dogbert wrote:
Hi Linda,
I am preparing for applications this year. How important is it to visit schools? I have read that Haas gives weightage to a visit by a candidate while others do not.
I am considering applying to Columbia, UCLA, Stern, Carnegie Mellon, Purdue, Haas, Ross, Stanford... (not to all of them.. but to some of them)...
Do any of these schools give special importance to school visits?
Thanks!
Pete Johnson of Haas has said in a
Haas chat "For example, if a candidate from Los Angeles didn't 't bother to visit campus, I wouldn't be terribly impressed, since it is relatively easy. On the other hand, I wouldn't necessarily expect an applicant from Kazakhstan to have had the opportunity."
Whether the school gives your brownie points for visiting or not, a school visit provides you with insight that you an use in your essays and interviews. It is the most effective way to learn about the school.
Given that, there is only so much time and travel is expensive, visit the schools that you are most interested in and that are easiest for you to get to. None of the schools on your list are known to me to particularly value visits, but I suspect that those harder-toreach schools will value it more than those in the midst of a large metropolitan area.
Good luck!