How important/helpful is it to visit schools?

Question

What are your guys' thoughts?

mgg234 · Answer

Personally, I think you can just visit the schools after you get in. I didn't visit any of the schools I applied to (aside from Columbia). I'd save your money, since you're going to have to fly back there for admit weekend anyways. Definitely visit before deciding which one you go to though.

domotron · Answer

I am of the opinion that you should visit your top targets. Sure it costs a fair amount but you will be able to get more fodder for your essays. Also you may also realise that certain schools that looked good on paper is in fact not the right one for you. It will save you time and effort in the long run.

DinaFortuna · Answer

If it's possible to visit your top choice schools before you apply, it can be really helpful to give you a better sense of the program and your visit can be useful when it comes time to writing your essays. However, it's not 100% necessary before you apply (although I recommend it before deciding which program to attend once you're admitted).

If you cannot visit a school before you apply, engage in school outreach by following the program via social media, read through school and student blogs, and speak to current students and alumni to learn more about their experiences. You can glean a lot of information this way and you'll start to notice some of the subtle differences in each school. Good luck with the process!

ARINGO · Answer

There are several advantages to a campus visit: It allows you to form an impression intimately and directly with the school and may assist you in reaching a decision about the suitability of the specific school to your personality and goals. It’s an excellent opportunity to form an impression of the character of the students and the atmosphere at the university, to learn more about the world of top MBA programs and future employment opportunities , and to ascertain whether you “connect” to the place and feel “at home”.
In addition, you get the chance make a stronger impression about your interest in the school – the visit itself indicates motivation and interest in the school, and the experiences you gain can be used later (in essays or interviews) to strengthen this impression.

If you intend to submit your application between August and January, it’s important that you visit the school beforehand in order to gather information and concentrate on preparing your application. Based on past experience, a visit to campus in the months closely preceding the submission of your application is likely to come at the expense of the quality of your application. In such case, the advantage of a campus visit is likely to be much smaller than the damage caused to your candidacy.

For more tips regarding MBA campus visit: https://www.aringo.com/Top_MBA_Campus_Visit.htm

JatinBhandari1 · Answer

It happened only after a class visit that an applicant told me he will “NEVER” go to “Ross MBA Program” over “Duke Fuqua” and he finally went to Fuqua. Driven by rankings, a lot of applicants from India will pick Ross over Duke any day. Through this example, I wanted to emphasize on the importance of a class visit.

What is a class visit?

• Genchi Genbutsu ( Analogy from Toyota Production Systems for “Go and See”). You will be spending a “Fortune” on an MBA program, and it will make a lot of sense to go and visit the school, and learn more about their orientation.

• Networking Opportunity: A networking opportunity for you as it will give you ample airtime with the admission committee members and other senior members from the leadership team.

• Informational Interviews: It is your opportunity to conduct informational interviews. Informational interview is your way of identifying the right reasons for joining that school. While the majority of the applicant pool comes with a mindset that they will register for any top-school on the basis of the favorable outcome, I strongly encourage all the applicants to follow a research based process. Give your schools very strong reasons to know you, and evaluate you. Be visible.

1. Have a strong elevator pitch before you land on the campus.

2. Have a decent understanding of that school and ask questions. Be curious enough to learn more about "How can that school help you in accomplishing your goals?"

3. Prepare questions for informational interviews.

These activities help the applicants to increase the chances of getting interview invitations.

brandon432 · Answer

Interesting article on this topic: Business Schools Get Smarter About Weeding Out Uninterested Applicants: https://www.businessweek.com/articles/20 ... rove-yield

JCSanders · Answer

I think it is important to visit after you get in. That way you can see what suits you the best and form a relationship with the school you want to go to. However, I believe it is a personal preference because I know some people who like visiting before to get an idea of what the school is like. It can also sometimes help you with your essays if you visit beforehand. I think it's really just a personal preference and how you weigh it.

jayanthjanardhan · Answer

Hey guys,

I am planning to visit some of the universities that i have in my mind before i start with the application process. But since i am not from the US, it would cost a lot for me to visit these universities, although i am willing to do so. However, i wanted to understand, which is more important - The visit to the university prior to applying or a visit to the university for the interview? Cause i definitely will not be able to do both.

Regards,
Jay

DinaFortuna · Answer

Hello Jay,
 There are advantages and disadvantages to both scenarios (campus visit before applying vs campus visit during application process) since it sounds like you're only able to visit each campus once. There are a few things to think about which might help make your decision easier. First, have you narrowed down your school list yet? If you have, look at campus visit opportunities at each of these schools to see what they include/offer to visitors. Some schools, for example, reserve class visits for applicants who have been invited to interview. Other schools, however, allow anyone visiting to sign up for class visits or other activities to get to know the school better. If you know that you will really want to sit in on a class visit, then you might wait to visit those schools with this policy until after you've applied. However, other schools allow visitors to meet with current students and sit in on classes before applying.

Another point to keep in mind is that some schools strongly encourage you to interview on campus so if you're applying to any of these schools, you might decide to delay your campus visits until after you've applied. We have experience with clients from outside the US who already visited campuses then get invited to return to campus to visit later to interview, and it becomes a predicament since it's difficult to make such a long trip again.

In case you don't visit schools before applying, there are lots of other ways to get information about the school. Spend time on the website, attend any off-campus events by Admissions that might be in your home country, reach out to current students or alumni, and follow the school in the news and via social media. Admissions offices at different schools often offer online sessions or Q&A opportunities with admissions staff and students so be sure to participate in these. I know I am not providing a clear answer since what's best might be different depending on different school policies but hopefully this gives you more to think about to help with your decision. Good luck!
Dina

ARINGO · Answer

How can a campus visit help you?
1. You may put yourself on the radar of the admissions committee. Schedule a meeting with an admissions representative, so you have a chance to impress them and possibly stay in touch throughout the process.
2. You gain the opportunity to gather vital information that you can put to use in writing in your application essays.
3. You’ll get the chance to meet students and professors, and truly experience the atmosphere on campus.
4. In addition, a campus visit is a fantastic way to expand your network. Whether or not you end up attending this school, you’ll have a chance to meet potential future colleagues and friends.

For more info, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enEf0tFIyEY

How important/helpful is it to visit schools?

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