Are open houses helpful?

[Student4Life0]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am considering attending Hofstra's graduate open house in a couple of weeks. I am specifically interested in the PhD program. Are these open houses worth attending? I would be driving almost three hours, so I am wondering if it is worth it.

 

[jnine]

It's a good way to see how the faculty interact with students and each other, and gives you a feel for the "flavor" of the department. Professors you meet will have a better chance of remembering you when they look at your application.

In your SOPs you'll often be asked to discuss why a program is a good fit for you. You can speak more authoritatively about that if you've visited.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I think at 3hrs it is worth the drive, if the faculty are going to be there and open to talking to possible applicants. Doing a tour of the university won't be much help, but getting a "feel" (as was mentioned above), can be quite useful.

 

[deleted176373]

I favor a different approach, here is how I went about it.

1. Identify my favorite POI.
2. Email and ask them where they are presenting next.
3. Ask if they could meet with you for a short time following their presentation.
4. Go there. Watch the presentation, ask questions.
5. Ask for advice on how to best apply to their program. You want to know what their ideal candidate looks like.

I find that APA and other large conferences are great opportunities to show that you are not only interested in attending their program but that you are truly interested in their research and committed to being an active member of the community.

Mark

 

[Student4Life0]

I think at 3hrs it is worth the drive, if the faculty are going to be there and open to talking to possible applicants. Doing a tour of the university won't be much help, but getting a "feel" (as was mentioned above), can be quite useful.

How should I prepare for it? I assume bringing a CV would be useless at this early stage? My game plan is to dress well and come with questions for faculty. Also, my concern is that it is a grad open house, not just the PhD program, but hopefully faculty will be present from the program. I have done nothing but research how to apply to PsyD programs, so I am a bit unsure as to how to go about a PhD application process. I know one applies more to a professor, rather than the school. How to start this process is a bit confusing to me..

 

[krisrox]

I favor a different approach, here is how I went about it.

1. Identify my favorite POI.
2. Email and ask them where they are presenting next.
3. Ask if they could meet with you for a short time following their presentation.
4. Go there. Watch the presentation, ask questions.
5. Ask for advice on how to best apply to their program. You want to know what their ideal candidate looks like.

I find that APA and other large conferences are great opportunities to show that you are not only interested in attending their program but that you are truly interested in their research and committed to being an active member of the community.

Mark

This is wonderful advice! Wow, I wish I did that when I was applying.

 

[KillerDiller]

Also, my concern is that it is a grad open house, not just the PhD program, but hopefully faculty will be present from the program.

Yeah, careful about this. Would you be willing to call the psych department to ask if there will be a representative from the PhD program at the open house? Sometimes clinical PhD programs won't bother to represent themselves at open houses because, quite frankly, they don't need to recruit candidates or convince students to attend/apply. They may also send current grad students to staff their info table instead of faculty. Although this can be informative, it may not be as good of an opportunity and may not be worth the long drive.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Grad open houses can be a good excuse to meet with a POI. "Hi Dr. So and So. I'm interested in your program and I am going to attend the open house. I noticed that you do XYZ work. I'm interested in XY work, and I was wondering if you'd have some time that day to meet." Something like that. Obviously the research interest needs to make sense, but it can be an easy way to make a connection. Larger conferences can be hit and miss, but niche conferences can be great networking opportunities. Having a CV available is always a good idea...whether you are at a conference, open house, etc. I always carry business cards too, a good hold-over habit from my days in the biz world.

 

[Student4Life0]

Grad open houses can be a good excuse to meet with a POI. "Hi Dr. So and So. I'm interested in your program and I am going to attend the open house. I noticed that you do XYZ work. I'm interested in XY work, and I was wondering if you'd have some time that day to meet." Something like that. Obviously the research interest needs to make sense, but it can be an easy way to make a connection. Larger conferences can be hit and miss, but niche conferences can be great networking opportunities. Having a CV available is always a good idea...whether you are at a conference, open house, etc. I always carry business cards too, a good hold-over habit from my days in the biz world.

Thanks for the advice, I am actually going to do exactly that!