) and .... they cancelled the confirmed reservation bc due to a fear that i would bring coronavirus into the apartment, lol

i'm more nervous/afraid about traveling nonstop over the next month while this widespread panic is unfurling than i am of the virus itself (i'm aware the fatality rate for under 30s is very low). it just feels like ... travel could be impacted, things could go less than smoothly, reservations could be cancelled last minute ... classic me to panic about other people's panic but idk, something in the last 24-48 hours seems to have shifted in the coronavirus discourse.

[vondafkossum]

1 hour ago, meghan_sparkle said:

lol i had to book an air bnb in NYC for a period in-between campus visits (just wouldn't have been worth it to fly back to the UK only to turn around again) and .... they cancelled the confirmed reservation bc due to a fear that i would bring coronavirus into the apartment, lol

i'm more nervous/afraid about traveling nonstop over the next month while this widespread panic is unfurling than i am of the virus itself (i'm aware the fatality rate for under 30s is very low). it just feels like ... travel could be impacted, things could go less than smoothly, reservations could be cancelled last minute ... classic me to panic about other people's panic but idk, something in the last 24-48 hours seems to have shifted in the coronavirus discourse.

I'd wager it's because someone's president went on TV and made a buffoon of the rest of us globally, again.

Fingers crossed for you in terms of coordinating. I don't envy you that part of these visits. 

Edited February 28, 2020 by vondafkossum

[AnachronisticPoet]

Is anyone else (especially those accepted only to 1 or 2 programs) nervous that they'll arrive to a visit and not like the school?

[caeiro]

1 hour ago, AnachronisticPoet said:

Is anyone else (especially those accepted only to 1 or 2 programs) nervous that they'll arrive to a visit and not like the school?

Terrified! Especially since my one acceptance is in an incredibly expensive city. 

Edited March 2, 2020 by caeiro

[tinymica]

1 hour ago, AnachronisticPoet said:

Is anyone else (especially those accepted only to 1 or 2 programs) nervous that they'll arrive to a visit and not like the school?

Absolutely. I don't even know how I would handle that.

[meghan_sparkle]

Just finished a breathtaking first visit to Yale. It will be ... hard to beat that, to be honest. Oof.

[meghan_sparkle]

Hearing rumors that multiple programs I have yet to visit are considering cancelling their visit days (or rather, departments are reckoning with the very real possibility that the university may require them to cancel.)

And... panicking.

EDIT: Wasn't clear but for coronavirus reasons I mean.

Edited March 5, 2020 by meghan_sparkle

[merry night wanderer]

I've found a lot of really good information by asking POIs what scholarship they think I should read to get further or more current with my interests, but the downside is my book list is now literally +50 books heavier! 

[punctilious]

If any Harvard admits have any questions, feel free to message me, considering the coronavirus-fueled cancellation of official visit days. 

[northwestnative]

Will mention again, since Berkeley’s cancelled our visit weekend, I’m happy to answer questions. 

[LondonFog27]

My campus visit got cancelled but I am still going to go and conduct an independent site visit ( if they let me on campus, that is)

I do not have the time to reschedule a trip  because I work full time and I absolutely cannot commit to this school unless I have seen it. 

 

[thismortalcoil]

Will chime in, also, and say that since UPenn has cancelled visitor's week, I'm happy to answer questions about the English Dept.

[coffeelyf]

Just need to vent re: visit days. I'm an international student and thought I had all of my visits figured out perfectly: I was sponsored to go to a conference in the US, got my visa, and planned my visits for right after the conference. Booked my flights to the cities and everything (non-refundable ones). And now the conference was just cancelled, and all my plans went out the window with it, including seeing Salman Rushdie speak at my MA school. At least JHU is going to make things virtual anyway, but I have no idea about NYU, or if they would be willing to reimburse my ticket. GOD. The US needs to get a hold of this situation right now. 

Update: NYU just emailed to say that they will reimburse, so bless them for that. 

Edited March 10, 2020 by coffeelyf
Update the post

[kolyagogolova]

UNC has cancelled its open house, and is generously reimbursing flights etc. Very lovely of them, but this pretty much feels like a death knell for my waitlist & rejection-heavy application season.

[meghan_sparkle]

I'm a broken record at this point but this whole thing feels really grim, don't know what else to say. I have zero idea how I'll make an informed decision given 4/6 of my visits have been cancelled. The number of "Email ___" or "Call with ___" entries on my to-do list is going up and up and up but every call leaves me less not more reassured, and my motivation to sit at my computer sending pointless emails (when I suck at email to begin with!!!) is just eroding.

At this point I wish I could defer but realistically I can't. It's the least of the world's worries right now, and I realize I'm in an incredibly fortunate position right now and in a sense "can't go wrong." But there's a real sinister irony about having a really shitty 2-3 years (during which my life felt purposeless and I constantly wondered whether I was cut out for a PhD, or whether getting on the Titanic ship that is academia was the future I wanted) only to have this ONE really really good thing happen and ... of course it had to fall into chaotic disarray and leave me feeling more confused and purposeless than ever, lol. 

[snorkles]

5 minutes ago, meghan_sparkle said:

I'm a broken record at this point but this whole thing feels really grim, don't know what else to say. I have zero idea how I'll make an informed decision given 4/6 of my visits have been cancelled. The number of "Email ___" or "Call with ___" entries on my to-do list is going up and up and up but every call leaves me less not more reassured, and my motivation to sit at my computer sending pointless emails (when I suck at email to begin with!!!) is just eroding.

