- You get to learn about the school’s general atmosphere.
- You increase your admissions chances by demonstrating interest.
The only place I officially visited was Chicago Booth. The student body at Booth has a reputation for being finance-focused quant-jocks. I wanted to see if the school’s reputation for finance was true and I wanted to know if I would get along with the students there.
I visited the campus and was blown away by both the school and its students. I hadn’t ever visited Chicago, so getting a feel for the city was also an important factor in my decision to attend Booth.
If you’re picking between schools and aren’t sure about some of them, a campus visit, if it’s not inconvenient, is the best way to decide whether you want to spend 2 years there.
Visiting a school to demonstrate interest
One thing people don’t often know about is the extent to which the admissions people track your information. They will find out as much about you as possible, from beginning to end. If you visit a campus and sign in, they will know that you were interested enough in their school to visit and had the initiative to come.
You should also try to sign up for different mailing lists. You can find request forms for information packets on the school’s website. Sign up using the same email address you use for your application. The more they see you interacting with their school, the more they’ll know your interest in their school is sincere.
