Welcome!

Welcome to this temporary blog!

I will be using this to collect my thoughts as I travel around the North-Western part of the United States, visiting six universities that have offered me a place in their PhD program. Here I will post my first impressions of

1. Carnegie Mellon University;
2. the University of Pittsburgh;
3. the University of Pennsylvania;
4. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor;
5. University of Wisconsin-Madison;
6. University of Missouri-Columbia.

The big finale follows when I get back home on April 8 and will have one week to make my final decision on where to do a PhD.

Now, I need your help! I'm preparing a list of questions with the minimal information that I hope to get answered about each of these six universities. I want to learn about:

1. Who I will be working with and what they are interested in (obviously).
2. The details of their financial offer and (if applicable) my status on the waitlist for financial aid.
3. How much time can I expect to spend on coursework and teaching? What kind of courses am I expected to take and teach?
4. What facilities do they have for PhD students?
5. What can I expect from my supervisor (and what do they expect from me)?
6. What is their policy on attending conferences or spending time at other universities?
7. How expensive is the city and how is the housing market?

So, what are some other questions I should definitely ask?