<p>so a few of the grad programs i got admitted to don't have their open houses until April. However, if I wish, I could visit the program before then, but I of course won't be able to meet the incoming class of grad students. Since I already graduated over a year ago, I've had a couple jobs/internships since then, but am currently unemployed. However, I got a job offer about a week ago (the pay isn't great at all, but its better than nothing) and they expect me to start towards late-March at the latest. I don't intend to stay there permanently, as I plan to quit it just before I start grad school</p>
<p>The question is: Is getting a feel of the incoming class of students important enough that I should wait until April to attend the open house and thus turn down that job offer and continue to be unemployed? (I've been unemployed for about 5 months)</p>
<p>I just came from two Open Houses and at neither did I really meet the future incoming class. One Open House had 24 students there, with the expectation that fewer than 8 of them will accept the offer of admission, plus a few international students who were not invited to the event. Which 8? That remains to be seen and will undoubtedly have a HUGE impact on the atmosphere of the program.</p>
<p>The official Open Houses are nice because (ideally) the faculty and current students try to make themselves more available than they would be on a normal day. But I would certainly not pass up a job opportunity to attend.</p>
<p>IMHO, your cohort doesn’t really inform your graduate experience. During your first year or so, you may take classes with some or all of your cohort, but after that, your social life and scientific community revolves around your lab and related labs at your university. During the general coursework, I saw my cohort every day or two, but now, except for the two individuals in viral pathogenesis, I see them once a month at most.</p>
<p>If you are worried about fit, I would look instead to the people working in labs you are interested in. A good way to do this would be to send emails. I don’t know that an open house would be all that helpful.</p>
<p>is it more important to meet the actual faculty or the current grad students in a Open house visit? So I’ve tried emailing a prof a few days ago, he didn’t respond. His secretary then told me hes only available tomorrow for this week, and even thats not a guarantee. Next week isn’t an option since its spring break. I could come the following week, but I’m growing a little impatient and want to get this over with</p>
<p>That depends on what’s important to you. What are you trying to get out of your visit? Are you trying to gauge the location, facilities and general atmosphere in the department? The career paths of their graduate students? Are you going to this program to work with one specific faculty member or research research group, or do you have an open mind about future advisers? Would you be happy in any work environment (high pressure vs low pressure, grad students work together vs everybody does their own thing, meeting your adviser twice a week vs meeting him once a semester, etc)? </p>
<p>I personally think the more set you are on working with one specific group, the more important it is to meet the group before you enroll - both the students and the professors. If you are going into grad school undecided about your specialty, it’s less important to meet with specific people ahead of time.</p>
<p>Usually, you want to meet both current graduate students and faculty. That way, you can gauge the program’s environment and focus. Don’t worry at all about incoming students – or students you might think will choose the program. They are still non-graduate students and haven’t yet been shaped and educated by the program.</p>
<p>if one of the schools I’m considering attending only has 1 prof research in my main interest area, and his group currently only has one grad student with a few other postdocs and research scientists, isn’t that a bad sign? Because that student graduates soon, so if I join that group, I’ll be the only grad student there. Sounds kind of isolating to me</p>
<p>Lab make-up is constantly changing, so I wouldn’t join or eliminate a lab solely because of its graduate student / post-doc composition. I think the more major issue in the scenario you brought up is that there is only a single lab you’re interested in at a particular school. If that one lab has an environment that doesn’t suit you, or the PI isn’t taking students, what are you going to do if you’ve already committed to that school?</p>