Visiting Campus - Application Bump or Unnecessary Expense?

I only visited campuses if I was invited for an interview. No use in spending $ if I am getting dinged w/o interview

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I didn't visit campus on 2 of the 3 schools I was admitted to, and the other one I only went because I had to for my interview. Save your money, you can discern enough about the culture from the website/other resources to make competent essays.

This was my approach as well, aside from one school that was an hour drive away (in that case, I just decided to visit before applying since it was so close).

I do feel that you should visit the school at least once before deciding to go- before applying, for your interview, and/or after you get admitted. It's just as important to make sure you like the area the school is in and the culture of the school is a fit for you. With so many great schools, I think fit really does become a huge factor, not only for the school, but also for yourself, if you have to choose between different schools, if you get put in a position where you need to do so.

See here some of the collective wisdom: b-school-visit-superthread-156405.html

I am of the view that you should absolutely visit your target schools before applying if possible. The reasons are threefold

1) You make sure that they are the right schools for you. Each school is unique and you need to experience this in person. A school may sound good on paper but you could really dislike it once you visit due to its location or the people for example.

2) It provides essay / interview fodder. You can talk about the people you met on campus, the locations, the challenge of sitting in Prof X's class, the clubs, etc from first hand experience. This will be far richer than regurgitating information from the school's website or marketing materials.

3) Take advantage of the opportunity to schedule open interviews. Some schools like Fuqua and Tuck historically give applicants the opportunity to interview before submitting an application. Rather than wait for an interview that may or may not arrive, you can take the initiative to ensure you provide that additional data point.

Just to add what has already been said;
1. If you live close to the school, sure go check it out.
2. If invited for an interview, do it on campus if you can.

During my application journey, it was always sweet to hear a member of the adcom remark, "Ah, i remember seeing you at the xxx event the school held. How have you been?"

In order to visit the campus at an effective time, we suggest that you check the academic calendar in order to ensure that the visit will coincide with classes and not during vacation (when the school is closed, therefore making it impossible to form a complete impression) or during test periods (when everyone is busy and no one will have time to talk to you). It is advisable to visit during the height of the semester and usually preferable to visit in the middle of the week (not the weekend) when the campus is active. If you visit during a semester break, most of the students and some of the faculty won’t be around. The active period is usually from the middle/end of September until the beginning/middle of December, and from the beginning/middle of January until the middle of May (you should verify exact dates with the school – the dates are likely to change from program to program and from year to year).

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.

A campus visit can also take place several years before you apply. In our estimation, visiting campus well in advance may be more valuable than visiting close to your application deadline:
A visit to campus well in advance of applying can have several advantages. One of them is the opportunity to familiarize yourself with various schools, the different opportunities, and the world of leading MBA programs and the application process. This will likely help you reach the best decision for the coming years (career development, recommenders, networks), and to identify which schools interest you the most. Another advantage is the ability to build long-term connections with students and possibly even with the faculty members you will meet during your visit. These connections can help you in the future to strengthen your candidacy as the same people you met on campus can send support emails to the admission committee after you submit your application. Long-term connections like these will allow such students to develop and cement the relationship with you, something which is certain to be reflected in the content of the support email and increase its effectiveness. In addition, an early visit is likely to save you time and money if you can combine it with other travel plans from work or within the framework of a vacation.

Other advantages of an early visit to campus are likely to manifest themselves in preparing your application: the fact that the visit takes place a long time before the application is submitted is likely to help you focus on preparing your application as the submission deadline approaches. Candidates who devote time to a campus visit a few weeks or months before submitting their application are sometimes sorry they didn’t visit earlier for two main reasons: A) “I could have spent more time on my application had I visited earlier.” And B) “The visit caused me to change things in my application that I had already prepared,”; “The visit made me understand too late that school X is exactly for me/not for me.” When you write your essays, you can point out that you visited school X years ago. The fact that you visited so early and stayed focused on the school is sure to win you “points”.

Notwithstanding, a visit to the school well in advance has some disadvantages. In the event that you don’t maintain, strengthen and develop the connections you made during your visit, the benefits of the visit will lessen. In addition, an early visit may take place at a stage where your knowledge of the world of leading MBA programs is minimal. In such case, there is a danger that you will say things that might sound “dumb” or “out of context”. You can close that gap with a little research and a preliminary chat with an alumnus/student. Likewise, insufficient knowledge may prompt you to visit schools that you will find irrelevant in the future (i.e. “Had I waited, I could have saved the visit.”) However, keep in mind that a visit will likely help you decide which schools are relevant for you…
In addition, you need to take into account that some of the information you pick up during your visit will be outdated after a year or two.

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

Thanks everyone for your very useful feedback! I was able to squeeze in a couple of late-in-the-term visits, and I am planning a few more for early fall for the programs I am most keenly interested in, though I may still apply to several less compelling ones "blind."

It's been a useful process to help me figure out my regional preferences; in other words, if I'm not willing to trek somewhere for a visit, will I really be excited to spend two years there?

Thanks again and I look forward to getting more involved in this community over the summer.

Just another point: If you are applying to a small school in a big city( NYU Stern For example), it makes a lot of sense to make a class visit and really showcase your interest in their program. These schools emphasise a lot on your willingness to contribute to the MBA Class as they feel that you have many more opportunities to disappear in New York after the classrooms and team meetings are over.

Think about Stern's Essay : "What steps have you taken to learn about Stern?" : This question just raises the barriers to entry.

Not every school has this question, but there is an implicit understanding that your presence can make a difference, and they get to really know you.

And as stated above in the other posts, visit only if you are prepared.