<p>I just found out today that there is a recruiting weekend this week that I wasn't invited to at a certain school. The graduate coordinator let it slip in a message to me and told me that I shouldn't be offended because it's only for the very best students. The school is covering all of the costs, so they didn't want to invite everybody, I guess.</p>
<p>Should I be offended? This school was at the top of my list, mainly because of the funding package, but now I don't know what to think. I feel like I got slapped in the face. </p>
<p>I've been accepted and invited to recruiting weekends at schools ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 13th. This school is ranked 11th.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t take it personally at all. It isn’t any surprise to you that there are some students with stronger applications than you have, is it? Sounds like they have budget issues. Your funding package is a reflection of how interested in you they are. Too bad you can’t meet and greet, though. They take the risk that you won’t feel comfortable with the fit without meeting the profs.</p>
<p>Well, I would be offended. Events are not about just meeting profs. It’s about meeting other students and the graduate studies director as well, discussing curricular requirements, looking over the campus, housing, etc… Further, if the school is so tight for funds that it cannot invite all the admitted students to a recruiting event, I’d worry about its budgetary health, especially as concerns those students not deemed “the very best!” How good is the financial package? How secure? Is it one-year renewable or multi-years?</p>
<p>I would definitely be annoyed. This kind of favoritism is the last thing you need when you know you’re going to spend the next 7 years around these people and be directly competing with them. Major faux pas on the part of the school, in my view, and I would be tempted to actually point that out to them.</p>
<p>That is just utterly disrespectful. Look, it seems you got into better schools and the funding package was what was keeping you interested in this school. I say, dump them; dump them hard. And when you check mark that box that says ‘decline’, make your feelings resoundingly clear. Serves them right.</p>
<p>Ouuuchhh…
I kind of felt that way when I got “wait-listed” at a certain school. And I decided that if their favorite picks do fall through, and they offer me admittance and a package, I would decline on principle.
It’s not exactly the same, but if they are really invested in some other students and haven’t invited you to the weekend…you might have to swallow some major pride IF you decided to go to that school. Depending on how excited you were about it…the easiest decision might be to cross it off the list.</p>
<p>I would take this personally. If you attend, will you be second class among your cohort? They clearly accepted you but don’t think that you are a top student. Bad way to start grad school.</p>
<p>Sounds like the OP receives a good funding package, so it is really surprising that they cannot justify to spend an extra <1k for the visiting weekend. Something really iffy indeed; almost as if they regretted to admit you in the first place. </p>
<p>You have other options (better ranked too), so I would bring it up. You can mention that their program is one of your top choices, but you NEED to have a first hand experience with the area, grad students lifestyle, etc in making decision. I am not sure how far this place is, but you can say that you’re trying to decide among many schools in locations where you are unfamiliar with. Say that one of your visits to your other options had helped you realize that visiting is extremely crucial, and you would like to ascertain your impression of this campus specifically because you really want to go there.</p>
<p>Of course, doing this wouldn’t change a thing. But who knows… maybe you’ll get some insight to how much they really want you (e.g. they realize their stupidity and make it up to you somehow as a mean to show their true interest in admitting you)</p>
<hr>
<p>On the side note, wouldn’t this be the same as WAIT-LIST (except that the adcom does not bluntly say that you’re the least qualified applicants)? Would you guys consider less after being wait-listed? Especially if you know a few students who were admitted view this program as a safety?</p>
<p>A practical consideration would be whether you get to rotate/work in the labs you are interested in or would you be put on hold by the professors who want to see if the “top students” pick that lab or not.</p>
<p>I’m actually a master’s applicant, but the coordinator said the recruiting weekend was for PhD and master’s applicants. </p>
<p>The funding package is for 2 years through TAing or RAing. Now that I think about it, the people invited to the recruiting weekend are probably the students most likely to get the RA positions. And I really don’t want to TA.</p>
<p>I was planning on visiting this school on my own dime, coincidentally, on the same date as the recruiting weekend. Now if I show up, I think I’ll feel out of place… </p>
<p>I had a tough decision ahead of me deciding between two schools, but I think this has helped me make up my mind.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why they did not invite you, but tell you they can’t cover expenses… </p>
<p>I would not rule the school out if it was your top choice, but it is very strange that they only invite some students, and not all… Many grad programs even invite the waitlisted students who are high on their lists…</p>
<p>EDIT:
