<p>I got a letter from the admissions secretary from an engineering program that I applied to saying that I was granted a visit "based on your academic achievements." However, it didn't say anything about whether I'm admitted or not. The problem, however, is that I'm holding another offer from a school that wants me to visit as well on the same day some time in February. I know that I can't visit both schools but I feel that I would want to visit a school that already accepted me since there's less uncertainty about whether I'll get in or not so I wouldn't waste time (they could reject me after the visit and I wouldn't be able to visit the other school). Since these two schools are ranked pretty high on my list, do you think I should email the secretary to explain this problem and ask what their decision is or how they perform the process (website doesn't say anything about visits before decision, etc)? What would you guys do? Thanks.</p>
<p>absolutely, email/call the person who sent you the letter and tell them that you would love to visit but have a commitment on that date and if they can offer you an alternate date. the chances are pretty high that they will agree.</p>
<p>Yeah, they understand there's only so many weekends that are available during admissions season and some people will have conflicts.</p>
<p>You should find out if these are weekends in which a bunch of students will be visiting or not, though. I went to a few weekends that were hosted for a lot of students, and one that was just me alone, and that one was definitely not as enlightening as the others. Pretty much all I did was wander onto campus from the hotel, find the professors I was supposed to talk with, have chats with them, maybe one or two of their grad students that had free time, and then left. The organized weekends let you meet your future classmates, more grad students, meet professors in more informal settings, and a bunch of other benefits.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses, but I think you're missing my point. My point is that since I don't know the decision and the financial aid that I'll get from this school should I go visit. Or should I email them for a decision (which I'm not sure whether they've made or not). I'm pretty sure that I'm not in the reject pile or else I wouldn't get a visit invitation. However, that might be presumptuous. How do they view giving decisions over email?</p>
<p>Its perfectly reasonable to call and clarify the situation.
Did they offer to pay your expenses for the trip? If yes, you are most likely accepted. Good luck!</p>
<p>Ecnerwalc, this may depend on what field you are in, but in the sciences, interviews (which is what they gave you) are a mandatory part of admissions. People go to three to six interviews (different schools) and the graduate programs offer admission to the interviewees that they want as students. The schools are very understanding of interview conflicts and have been extraordinarily accommodating in my experiences. Congrats on your interview.</p>
<p>it's for engineering, and technically, they called it a "visit". Thanks for the responses, I 'll probably just email them tomorrow and see what they have to say.</p>