Visiting Campus during Summer

People have varying circumstances, some people have kids in school, some have very little vacation time, there are a million reasons why someone could only visit during the summer. Simply put, it's better than nothing.

From what the experienced folks have said, it's better to visit when classes are in session than in the summer. But, like Victory said, it's better than nothing. I'm going to try and block off vacation time for the fall and during the summer try to attend some of the "campus on tour" type sessions in...I hope it works!

I really dont see the benefit of visiting any school in the fall. You can get a presentation from adcoms at local events and there are alums and occasionally students at those to talk to. Chances are you show up in the summer all you are going to see is employees of the school. Your best bet is to visit in the fall but even that isnt really 100% required...there is an advantage to it but I dont think its going to keep you out of many schools especially top schools.

I would save your money if you are planning on visiting over the summer. If you are in the area, either for business or live within driving distance it might be worth stopping by but dont expect much.

The main reason to visit in the fall is to visit a class.* Think of yourself in that spot, would you enjoy it? Would you hate it? Would you absolutely love it? Are the students how you expect them to be (they are likely to be a similar bunch next year, so think of them as future classmates)?

Additionally: what are the accomodation options? how are the facilities? What struck you the most? What did you dislike?

It may not all come up in essays, but it may help decide where to apply and which offer to accept (if you can't make admit weekend).

The networking aspect is limited. Few, if any, people will remember you (unless you do something really bad and get banned from campus, not a wise move...). You do, however, want to have a few conversations with students, on either tour guides, student lunches or even at a brief interaction after a class visit. You can usually ask more specific questions to them and they are a likely to give you honest responses as long as you don't come accross as a jerk.

The only caveat: both the class and the few students you meet are a small sample. Put things in perspective as much as you can, for eg: ask the student in your guided tour: the other day when I visited XYZ class, the professor was wearing a Darth Vader mask, is that common or just a coincidence?

L.

* That, and getting your box checked to influence your admissions decision. Visiting = commitment, so the "I'd love to attend XYZ school" line in your apps will get some additional credibility.

I agree that fall visits are more valuable because you see the student interactions and feel the culture of that school. While sitting in classes won't be super useful for your essays (or in some cases, it won't give you the best representation of the professor or the students since one-off bad days can happen), it lets you see their teaching methods and allow you to see what it's like to be in a very interactive class. You also get to see how the facilities are used and whether you can stand sitting in there for hours per day.

Finally, if summer is the only time you can do these things, I would recommend going to schools that have 1/2 day or full day summer visits. The schools that host those events will try to get students, faculty, and staff who are around in the summer to come and simulate what it's like during the fall.

Haas has a GREAT 1/2 day summer orientation every year around the end of July. I'll post info about it up when they announce it. Going to that will let you see most of what the school is about, minus the class visits (which you can do if you get an interview from them, they have mock classes set up for Super Saturdays).

Just an FYI, Kellogg also offers class visits, tours and student lunches during the summer. I know it won't be exactly like campus in the fall but at least it will give me a better feeling for the school than if I did not visit.

I believe that Kellogg is one of the few if not only school that has full summer set ups but thats because there are 1Ys there. It definitely wont be as crowded as it will be in October but it is a great chance to get at least some idea about the school.

though it may be beneficial in the decision process to see Kellogg with all the students there. I know there have been some admits who commented that they did not like how "crowded" the building felt sometimes when everyone is out and about, especially in the winter.