do campus visits affect admissions chances?

[rush the rushdie]

i was planning on doing a campus visit tour sometime in November, but now it looks like i won't be able to.  Is this going to give law schools a bad impression?  And if i actually do go, and sign up for a campus tour with the admissions office, will this give law schools a good impression??

thanks in advance for any advice

[Ninja1]

No, it won't give the school a bad impression if you don't go.

And visiting will likely not help, but it won't hurt... unless you do something really stupid while you're there (hint: the dean always has the best parking space and usually has the nicest car).

[Lindbergh]

Most people don't visit, so it's not really a negative.

On the other hand, it can help if you do visit.  It shows the school you're serious about attending, and it gives them a chance to get to know you beyond your numbers.  For this reason, I would compare it to your personal statement, which is obviously important, if not as important as numbers.  I would definitely at least visit your top choices, especially if you're on the fence there.

Susan Estrich of USC Law highly recommends campus visits (and other aspects of an admission "campaign") in her book "How to Get into Law School" (worth reading).  She's just one person, but she does play a role in admissions at a top 20 program, so it's presumably a worthwhile perspective.

[meggo]

I wouldn't put visiting a campus on par with the personal statement, but it can work as a soft. You might meet admissions people and even if it's not a formal interview, you are still putting yourself out there and many do make notes on their files. And as Lindbergh says, it shows you are serious about the school and have thoroughly checked it out.

[jennyhoo]

.

[Ninja1]

I visited a bunch of DC schools and incorporated my thoughts/feelings/items of interest into separate "Why X" essays. I even did this for safeties since I feared yield protection. You can definitely find ways to use visits to your advantage!

So go if you can, but don't stress if you can't.

This is probably the best way possible to use visits when it comes to admissions. Well played.

[Lindbergh]

I wouldn't put visiting a campus on par with the personal statement, but it can work as a soft. You might meet admissions people and even if it's not a formal interview, you are still putting yourself out there and many do make notes on their files. And as Lindbergh says, it shows you are serious about the school and have thoroughly checked it out.

I think the best thing about visits is that while not a formal interview, it can act as an informal interview, and if you "connect" with an adcom, that will obviously put you ahead of everyone else with comparable numbers. 

Obviously, after your visit, you should write and e-mail to reinforce any positive connections.

[jennyhoo]

I visited a bunch of DC schools and incorporated my thoughts/feelings/items of interest into separate "Why X" essays. I even did this for safeties since I feared yield protection. You can definitely find ways to use visits to your advantage!

So go if you can, but don't stress if you can't.

This is probably the best way possible to use visits when it comes to admissions. Well played.

Thanks ninja! I do owe some credit to UFBoldAsLove--totally sweet girl!

[Penn263]

i was planning on doing a campus visit tour sometime in November, but now it looks like i won't be able to.  Is this going to give law schools a bad impression?  And if i actually do go, and sign up for a campus tour with the admissions office, will this give law schools a good impression??

thanks in advance for any advice

In my opinion, visiting a law school does absolutely nothing for you with respect to admissions. Seriously. The first time I even came to my law school was for orientation. Don't be *that* person who comes into the admissions office every other day to ask for status updates. It really is insulting to the admissions committee to assume they don't already know you want to attend to their law school--wanting to attend is the reason why you applied. If your heart and soul is truly invested in ONE particular school and you want them to know about it, write about it in your personal statement. I think visiting a law school is only necessary if you're trying to decide if it's right for you after you've been accepted.

[J.J. Gittes]

I wouldn't put visiting a campus on par with the personal statement, but it can work as a soft. You might meet admissions people and even if it's not a formal interview, you are still putting yourself out there and many do make notes on their files. And as Lindbergh says, it shows you are serious about the school and have thoroughly checked it out.

I think the best thing about visits is that while not a formal interview, it can act as an informal interview, and if you "connect" with an adcom, that will obviously put you ahead of everyone else with comparable numbers. 

Obviously, after your visit, you should write and e-mail to reinforce any positive connections.

would you say this is largely the same main benefit to be gained from attending a law school fair at one's undergrad institution?