A word of caution -- school visits etiquette

I would say that unless you're specifically encouraged (which was in your case), the etiquette is to not participate. I would even venture to say you shouldn't participate even if you are encouraged by the professor since s/he may not know what admissions would think is appropriate. If you raise your hand in class and one of the students complains to admissions I don't think it'll be too good for the candidate. If you sit still, nothing will happen.

Thanks for the reminder.

My Tuck visit is in a few weeks, and I'd love to hear more tips on the do's and don'ts of school visits.

Any other, maybe less obvious, suggestions?

Of course. I'm just pointing out that someone that's new to the process of applying to b-school and b-school visits could reasonably not know this. I think it's a reasonable mistake someone could make and it shouldn't be unduly held against them. Ideally whatever expectations are in play should be explained to visitors beforehand.


None of that is a visitor's fault. If admissions wants instructors to not allow visitors to participate that's something the school needs to work out internally and the expectations should be explained to visitors. If a visitor gets caught in the crossfire between admissions and faculty that reflects poorly on the school and how they deal with class visits, not the visitors themselves.

Also, if a student complains to admissions because a visitor (probably accidentally) committed a breach of etiquette and actually goes to the trouble of personally identifying them in order to damage their chances should they apply...I'm going to go out on a limb and call that person a jerk.

I'm a current student at Anderson and I would add:

-Don't play on your phone during class. People notice and it's rude.

-When you introduce yourself, say that you're happy to be there or thank the class for allowing you to visit. Don't say you're here to evaluate the school or to see if it's right for you. That's implicit and saying it makes you sound like a jerk.

Hmm. I travelled halfway around the world to visit a handful of schools, and I don't think it's out of place for me to say that I was very interested in the program and am here to see it for myself and if it's the right place. Anyhow, done with my visits, so I can look ahead now.

Sure... Dress well. Since this is the recruiting period there will be lots of people dressed in suits, you may end up blending in better. I must confess I didn't follow that advice myself last year, but I now think the candidates that are dressed better look more serious about the process. That being said, I don't think that dressing casually affects you negatively at all, I'm just making a personal observation.

I think it's common sense not to participate in class (and past experience says 99% of people know this). As a visitor, you have no context of the history of the class or even that day's case. Not to mention, most classes have a participation component, so there really isn't any time to be getting perspectives opinions given they're like 8 of them in class every day. Even if you are asked, you just risk sticking your foot in your mouth.

I once had a girl that raised her hand and challenged the professor...and this was in an economics class, so what he said was a fact, not an opinion. Then, when the student host went to bring everyone back to admissions, she asked to stay so that she could speak with the professor. Don't do this.

So, two lessons, (1) keep your mouth shut lest you look like an idiot and (2) you do whatever your student host tells you to do. Remember that you are a visitor.

Great thread, and a lot of this is also relevant to admit weekends. In general, the more combative and self important you seem, the worse you will come off. You are constantly being evaluated.

Good tips all around here. We get tons of visitors each day in our classes and a couple really stood out. One guy played on the phone the entire time (yes, finance is boring but at least feign interest) and one guy actually stepped out of the classroom to take a call in the middle of class. We had our admissions rep give them some feedback on behalf of the class. The reality is that no one in our class is evaluating you for admissions but if you don't have the self awareness in this sort of environment, things probably aren't going to go well for you as a general rule.

Agreed with the above, don't participate unless you're specifically called on. And even then, just keep it short. And please stand up when introducing yourself.

Here at Tuck the process is:

- You will be taken to class by a current student or admissions rep
- You will be reminded that you are not to participate (I've not seen a visitor break this rule yet)
- You will be introduced to the professor and shown to your seat.
- When the class begins the professor will announce that your there and ask you to introduce yourself
- You give an intro
- we all clap

I would say that for your intro;

- Don't go on for ever, we are pleased your here but we have only a short period with each lecturer per day
- Name, where your from, current job, say your pleased/excited to be here and looking forward to the class
- try to smile
- don't worry
- dress in a suit
- Observe the other advice in this thread, i.e. try not to seem arrogant, self important etc.

Stay PC if chatting up your interesting / attractive / friendly neighbor in the visitor seats.
S/he might get up and be introduced as the guest speaker explaining the case toward the end of class

I'm still interviewing, so take my feedback with a grain of salt, but if you are crossing timezones, I would recommend getting there a day early. You don't want to look exhausted during a class visit or inarticulate when you are interviewing or talking with your host school.

As someone who has traveled for work, I know that if you haven't traveled corr-country for awhile, it can definitely affect you physically and mentally.

I just went on a visit and one of the other attendees raised their hand to give their perspective...It was a marketing class and the person was in marketing. I cringed when they did so, probably not a huge deal, but it says in their handout to not participate...

Just wanted to point out for those who are still reading this that ARINGO has published a guide to campus visits with a lot of tips that might come in handy. Read the entire guide (it is quite long) here:
https://aringo.com/top-mba-campus-visit/

And pay attention to the "During your visit" part especially if you are interested in finding out what the appropriate behavior is during these visits.

This is an example of why it is so important to talk to current students in a program to get an idea of the "norms" for each program--
be sure to do that due diligence and color within the school's lines- so to speak. You don't want to be an outlier here in terms of doing something that could get you known for the wrong reasons! But as a comfort-- let me say in my 15 yrs on the adcom side-- it is really rare for someone displaying normal business behavior to really mess up. So as long as you don't over talk, disparage, or overwhelm anyone-- I would not worry too much about being singled out as a bad apple! Far more likely that someone is going to think you have a great background and that if you are polite and follow school norms-- that you might even have a new insider student contact that will remember how much he/she appreciated insight from a student when she/he was applying-- and will likely be glad to repay the favor and give you insight about the school! Happy visiting!

Is it appropriate to discuss grads' salary trends when conducting in-person interviews during a campus visit? The way I see it, salary directly affects one's ROI.