I was just talking about the PhD programs. I don’t know how the MA ones handle visits…</p>
<p>targetwalmart from what i understand, tx has been accepted and given an offer…but then the department is having a recruiting to get those students they really want to take the offer to come in and be “sold” on that school and pursuaded to go there.</p>
<p>My wait list situation is that I did an interview, and they offered some people acceptance and packages, and told me i was on a list…so that if those people decline, I would be next in line for the offer. so not a full acceptance…but like, here take a number and if we call your number you can get in. but if not, you’re out. </p>
<p>Which I felt like was a little snotty of them…but I don’t want to be a baby…but who would want to go to a school who only accepts you on condition that their other people, first picks, decline? Not me.</p>
<p>Also tx2000 is it possible the recruitment day is geared more towards PhDs than Master’s ?? because that would make sense and be less offensive…</p>
<p>I don’t get it. They let you into the school, it’s obvious that they want you. And from what I can glean, they offered you a competitive package. So what if at this point, you’re not amongst one of their “really really wants.” If you’re sure, you can get things done, then still consider them with the knowledge that when you actually get down to the work, you’ll kick butt. </p>
<p>Think it like this, if you’re a Hollywood actor or actress, and you were the producers second or third choice for a role, would you say no to the role just because you’re not number one? You’re in a competitive industry, a hundred or thousand other people would love to even be considered for the role, and you’re turned off just because there were a couple people ahead of you.</p>
<p>haha well guest you’re probably right. It’s just hard when you think you’re so good to know that they want some other people more. Like, what do they have that I don’t ? why am I not an A-list actress? When, you’re right…the truth is there are a LOT of people who would kill to be in that position.</p>
<p>But like Marcel Wallis said in Pulp Fiction, that’s pride messin with you.</p>
<p>i’d be a bit offended too, but i wouldn’t write off the school completely.</p>
<p>that said, i had a school accept me with a decent funding package (4 years of TAships guaranteed, with the possibility of securing another 3 years of TAships afterwards) and they offered to fly me out to see their campus. another school gave me a much more competitive funding package (5 years guaranteed, including two fellowships, and the possibility of TAships afterward), courted me heavily with emails and phone calls, told me i was one of the top students they admitted, but when i mentioned possibly visiting the school, no one said anything about defraying the cost to visit let alone a recruiting weekend.</p>
<p>this school offered you a competitive funding package hoping it would be enough to secure your acceptance. money isn’t growing on trees right now and maybe they only invited students who they felt were likely to take positions at other schools. perhaps the MA students they invited were ones they’re considering admitting to their PhD stream in two years. there’s a lot of possibilities.</p>
<p>i also don’t understand all the hatred for the waitlist. schools have a limited number of spaces and they get more qualified and talented applicants than they have spots to fill. being put on a waitlist shows you that they want you, but there are 12-20 people they think are stronger than you so they offered them spots first.</p>
<p>is anyone here really narcissistic enough to believe that there aren’t at least 15 people out there applying for their field with better applications? it’s not as though schools accept some people and waitlist everyone else. most people get rejected outright.</p>
<p>and especially this year! when schools have less money and they’ve cut the number of students they’re accepting, sometimes by as much as 50%, i don’t think a waitlist is a snub or a slap in the face, or even an indication that the department would treat you like a second-class citizen. even the ivy leagues with the huge endowments are hard up for cash this year. if they didn’t want you they’d say no outright.</p>
<p>10 pts to strangelight for such a good answer. </p>
<p>Some undergrad schools play a very sophisticated game in enrollment management, giving out merit aid only when necessary, to secure a student, and to discover what the competition is doing. </p>
<p>If I remember, DS visitation was prior to any offers of exceptance. The profs wanted to see and interview him in person rather than a phone conversation and resume. The interview is a mutual investigative date. If you a have been accepted and there is funding, congratulations.
Perhaps you should spend your dime to see if the school and prospective advisor match your expectations. Afterall, you will ultimatedly have more invested than they will.</p>
<p>Well, to me, it’s one thing to invite everyone and only pay the way for some, but it’s completely different to hold a recruiting weekend and not invite everybody. If they would have told me about the recruiting weekend, I would have happily paid my own way.</p>
<p>What really chaps my ass is that I informed them that I would be in town the same two days as the recruiting weekend and they still didn’t invite me to attend. They said they’d have to squeeze me in one morning to talk to a couple professors. When I heard that, I made up my mind right there that I won’t be visiting or attending this school.</p>