Guide to Getting the Most from Your MBA Campus Visit

So you’ve decided that you want to go to graduate school to pursue your MBA — congratulations, that’s great news! But how will you know which MBA program is right for you? Sure, you can read all the rankings, reviews, and recommendations to get a good idea of what a particular school, campus or program can offer you, but the most tried and true way to know for certain is to plan an on-campus visit.

I thought that was more of an undergrad thing? Should MBA applicants make campus visits too?

Darn right you should — this is a huge investment you’re making in your education, career and future. As we’ve reported in the past, scheduling a campus visit to your target business school lets you kill two birds with one stone: It grants you some very important face-time with the school’s Admissions Department (winning you some potential brownie points in the process) and gives you chance to see if the institution and its campus are a good fit for you and your lifestyle. This is especially true if attending a school requires that you must uproot your life and move to a new Metro.

Mango, a former blogger and student at Kellogg School of Management, says it best in a webpost:

“School visits are a lot like online dating — you may have built up in your mind this amazing idea of what a school is like, but you can’t really make a decision of whether it is right for you until you go and visit and have that interaction.”

When’s the best time to schedule a visit? Most folks plan to visit a school before applying to a program because your experience during that visit could dramatically inform your application choices. With that said, you can schedule a visit within weeks of the application deadline if needed.

According to US News & World Report, spring is the best time to schedule school visits. There’s tons of activity on campus during the spring sessions, giving you an inside look on campus life and allowing students the opportunity to interact with faculty members.

While on campus, make sure you check out the whole university so you know exactly what’s available to you.

How do I schedule an MBA campus visit?

You can schedule a visit through the MBA admissions office of school. Visits typically include an information session, the option of attending a class, and a chance to sit down and talk with current students. Many schools offer online sign-ups for campus visits, which can often be found on the Events page of business school websites. After registering online, it’s advised that you drop the admissions office an email and ask for any additional resources they can provide to you prior to your visit.

 

Okay, so I’m on campus and about to sit with someone from the Admissions department — what questions should I ask?

When visiting with an admissions officer, there are so many questions you can ask. But let’s start with what you shouldn’t ask.

Ashley Wells breaks down these no-no’s pretty well in a blog post she wrote for the Forte Foundation, a non-profit consortium of leading companies and top business schools working together to launch women into fulfilling, significant careers through access to business education, opportunities, and a community of successful women.

According to Wells, avoid asking questions that:

• Can be easily found by searching on the Internet

• Are extremely specific to your situation when you are in a group setting

• Are “low hanging fruit” questions that could be applied to any MBA program when you only have the opportunity to ask one-two questions

In that same blog post, Wells also lists what types of questions you should ask an Admissions representative:

• Specific: The question is specific to you, the school, experience, coursework, etc. When you are meeting individually with the AdCom, you can ask questions about your specific application. For example, “I don’t come from a quantitative undergraduate background. Outside of the GMAT, how can I demonstrate quantitative proficiency?”

• Poised: You are inquiring in a poised and professional manner that does not appear demanding, specifically comparative to other schools you are looking at, or uninformed.

• Accurate: You are asking questions about information that is fact-based, not based on rumor. For example, “I hear grade disclosure makes your students more competitive in nature with one another. Is that true?” is not a good lead-in.

• Reasonable: Do not demand to meet with the AdCom and then have nothing to ask, this can hurt your application! If you are able to schedule time with them, have 3-5 prepared questions as well as some solid introductory conversation regarding your thoughts on the school.

• Keen: Your questions are energetic, you appear eager, and lively. AdComs meet with countless students daily—be the enthusiastic source that they can draw energy from to remember you by.

Next up is my classroom visit — what should I be looking out for?

If you were able to schedule a visit that incorporates sitting in on a class that’s in session, that’s a huge plus. Attending a real life class gives you an opportunity to see, first hand, how professors interact with their students and what typical coursework looks like. Also keep an eye on how fellow students interact with each other. While doing so, pay careful attention to how MBA students interact with one another and to the student-professor dynamic.

An article on mbaprepschool.com suggests taking note of the following:

“Do you have a sense that students go out of their way to promote each other’s success or out of their way to promote their own? Is there a sense of inclusiveness? Do students seem engaged in class and eager to participate or are they checking their emails and more interested in their iPhones?”

After sitting in on a class, go up to a few students and engage with them. Explain to them that you’re considering this school and are visiting to get a feel for the community and campus. Ask them why they chose this particular school and what they like — and dislike — about it. Current students with no agenda (i.e. salary from the school) can provide the most honest and important feedback for you.

Any other tips, odds or ends that I should look into?

• Stop by the institutes, centers and open lectures that constitute the program’s resources within your focus area.
• Look closely at the career placement resources available and the students’ use of those resources.
• Tap into your personal network to see if you know any current students in the business college or another college within the university you’ll be visiting. 
• Be sure that you have your travel plans and hotel reservations set in advance and that you’ve taken off of work.
• Create an itinerary that allows you to explore the MBA program as well as the metro that your university calls home.