Is Visiting Business Schools Still Important?

Is visiting business schools in person still important? The short answer is this: maybe not and absolutely yes!

When researching schools, visiting them in person is not 100% necessary, particularly if a flight would be required. However, doing so, if possible, is certainly recommended. And if you live in the same general metropolitan area as a program you are applying to, you would be doing yourself a disservice to not visit. An in-person school visit offers so many benefits. 

First, it’s an invaluable way to determine whether the school is the right fit for you, academically and personally. You will naturally develop a gut feeling about a school after spending a day touring its campus, attending a class, speaking with professors, and conversing over lunch with students. Not only can that feeling be difficult to argue with, but it will also enable you to offer more-authentic responses to questions you are likely to get about why the school in question is right for you, either in an essay or an interview. Visiting a school’s campus is also an incredible opportunity to learn the “inside scoop” on the MBA program via conversations with enrolled students and to confirm that the actual experience matches what has been touted by the school in its marketing materials. Countless clients have shared with us meaningful insights they gleaned through one-on-one, in-person conversations with students that they would never have learned otherwise. 

Second, given the planning, time, and cost often involved, an in-person visit can be a signal to the admissions committee of your deep interest in the school’s MBA program. This is important as the committee assesses your candidacy, because the higher your interest level, the more likely you are to enroll if accepted. This in turn can affect the school’s yield rate, which is one of the factors considered in MBA rankings. So, if you are trying to stack all the odds in your favor, this is a very good way of doing so!

However, not everyone is able to visit their target business schools in person, often for very valid reasons. Luckily, one silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic is that MBA programs have notably increased the number, frequency, and quality of their virtual events and school tours. This means you can come remarkably close to the experience of actually being at the school live and can participate in multiple discussions across a range of dates. Definitely make sure to at least take part in virtual events, not only to be better equipped to speak in depth about why the school is a strong fit for you and your career goals in your application and interview but also to confirm for yourself your true desire to attend.

Many schools also offer admitted-student weekends or special days for the applicants they have accepted. In these cases, the tables have turned, and the programs are trying to “sell” you on their value and convince you that they are the perfect fit for you! Without a doubt, attending admitted student events in person is highly recommended. After all, would you buy a house without ever stepping foot inside it or a car without first taking it for a test drive? Given the investment that business school demands both from a time and monetary perspective, you owe it to yourself to assess your potential new “home” as thoroughly as possible before committing to it.

Fortunately, you have a plethora of ways to learn about MBA programs these days—both in person and online—and thus have no excuse for not doing your due diligence for your applications. See the chart below for a high-level overview of both in-person and online opportunities to engage with some of the top U.S. business schools.

Overview of In-Person and Online Opportunities to Connect with Top US MBA Programs

	IN-PERSON Events & Opportunities	VIRTUAL Events & Opportunities
Berkeley Haas	Immersive Campus Visitation Program Class Visit	Virtual Admissions Information Session Pre-Recorded Class Observation Virtual Self-guided tour Virtual Student-led event
Chicago Booth	Campus Visit with Admissions Q&A Admissions Office Hours	Connect with Student Self-Guided Virtual Tour
Columbia Business School	Class Visit Campus Visit	Information Session The MBA Tour (multiple locations) Recorded Events
Cornell Johnson	MBA Admissions Consultation On-Campus Events Cornell Tech	Campus Photos/Info The MBA Tour (multiple locations)
Dartmouth Tuck	Campus Visit Coffee Chats, Happy Hours in Select Cities	Campus Tour Student, Club Coffee Chats Conversation with Admissions
Duke Fuqua	Campus Visit Open Interview Coffee Chats, Dinner, Happy Hours in Select Cities	Webinars across Range of Topics
Harvard Business School	Class Visit Campus Tour and Information Session Information Session in Austin	Case Method Class Experience Campus Tour Information Session/Chat Events/Webinars across Range of Topics The MBA Tour (multiple locations)
Michigan Ross	Campus Visits Weekend Events for Select Groups	Admissions Office Hours “Ask Me Anything” Virtual Events
MIT Sloan	Class Visit Information Session Coffee Chats	Coffee Chats Information Session – Livestream
Northwestern Kellogg	Campus Visit Preview Days	Campus Tour Information Session Alumni Panels Webinars across Range of Topics
NYU Stern	Campus Tour Coffee Chat	Information Session Chats with Students Mock Application SessionWebinars/Recordings across Range of Topics Campus Tour
Stanford GSB	Class Visit Chats with Students or Admissions Officers	Chats with Students or Alumni Information Sessions “Representation Matters” Discussions
The Wharton School	Campus Visit Student Panel Information Session Class Visit	Class Visit Campus Tour Information Session
UCLA Anderson	Campus Tour Student Hosted Events Lunches/Dinners Information Session Open House Preview Day	Campus Tour Diversity Events Information Session Admission Q&A Student Chats
UVA Darden	Class Visit Open House (Class visit, Campus Tour, Connect with Student) Coffee Chats in Select Cities	Virtual Coffee Chat with Admissions, Students, or Alumni Webinars across Range of Topics
Yale SOM	Campus Visit Admissions Q&A Student Panels Women’s Day The MBA Tour Europe (multiple locations)	Admissions Q&A Student Panels The MBA Tour (multiple locations)

Accurate as of October 2023

For additional perspective on the differences between MBA programs and an assessment of your MBA applicant profile, sign up for a free 30-minute consultation here with one of mbaMission’s experts.