<p>GT is one the schools I'm looking at to get an MS in computer science. For the past couple weeks I've been trying to arrange a visit to the school to get more information and ask questions directly. I've emailed about 5 different people (advisors or administrators listed as contacts for prospective students) inquiring about scheduling a visit and have had zero response. I've even emailed twice to make sure it was not missed the first time. I've called a couple of them, and they never answer the phone.</p>
<p>On the GT website, I know there is a structured campus visit program for undergrads, but when I contacted that person if there was a grad student equivalent, I was given a curt response that it was only intended for undergrads.</p>
<p>I know this has become somewhat of a rant, but I just want to expose the avenues I've explored in trying to get in touch with someone from this school so I am not given a suggestion of something I've already tried.</p>
<p>Are there any graduate students who have visited GT and can give me some advice on how to arrange a campus visit where I could also speak to someone (like an advisor) about the CS program? I'd have to fly in, so this isn't a trip I can make frequently or cheaply. Thanks.</p>
<p>They might not do visits unless you are invited for an interview. There are simply too many students to give personalized visits to prior to application, although I don’t know why they don’t do an open house. I’ve seen open houses for masters degrees, but personal visits are typically given only to applicants who are being seriously considered. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much if the admissions crew aren’t answering - they aren’t representative of the experience you’ll have as a student. However, if you get rude responses from prospective advisors, that may be a red flag. Not answering at all could just mean they are incredibly busy, so you can’t take that as good or bad. Also, it took about 2 weeks for me to get a response from an admissions counselor, and although it took a while to receive, the response was very kind and thorough.</p>
<p>I posted a similar thread a few weeks ago asking how many students visited prospective PhD programs, and most said they did not visit a single school until either admitted or offered an interview. This could be different for masters degrees, I’m not sure. Have you tried directly e-mailing a student in the department? Sometimes they list their current students and their websites or e-mail addresses.</p>
<p>It is also possible that they are simply not interested in you depending on what you wrote…are you certain none of your questions were already answered on the website? Were you asking specific questions, or just merely typing along the lines of, “I have some questions and would like to set up an appointment.” From my experience they are likely to answer more specific, thoughtful questions that cannot be answered elsewhere.</p>
<p>Grad students usually don’t have any type of visitations. Your best chance is to email a bunch of grad students, say you want to talk to them, and maybe ask if they can arrange a meeting with their advisor.</p>
<p>What are you hoping to get out of visiting the school? My impression for grad admissions is that applicants identify the schools within their range and is at least an okay research/social fit and apply for all of them. You don’t have to know which one is the best fit before you apply. Once they get offer letters they can visit the schools and decide which one is the best fit.</p>
<p>The GT application deadline is Feb 1. I applied last year to schools and ended up deferring for financial reasons, but some of those schools require my decision by February (CMU and USC). So I don’t have time to wait around for GT to admit me before making this kind of detailed visit. I have visited other schools and talking directly to either an advisor or professor was very helpful. Seeing the campus first hand is also nice.</p>
<p>One of the reasons I’m considering GT is they have an option to study for a couple semesters at their European satellite campus. I’ve emailed persons associated with that program before to ask questions, but they did not provide nearly enough detail for me to make such a huge decision. And I’ve read all the online information about it, but I still have many questions.</p>
<p>Since I’m investing a great deal of time, money, and effort into grad school, I want to visit the school and talk to people to get a solid feel before deciding to go there. I would normally wait until after getting an acceptance, but, as stated, I don’t have that luxury of time.</p>
<p>Well just go and find visitor parking and walk around campus, there’s nothing stopping you from doing that if you want to get the feel of the environment.</p>
<p>If they aren’t responding to e-mails thoroughly (or not at all), keep trying to call. Don’t bother leaving dozens of messages - just keep calling at different times throughout the day until someone picks up. Have your questions written down so you don’t forget anything. </p>
<p>If students aren’t answering all of your questions in their e-mails, send a follow-up asking them to expand a bit on what they said. You don’t have to settle with just one response, unless it seems obvious they just wrote something quick and weren’t really interested in responding.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s a concern to you or not, but GT-L doesn’t offer as many courses as GT. True, many classes are videotaped and therefore have a distance learning section, but the non-core classes probably will not be, and so those offerings might be slim. However, GT has many full-time faculty in Metz and so you do get a chance to have classes taught in person while over there.</p>