Applicants not only interview with faculty/staff face to face, but they also participate in a variety of activities designed to help them assess if the Bush School is right for them.

Tentative Agenda of Events:

• Meet with other candidates and future classmates
• Tour the Bush School campus
• Connect with future professors face-to-face during interviews
• Ask former and current students questions via Q&A panel discussions
• Discover the services offered by our Student Support and Career Services staff
• Learn how to get involved with our student organizations

Year after year, students tell us that their experience while attending ICW is what sealed the deal in accepting their offer of admission. Whether it was the enthusiasm of their future classmates or passion of our faculty, candidates felt deeply that this is the place that would support and expand their educational and career goals. You do not want to miss this opportunity if possible! Watch to learn more!

Applicants who are offered early admission in Round One of our deadlines must complete two interviews with faculty/staff to receive priority consideration for our merit funding. They are encouraged to interview at ICW (or at another day/time via Zoom as needed).

Applicants who apply by the Round Two deadline are encouraged to interview with two faculty/staff members at ICW (or at another day/time via Zoom as needed).  

Applicants who apply by the Round Three application deadline are invited to interview on a rolling basis via Zoom.

For those who apply in Round One or Two, invitations to interview are emailed starting in mid-January (after the application deadline and the Admissions Committees have met) through early February. Invitees register to complete their interviews during ICW or, if needed, via Zoom at another time in February. Qualified applicants who apply in Round Three will be invited to interview on a rolling basis.

We invite between 100-150 candidates and 50-80 attend ICW. Those unable to visit College Station (either due to scheduling conflicts or live in another country) are scheduled to complete their interviews at another time via Zoom.

While attendees are responsible for their own lodging and travel expenses, we reimburse between 25-40% of travel expenses incurred for those who travel over 80 miles roundtrip (receipts are required; ~$300 reimbursement max). We provide some host hotels with locked-in rates and at least one hotel-school shuttle arrangement, as well as logistical suggestions.

Dinner is provided Friday evening. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided on Saturday. Meals are at your hotel or during travel are NOT reimbursed.

Dress to impress! Dress is business professional but be comfortable in what you wear all day.

An agenda will be sent to all candidates who have RSVP’d to attend ICW about a week or two before the event. We expect a start time of approximately 3 PM (Central Time) on Friday afternoon and wrap up by 6 or 7 PM on Saturday night.

Those attending ICW will receive a personalized schedule upon checking in on Friday. This will list the two relevant faculty or staff they are interviewing with and their times for each interview. Attendees are encouraged to review faculty bios under the MPSA faculty directory.

Each interview will last about 15 minutes and are designed to get a better feel for a candidate’s fit and personality. While we cannot provide specific questions that will be asked, interviewers may ask candidates follow-up questions about their personal statement or resume, elaborate on their goals and interests in the field, explain how they work with others and/or in challenging situations, how they’ve prepared for grad school, and more. We expect candidates to have a question or two for us as well.

Communication of funding decisions, and some Round 2 and 3 admissions decisions, follow shortly after the event, usually by mid-March.