csgreen wrote:
Thanks everyone for your great advice.
I am very seriously considering both Berkley and MIT, and it sounds like it would really help my chances if I visited them prior to applying. I live in Vancouver, so unfortunately neither school is close by.
So, do I just show up and look around, or can I arrange a meeting with some current students?
I can't stress enough how much you need to visit MIT, especially if you live in the US. It makes a difference with internationals living half the world away, so I'd expect it to almost a requirement for US residents/citizens. Another MIT hint: apply in R1. The class is too small, so the common wisdom which states that applying in either R1 or R2 is the same doesn't apply to MIT.
I didn't visit MIT, but I did visit some other schools, and the usual visit breakdown seems to be:
a) Class visit.
b) MBA program presentation / Q&A.
c) Some sort of meet and grip with students who volunteer to do so. At HBS this was called student lunch and at Ross it was a "breakfast with a student" (don't remember the actual name of the event).
Also, make sure you attend any information sessions the schools host near your area. It will give you a chance to get a presentation by the adcoms, ask questions and meet alumni. You could even end up making a good impression to a future interviewer, so don't go completely unprepared to these events.
You can always call or e-mail the school, and get them to help you to try and meet local alumni in your area, etc.
Cheers. L.