How Harvard MCB Recreated the PhD Visiting Week Experience Online with SpatialChat

About Harvard University — Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology

Harvard’s Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology (MCB) runs a highly selective PhD program where faculty access, lab culture, and peer interaction play a central role in admissions. Visiting week is designed to give prospective students an authentic sense of the department, through informal conversations, lab introductions, and candid discussions with current PhD candidates.

These interactions are often what shape a candidate’s final decision. Preserving that atmosphere in a virtual setting was critical.

The Challenge: Maintaining Informal Interaction in a Virtual Format

Recruitment events rely on more than formal presentations. Prospective students need space to explore, ask unscripted questions, and build connections with faculty and peers.

Traditional video conferencing platforms created constraints that made events feel structured and transactional. Breakout rooms limited organic movement, transitions between sessions felt rigid, and spontaneous small-group conversations were harder to facilitate. For a PhD program built on mentorship and intellectual community, this format risked flattening the experience.

Harvard needed a solution that could simulate the natural flow of an on-campus visit while remaining easy to manage at scale.

The Solution: A Flexible Open-House Environment

SpatialChat enabled the department to design a virtual visiting week that blended structured programming with informal networking.

The platform supported:

• Stage-style sessions for formal talks and program overviews
• Open networking areas for faculty–candidate and student–candidate conversations
• Free movement between labs, research themes, and discussion clusters
• Multiple parallel conversations across the same virtual space

This setup allowed prospective students to explore independently, join conversations organically, and experience a closer approximation of campus life.

The Results: Scalable Recruitment with a Personal Touch

Harvard successfully ran virtual recruitment and visiting-week events on SpatialChat for its PhD program. The format enabled multiple concurrent conversations between candidates, faculty, and current students, closely mirroring the feel of in-person visits.

Organizers reported smoother transitions between formal sessions and networking, stronger candidate–faculty engagement, and more natural peer interaction among prospective students. The department was able to scale its recruitment programming without sacrificing the sense of accessibility and community that defines the PhD experience.

Design a More Human Virtual Visiting Week

Graduate recruitment depends on meaningful connection. SpatialChat enables institutions to host virtual open houses and visiting weeks that feel personal, interactive, and aligned with the culture of their academic programs.

Explore how you can elevate your next recruitment cycle with a more dynamic virtual format.