Get most of your campus visits

I came accross good post on making most of the campus visits. This was published in Chicago GSB's newsletter. I would like to post it here because this is equally valid for any school.

Admissions Insider: Getting the most out of your campus visit
A big part of applying to a school or even considering it is visiting a campus. Sometimes, this isn’t possible, given a school’s location or distance from your home. But if you are able to visit a school’s campus, how should you go about it? What should you take away from the visit? Here are a few tips for ensuring a productive visit.

Plan ahead
While our office is always happy to greet visitors who pop by, you will have a richer campus experience if you make a plan prior to showing up. By making a reservation, we can include you in our full campus program, including visiting a class, sitting in on an information session and having lunch with current students. You can make a reservation online for Chicago GSB’s daily campus visit program, or for our “GSB Live” event. After you’ve made your reservation, start to make your travel plans so that you’ll arrive on time (or even a few minutes early) and clear-headed. Check in with the Admissions Office staff to find the easiest route to campus, or go online and check the school’s website for a map and directions to campus; consider supplementing this with directions from a website like randmcnally.com or mapquest.com. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to find parking too. Not driving? Give yourself time to figure out the public transportation system or hail a cab, especially during rush hour. Always have the number to the Office of Admission in the event that your tardiness is out of your control—say, your plane landed late, or you took a wrong turn. A phone call is considerate and thoughtful in these events and the person on the other line may be of assistance as you make your way around.

Set some realistic expectations for your visit
Most campus visits are similar and allow you access to current students, an admissions staff member and a tour of the facilities. Hoping to catch a few minutes with that Nobel laureate professor whose research you’ve been following? Can’t wait to shadow a student all over the place and sleep over at their apartment? Dying to meet with a student from your home country/industry/high school? While we’ll all do our best to be sure you get a quality experience, some requests are difficult to begin with, and may be impossible on short or no notice. If you hope to experience something out of the norm, call ahead and keep in mind that not all requests can be met.

Prepare or write down the questions you most want to have answered.
Chances are you’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask questions of a current student or an admissions staff member. Write ‘em down; it’s terrible to blank at the precise moment someone asks, “So, do you have any questions?”. It’s even worse to get all the way back home and remember what it was you were dying to find out!

Consider approaching total strangers
That’s right, we encourage you to take some time to mosey around campus (or, if you’re at the GSB, check out the Winter Garden) and approach a group of students and ask them some questions. Current students are quite used to this, and though you may feel a little uncomfortable, chances are that student will be willing to spend a few minutes of their time with you to give you yet another perspective on life at that school.

Put your best foot forward
Remember that you represent yourself as a potential applicant and future student on a campus visit; so be aware of how you look and behave while you’re on campus. Dress nicely (beware of too-casual dress, like ripped or dirty clothes, or gym clothes); if you sit in on a class, remember your place as a visitor and refrain from taking time away from the instruction that’s going on; and be polite, especially to your student hosts, who are likely volunteering their time to show you a great day on campus. As in most other situations, a great first impression is crucial!

I am visiting ISB campus tomorrow. I will try to make most of my visit.
I will post about my experience soon.