Graduate School Visits

[rach123]

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Hi everyone!

I was wondering, for those that have experience with school visits, what should I have prepared? What kind of questions would be good to ask? What kind of questions would THEY ask? It's not just a tour, but also includes time to talk to faculty and students one-on-one. It's been a year since I've been in school, and I know I'm pretty rusty on all the Audiology information we learned in Undergrad. I want to make a good impression and not sound dumb when I go! Any advice/help/tips on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance! 🙂

 

[Earresponsible]

I just wanna add to your questions. When is it too soon to visit (I am a junior, and there are 2 programs that I would love to go to, would I be the only junior there?
Also dress code? I would assume business dress? Business casual?

 

[allie4409]

I am currently a first year student. Here are some of the things I remember from last year...

First of all, try your best to visit as many school as you can or at least your the schools at the top of your list. I felt that this helped my schools put a face to a name. Also, I used some of what I learned during my visits in my personal statement so that I could personalize it to that specific school.

Treat any visit it like an interview. So, dress up! Some schools you may do a lot of walking so be a little weary about wearing heels (I made that mistake last year). If it is a one-on-one visit, I would expect that they will ask you more questions. For group visits, they may not ask you any questions at all. DEFINITELY be able to answer the questions "Why audiology?". Try to avoid the typical "I liked my audiology class in undergrad". I don't really remember any of my interviews getting to technical with their questions so I wouldn't worry too much about sounding dumb. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to quickly look over your old audiology notes, if you have them. They may ask you why you are interested in their school particularly. Try to do your online research for each school... look to see what the professors are doing their research on or specialties of the program. Also, they may ask what type of audiologist you want to become. I still have no idea and I don't think many of my classmates have much of a clue either so don't feel too bad if you aren't 100% sure.

Some of the questions I asked them were about their clinical placements. I really wanted to know when students started clinic and what sorts of placements students are put into throughout the four years. Also, you may want to ask about 4th year placements. UC Boulder pretty much wanted students to stay in Colorado while Ohio State told me not to plan on staying in Ohio for my 4th year. If you are interested in research, you may want to ask about research opportunities. I also asked some questions regarding GRE scores, # of applicants, and what the school particularly looks for in a personal statement.

Earresponsible- I would suggest waiting until next summer or fall to visit so that they remember who you are and the schools will be fresh in your mind while you are applying. If you are really interested, maybe try contacting them and having them send you information about the school or program. However, this is just my opinion.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[BrianaGrace17]

I know for most people, it can be difficult to get to schools that are miles and miles away. I made the effort to visit my top choice and keep contact with their graduate coordinator through email. I've emailed faculty there and have even met one in person at a conference.

Every time I email them with a question, they remember me and I feel like my presence is known in their department as a prospective student. That's just my advice! Hope it helps.

 

[rach123]

Wow, thank you for all your input! Also, on doing more research on the schools, how would you know if they are more clinical or research centered? Or would it just be better to ask them during the visit?