I think I'm ready for my trip to visit graduate schools. I leave tomorrow, and apart from packing (which I never do until last-minute, anyway) I'm set. I've spent the past few weeks finalizing my travel plans, and I've managed to set up several meetings. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of these campuses and meeting professors face-to-face. Hopefully I'll be able to impress some of them. I've printed out several of each professor's most recent publications to read on my way to each city. That way I can be as informed and enthusiastic as possible about the current research in their labs, and hopefully be able to tailor a few rough PhD thesis ideas to fit well within the lab's specific areas of study.
In addition, I've also set up meetings with grad students working in the labs that interest me. A professor may think he/she is easily accessible, but his/her students may think otherwise. Every professor is likely to think that their lab is a good one, but the students will have a perspective closer to what your own might be, and they're really the best source of information concerning lab (and even departmental) dynamics. They'll likely be more willing to share what it's really like on the 'inside'-- who gets along, who doesn't, who's difficult, how accommodating certain professors are, what teaching loads are like for TAs, how much assistance you're likely to get choosing a thesis topic and pursuing research funds, etc. It should be interesting to see if and why students like their schools, departments, advisers, and cohorts.
The trip should make for an interesting week, and I'm definitely ready for a break from work. Luckily, the last school I'm visiting isn't far from where a friend of mine lives, and I'll be able to make the last couple days of my trip into a mini vacation of sorts.
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