I have visited or have friends at most of the schools that I am applying to. Is it acceptable (or encouraged) to throw some vignette into your essay about meeting so and so or going to a certain class, discussing a certain professor and so on? It seems to me like it does show your interest but also is a bit informal and may be out of place. The other question I had, was for a school like Columbia specifically, is it appropriate to say that the location and the fact that my SO lives in NYC is a factor that draws me to their program? I feel like I am not sure how much information I should or should not be including.