<p>I'm wanting to set up pre-application visits to a couple of the immunology phD programs to which I will apply. These schools do rotations the first year, and then at the end of the first year the student will choose his/her mentor. In my mind, I have two possible ways to handle this, and I'm not sure which one to choose:</p>
<ol>
<li>contact 3-4 professors separately and tell them that I am interested in their research (and ask if they would meet with me)
or</li>
<li>contact the director of that department and ask for a visit/tour, and then ask that director if it would be possible for me to meet with a few professors</li>
</ol>
<p>I know contacting the professors directly would be the smartest option IF that was advised, but since these schools do rotations, I'm not sure how to handle it. I am hoping to meet the last week of June because I'll be driving through those towns, so I know I have to take action soon. </p>
<p>Also, would it be too early to set up a meeting now for June 20ish?</p>
<p>I did pre-application visits, and I initially emailed the department director or whomever was the applicant contact person via the webpage. I gave them a list of researchers who I was interested in and asked if I should email them myself. That seemed to work just fine and no one was put off. Just a quick word of warning, while I felt my visits really helped me get past the first round of applications, it was definitely not a normal thing. I had multiple profs tell me that interviews weren’t scheduled until February, which was a bit awkward. That said, visiting schools helped them get to know me AND helped me decide if I would like the school. I got rid of one of my top choices after a very strange and offensive meeting! It was definitely money and time well spent, in that regard, since I could have been stuck in a very difficult environment for 5 years. Good luck!</p>
<p>Rabbitstew is correct that pre-application visits are uncommon in the biomedical sciences, primarily because interviews are part of the formal application process and are only offered to the top applicants. (In case you don’t know this, the programs where you make the cut will pay for trip to visit during one of their official interview weekends.) Most students make pre-application contact via email, sometimes following up with a phone call.</p>
<p>Yes, I was indeed unware that pre-app visits are uncommon. From browsing grad school message boards, I was under the impression that most driven students do set up meetings before applying. If asking for a visit would hurt my chances in any way, I definitely will not pursue it. But concerning the extra expense for a pre-app visit versus a paid interview, I will not have to pay anything for the visits. I will conveniently be in each of the cities at some point over the next 2 months, so extra travel costs are not a problem. My main issue will be requesting to set up meetings for the specific day that I will be in town without sounding demanding or presumptuous.</p>
<p>I don’t see how it would hurt you, even if it’s unusual. You might want to email the profs and say that you’ll be in the city on such-and-such dates, would it be possible for you to stop by for a chat?</p>
<p>Ok, I’ll do that. On a lighter note, what should I wear? Would a nice professional skirt and top be overdoing it for a pre-app visit? (I know professional dress is a must for the actual interview process)</p>
<p>It can’t hurt unless you have a really poor meeting or make a bad impression. I’m a west coaster and had never been anywhere on the east coast, so I just told them that I was visiting the city to make sure I liked it, and could I see the program since I was in town? Like I said, I learned that I hated one town/program and really liked others, so it was super helpful for me in terms of where and how aggressively I should apply. It ended up saving me a lot of time and money, since I only applied to four schools where I felt I had a strong match.</p>