At this point I wish I could defer but realistically I can't. It's the least of the world's worries right now, and I realize I'm in an incredibly fortunate position right now and in a sense "can't go wrong." But there's a real sinister irony about having a really shitty 2-3 years (during which my life felt purposeless and I constantly wondered whether I was cut out for a PhD, or whether getting on the Titanic ship that is academia was the future I wanted) only to have this ONE really really good thing happen and ... of course it had to fall into chaotic disarray and leave me feeling more confused and purposeless than ever, lol. 

You have a lot of unknowns, and all of those programs are great. What they're not equal in, though, is cost of living. Think through the finances of your options and it may be easier to decide than you think. I know a few in my cohort who decided based on this factor alone. I love Cal. Do I love 2k+ studios? I do not. 

[meghan_sparkle]

8 minutes ago, snorkles said:

You have a lot of unknowns, and all of those programs are great. What they're not equal in, though, is cost of living. Think through the finances of your options and it may be easier to decide than you think. I know a few in my cohort who decided based on this factor alone. I love Cal. Do I love 2k+ studios? I do not. 

Yeah, agreed. I have what I think (?) is the highest fellowship offer from Berkeley right now and even then, it will go down to ~27k from year 5 onward according to the DGS. Trying to live on that in the Bay Area? Oh honey no. When Harvard's package is 36k, Chicago's and Yale's 31/32k, and Columbia's 34k for 6 years guaranteed ... it's just vvvery hard to see how I could justify it to myself, even though the faculty fit is fantastic. 

EDIT: Despite that it's still true that they have the best placement in the country rn! Which is hard to ignore.

Edited March 10, 2020 by meghan_sparkle

[snorkles]

1 minute ago, meghan_sparkle said:

Yeah, agreed. I have what I think (?) is the highest fellowship offer from Berkeley right now and even then, it will go down to ~27k from year 5 onward according to the DGS. Trying to live on that in the Bay Area? Oh honey no. When Harvard's package is 36k, Chicago's and Yale's 31/32k, and Columbia's 34k for 6 years guaranteed ... it's just vvvery hard to see how I could justify it to myself, even though the faculty fit is fantastic. 

EDIT: Despite that it's still true that they have the best placement in the country rn! Which is hard to ignore.

34k in Manhattan sounds tough. I suspect you spoke to someone at bar night here about his Columbia MFA experience . If not, he could help you think about that option. Not sure how far the other stipends stretch besides Chicago. 

You could make any of these work, but some will require more sacrifices than others. 

 

[meghan_sparkle]

8 minutes ago, snorkles said:

34k in Manhattan sounds tough. I suspect you spoke to someone at bar night here about his Columbia MFA experience . If not, he could help you think about that option. Not sure how far the other stipends stretch besides Chicago. 

You could make any of these work, but some will require more sacrifices than others. 

I didn't speak to anyone in Chicago about Columbia MFA, no--the stipend might actually be nearer to 35k but yeah, I think functionally it restricts you to Columbia housing, which is at a subsidized rate. Livability on the stipend was one of the main things I was going to ask at the Columbia visit on the 25th but .... now I'll just email current students ? On my list of 203943240 emails to send

[tinymica]

I posted a little bit about this in the applicants thread but figured it's better suited to this one: I just finished up my UW virtual visit and I'm really pleased with how it went. It was undeniably awkward at points because of the webcam format, but I really enjoyed speaking with faculty (even those whose interests were far from mine). I'm relieved to get the sense from current students that it's a highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and friendly environment. My concerns, though, are about the fact that the teaching requirement begins the very first quarter and that, while there are efforts to prepare students for the job market early-on, they don't seem as....extensive (?) as those at other programs. I'm not sure where the standard is for professionalization initiatives, so if anyone has more information on that, please let me know!

Edited March 10, 2020 by tinymica
spelling

[WildeThing]

Visits are so important, I would have loved to visit during the process and was very disappointed that I wasn’t able to. BUT, I will say that many candidates select places having never visited and many of them turn out fine. Of course you want to make the best decision possible, but keep in mind that if you applied to a place it’s because it’s a good choice. So seeing as visits are an issue, definitely do all you can to supplement the information but all of the important information can be obtained virtually anyway (skype with students/faculty is a good call). Whatever choice you make after all of that deliberation will be a good one. I am not saying this to diminish the importance of this change in the process but just to calm everyone and say that everything will work out. Trust yourself to make the right choice.

[clinamen]

5 hours ago, tinymica said:

I posted a little bit about this in the applicants thread but figured it's better suited to this one: I just finished up my UW virtual visit and I'm really pleased with how it went. It was undeniably awkward at points because of the webcam format, but I really enjoyed speaking with faculty (even those whose interests were far from mine). I'm relieved to get the sense from current students that it's a highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and friendly environment. My concerns, though, are about the fact that the teaching requirement begins the very first quarter and that, while there are efforts to prepare students for the job market early-on, they don't seem as....extensive (?) as those at other programs. I'm not sure where the standard is for professionalization initiatives, so if anyone has more information on that, please let me know!

Hi everyone! Current UW student here! I went through this process a few seasons ago and I can't imagine not having had the opportunity to make visits -- they were so crucial to my decision. I'm genuinely sorry to hear that many of you are being faced with a "site-unseen" decision. I offered my email through the grad assistant at UW but I want to say here that am happy to talk with anyone on here or over email who is considering UW! 

To address your questions about professionalization, @tinymica there is a committee assigned to professionalization and there are meetings that I've been to dedicated to developing materials for students going on the job market. I am pre-exams so I will say I have not participated in "extensive" preparations for the job market at this point. That said, I'm sure that professionalization early on is something UW could improve. I don't know the standard, but I don't get the feeling that UW is significantly behind other programs (at least the ones I was able to visit). I'm happy to talk more about this or teaching or whatever if you want to pm me