Visit Logistics

[AgentScully]

Not that I'm expecting to get offers from Princeton or Columbia, but does anyone know when their visit dates would potentially be? I'm planning a whirlwind tour in order to visit as many programs as I possibly can, while missing the least amount of school, but I only want to make one cross-continental flight (I'm currently in SoCal). This might be an unreasonable expectation, but right now I've got five programs scheduled into 11 days. These programs seem to want me to book my travel and confirm my visits asap. I did not necessarily want to visit so many places, but my advisor told me to try to visit as many as possible, hence the magical mystery tour. Thoughts?

[MVSCZAR]

Do you already have plans to come to the east coast?? 

[jacbarcan]

I've been advised to only visit serious contenders. If that happens to be all the programs that I've been accepted at, then fine, but I was told to not waste people's (especially to waste the money that could go toward another more serious applicant's travel). 

I definitely understand what your advisor probably means. Make connections. Visit departments that you may not realize are perfect for you. I think that's all in good spirit, but also don't visit the school if it's definitely not comparing to another program. These schools can get really screwed over if a lot of people visit and then decline offers and other applicants miss out on good opportunities. (I've seen it happen the last two years with students applying from my undergraduate institution. They had to wait till the last minute to know what was happening and schools were really freaking out at them.)

If you're already well aware of all this and already turned down offers to the schools that aren't contending. I would guess the visitation dates for Columbia and Princeton would be early April. I'm not actually really basing this off of anything though except knowledge of when the visitation dates are of schools that have recently released. They're all in early April or late March. The other thing to consider is that you don't need to show up to their visitation weekends and can just show up any old time that is convenient for you.

I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to just tell all these programs that you'll have everything confirmed by this weekend or early next week. I would also inform them on contingency plans. (e.g. If I get into Princeton, I will decline your offer. or No matter what happens next week, I will be visiting, but I may have to move some stuff around if....). The other thing you can do is plan everything except the last trip. (You wont have the return trip planned but you'll have the flight to the last place planned from the place before it. Then, just inform that school that you'll get back to them within the next week and a half.) Then, plan the last trip around Columbia and Princeton if they give you an offer.

I hope this all wasn't completely obvious or was already considered. It's sometimes the obvious things we overlook (like how amazing it is that some of us have gotten into top programs!!!).

 

[philosophe]

I'm visiting 3 schools in one week over my spring break (none of them direct, so 10 flights! :X)... and another the week before or after. It's the considerate thing to let them book it asap other wise it will be more costly for them. You shouldn't bank on getting into other schools. If you do get in, you can always visit a different time... many schools don't have specific visiting days anyway. 

Edited March 1, 2016 by philosophe