How Helpful Are Flyouts In Making A Decision?

[YoungEconomist]

Just curious how important TMers think it is to attend flyouts when forming a decision about which school to go to? Why do you think it's important or unimportant?

[singmeat]

Well, since they'd be "selling" to you and I usually inherently tune that stuff out to a degree, you could at least see if the campus sucks. And gather other solid data that can't be dressed up

perhaps im just bitter from being a salesman for years though

[buckykatt]

You're going to be spending 4-5 years of your life somewhere, so why not check it out?

IMHO, you'll learn the most about a department by wandering the halls during the working week and observing your future fellow grad students in their natural habitat. Do they have offices? Are they in their offices? Do they look like they're having fun in there?

For best results, go on a day when there's a seminar and sit in. Failing that, sit in on a class.

The "selling" is pretty much beside the point.