<p>Is anyone familiar with the Big 10+ Grad School Expo held at Purdue? I’m wondering whether it would be something valuable for me to attend. I’m planning to apply for PhD programs in Biomedical Engineering this fall, and several of the schools that I’m interested in will be represented at the Expo. Is the opportunity to meet admissions reps and learn about funding opportunities very valuable? (worth missing a day of classes and a 6 hr drive?)</p>
<p>Probably not worth a 6 hour drive unless you can set up one-on-one interviews. They have these graduate school recruiting events at most major universities - they basically have a big room full of people sitting at tables handing out flyers. The picture on their front page pretty much says it all:</p>
<p><a href=“Big Ten+ Graduate School Expo - Purdue University”>Big Ten+ Graduate School Expo - Purdue University;
<p>Buy yourself a copy of “Getting What You Came For”, read it, then schedule some office hours visits. Your professors will be able to give you more and better advice in 15 minutes than you’ll get all day at one of these recruiting fairs. they will know your abilities, where you stand a reasonable chance of admission, and all the tricks of getting funded (if that is even a consideration in your field - usually the grad school, university, or advisor controls that, not the student.)</p>
<p>Thanks, that was my impression too (and now that the schedule is actually posted on their website, I know for sure that my impression was correct).</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice on the book too…I’m sure that will have some great advice for me</p>
<p>WilliamC’s advice is spot on…D read that book upon advice of a mentor and used her undergrad dept as advisors/contacts…the process worked perfectly for her (Humanities though).</p>