Interviewing after acceptance Considerations

[Markerz]

So I have been accepted to a few programs that would be wonderful. Have narrowed it down to two and am now trying to decide.

I dont have to ask questions to impress faculty, more to genuinely get to know the programs and make the best decision but of course I would really like to not get off on the wrong foot.

I have visited one but was vastly unprepared for the visit and was knocked off by the implication of some faculty that perhaps I chose the wrong department(ECE rather than CS where my current knowledge and interests is) so made terrible use of the visit day. Later I got accepted anyway and thinking it through I might have applied to the correct department after all.  Theres seems to be a wide variety of interesting things and I dont know who I would want as my advisor there, which can be kind of scary but also gives me time to explore. The one thing I dont want is to go there only to discover that there is no one for me to work with. Also this is so far out of my current range of knowledge I am afraid of what if it turns out I am bad at/ or don't like this kind of research after all or that the culture really doesn't work for me.This school is well ranked and well known, I think around top 20 definitely top 50.

In the other school the research they are doing aligns exactly with the system I am actually familiar with and have already a strong interest and fairly good background in, and I think they are doing cool stuff. Its a far lower ranked school. I am visiting soon and trying to get a feel for the school. There though I feel like I would be pigeonholing myself and while I dont worry that I wont find someone to work with, if it turns out we dont work well together I am in bigger trouble. Its hard to figure this out from limited contact. Being a smaller less regarded school I worry that I would have to fight more for my career as well. This school is probably not in the top 100 maybe not even the top 200. Though they do seem to be publishing in decent places just not often, small school, few students.

Both have their own "risks" I feel like the first highly ranked school might be a "smarter" option but I also feel that the second program has a lot of resources for the particular problem that I could potentially do good work there.

The first program has given me the option to conduct an additional skype interview with a member of its faculty and while this would be very helpful I am having trouble choosing and figuring out how to not step on feet. I am also not entirely sure what would be most helpful for me to know that I can present without making myself look bad.

Same applies to the second program. I will get to visit a lab meeting and get to know potential lab mates as well as speak with the potential advisors but what else should I be doing/ asking to make best use of my time to gather information? Again without potentially stepping on any toes.
 

Edited March 13, 2016 by Markerz

[kpkpkp]

Definitely talk to as many people from each program as possible- you're gonna be spending the next few years with them, so the better feel you get for the department, the better idea you'll get of if you'll fit in and get along with those in the department. If you're honest and open about questions you have, you won't come across in a bad way, you'll come across as conscientious. Rankings shift year by year, so try and pick the program that is more consistently churning out students and papers. Also, unless you're dead set on your area of study, consider what you would do if you changed your mind- does your program have other areas that you could switch to, or would you be locked into your initial choice? 

[rising_star]

I think you're overly concerned with stepping on people's toes. Once you've been admitted with funding, they are the ones trying to recruit you and convince you that it's the right place for you to do your PhD. So, for the first school, if you really can't choose, ask if you can speak with multiple faculty and have a clear reason for each (one which draws on your research interests).