MBA Tour vs. Information session

The schools info sessions are filled with people who want facetime and the information on the front page of their website turned into a powerpoint...and they all are very similar. Every adcom will talk about what they like in applicants but remind you its a holistic approach and even if you have a 550 gmat and worked at McDonalds your shot is as good as everyone elses. There will be alums (occasionally a student or two), they are typically into the school or they wouldnt show up...so you are getting a look at the school through very rose colored glasses. Basically its a propaganda hour or two.

Then there is the question and answer part. The same questions will be asked at every event and get the same answers basically. Most questions make the people sound like the just popped into the event knowing nothing about the school. The best thing there is almost always some clown who is completely full of themself and during the question and answer part with give a 5 minute speach about how amazing the school is, its the perfect place for them because they are amazing too, give a brief comment to show how brilliant they are, then ask some question you could find the answer to on the school's website if you spent 2 seconds looking. These are also the attendees who if you sit next to them will make snide comments about the other people asking questions and how dumb the questions are...then they probably will inform you that this is their safety school and they will be going to HBS next fall anyways.

Then people rush to talk to alums and the adcom. Almost everyone asks the same questions. Try to get business cards they will never use to contact alums with...some will try to push their cards onto the alums. A line will form near the adcom to ask a question they probably covered during their presentation...everyone is just hoping to be remembered.

All that aside, you should go. You probably wont gain very much by going but many applications ask what events you went to, did you visit, etc...and its much better to have as many of those things checked yes as possible.

I just went to Penn Club NYC yesterday....
Pretty much a waste of time and I doubt if adcom will remember anyone given the crowd of 900+
Anyways, if for nothing it's good to get a few names of the adcoms you can throw in somewhere in your application.

Thanks. Maybe I should really ask whether my chance of getting into a school as a burger flipper is just as good as someone with a meaningful work experience and see if Adcom responds with the vanilla message.