How does not visiting schools affect your chances?

[brentwood]

Hi,

I am interested in about 6-8 b-schools. I only have the resources to visit about 4 schools (2 in Boston, 2 in SF).

These 4 schools above are my top choices --but they are also more 'reach' schools.

The other schools are scattered in NY, CT, IL, and PA.

Since we write about "why we want to go to xxxx b-school...", how would it affect my chances/application and how do b-schools view applicants that have not visited their schools?

(worst case scenario -- charge up the credit card?)

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear brentwood,

Visiting schools more than 200-300 miles away from you can be quite expensive, both in time and money. Schools do understand the sacrifice involved and that is why it is noted when folks do make a trip to visit. If you have a budget and feel you can do the top 4 schools for you, then that is a reasonable plan. It is not a significant negative if you do not visit a school that is geographically distant from you as long as you use other means to learn all you can about the program (i.e., chat sessions, talking to alumni/current students, research, MBA fairs, etc.). However, if you are within a day's drive of a school, then you really should visit the school. Good question!

Best of luck,
Lisa

[piyushdabomb]

I don't get it. So are you saying that if I'm close enough, I 'should' visit the school?

Why visit the school anyway? how will it strengthen your caliber? Is this primarily for writing the essays?

[jon82]

Of the schools I applied to, some asked in the application whether I'd visited. Others asked in the interview. In my opinion, they do this in an effort to see if you are truly interested in the school and this can be demonstrated in any number of ways. IMO visiting is often a poor ROI, especially when you can show interest in many ways. However, if you live close and never visited, that might be a signal that you aren't serious.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear Piyush,

Yes, if you are close then you should visit. If you don't, then the school will have reason to doubt you are serious about going there. More importantly though, visiting a school is beneficial to you for many reasons beyond demonstrating your commitment to attending business school and your genuine interest in that particular program. It gives you a chance to observe and experience the culture of the school to determine if it is a good fit for you. Schools are different--while the subject matter might be similar, faculty and students are not and class interactions are a big part of an MBA program. Likewise, much of what you gain from your MBA program happens outside of class. Visiting before writing your essays can be helpful as you can use reference what you learned and observed to demonstrate how you fit at that school. When schools have over 5000 applications, but only 300 students per class, it can help to set you apart from the competition.

Good luck,
Lisa

[ayashlaha]

Does it make sense to visit the school after you have applied? I just finished my R2 applications. I could not find the time due to my busy work schedule until now.

I definitely want to get to know the school better so I do want to visit all of them. However I'm concerned about the timing of my visit. Should I do it sooner rather than later?

Appreciate your response.

Thanks

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear ayashlaha,

It always make sense to visit--you need to have the experience for your own decision on where you want to go. Perhaps you can visit in conjunction with interview invitations? Look at your schedule and see what makes sense for you; then when scheduling your campus visit, you can always ask if you can do your interview at that time. Likewise, you can also wait for the invitation before scheduling your visit; however, you don't always have much notice.

Good luck,
Lisa