With respect to visiting business schools:
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Make sure you schedule a classroom visit through the admissions office. A student will lead you around and make introductions for you. Don't just show up.
- Plan your visit before the fall, if you can and if tours are available this time in the school year (school may be out for summer).
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Make sure you stop by the admissions office to introduce yourself. If you have even more time, stop by the career center and ask to speak with someone. The best 10 minute conversation you may have that day could be about your goals, and how the career center can help you achieve them.
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Have a couple of canned questions ready to go. Questions that solicit opinions about the program and that do not put the school's rep on the defensive.
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Make sure you have the name(s) of the person(s) you want to speak to. Most likely there is a receptionist in the office directing traffic. Else, make sure you note the name of the person that you spoke to on your visit. Send them a follow-up email thanking them.
- Make the convo brief (as you just dropped by), just make sure they put your face with your app.
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It does not have to be JFK speech. Keep it simple - something like "just wanted to stop by and tell you how much I have enjoyed my class visit with Joe Blow and in Prof. Bobby Sue's Organizational Behavior class" or "I am actively following your posts on the Bweek forums (for example)".
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Tell them that you are applying R1/R2/R3 and that you applying because of X, Y and Z. This is your chance to drop some in-depth knowledge about their program in order to impress them while briefly stating how it pertains to your experiences.
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Think of your initial contact this way - you are basically setting up a 2nd encounter if they come out to your home city for a tour event. Then you go to the tour event again and reintroduce yourself and say you met them before in their respective admissions office.
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Do not try and plan 2 school visits in one day. You'll never make it across town to NYU Stern.
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Wear business casual (dark pants and a blue or white shirt for males), no excessive jewelry or old spice perfume.
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If you are interested in the MBA Admissions Consulting services offered by Amerasia, please email mba@amerasiaconsulting.com to inquire about setting up a free consultation.
