Getting the most out of non-open house, campus visits

[wvhoo]

I'll be making 4-5 campus visits this fall (UCLA, USC, MIT, Harvard, Penn, Michigan, UNC). What things should I do get the most out of these visits? Things suggested:

1. Meet with Admissions advisor at the school
2. Contact professors to sit in on one or two classes.
3. Try to find current students to meet up with.

Questions:
a. Should I try to go to a 'less sexy' class? Meaning, something I might not be too interested in but is a core requirement, like a Research Methods/Stats?
b. What sort of questions should I ask those associated with the school so I don't sound as green with planning as I am (I have no educational or professional planning experience)?
c. Should I bring a resume/transcript/statement of purpose with me when I visit with the Admissions advisor? Is this too aggressive?
c. If the department gives me a list of students to contact, how should I go about meeting with current students without being an ungracious, pushy guest? If I don't get a list of students to talk with, how could I go about meeting current students?

Thanks for your help!

[nrschmid]

I'll be making 4-5 campus visits this fall (UCLA, USC, MIT, Harvard, Penn, Michigan, UNC). What things should I do get the most out of these visits? Things suggested:

1. Meet with Admissions advisor at the school
2. Contact professors to sit in on one or two classes.
3. Try to find current students to meet up with.

Questions:
a. Should I try to go to a 'less sexy' class? Meaning, something I might not be too interested in but is a core requirement, like a Research Methods/Stats?
b. What sort of questions should I ask those associated with the school so I don't sound as green with planning as I am (I have no educational or professional planning experience)?
c. Should I bring a resume/transcript/statement of purpose with me when I visit with the Admissions advisor? Is this too aggressive?
c. If the department gives me a list of students to contact, how should I go about meeting with current students without being an ungracious, pushy guest? If I don't get a list of students to talk with, how could I go about meeting current students?

Thanks for your help!

Why do you want to go into planning? What interests you about the field?

A. The more classes you sit in, the more of a feel you will have for the program.
B. Search previous posts on here. I need to know more about your background/interests first before answering that question. Why do YOU want to enroll in one of these programs? What type of planning are you interested in? Of all questions, don't ask stuff that you can find out on your own over the internet.
C. Bring a resume (and a portfolio if you have one). I would mail these out a few weeks to a couple of months before your visit, and do a follow-up one week before your visit (just to make sure they received it). Chances are they probably won't read it over until you sit down in the interview.
D. If you visit a school with studios, sit in the studio and walk around and visit with the students. Find out what they are working on. Ask questions about studio life, the hours they put in (again, search previous posts). I did this when I visited UGA's Masters of Landscape Architecture Program this past April. The professor knew I was a practicing planner/designer who worked with LAs and let me casually critique some of the first year graduate's studio work (they had a TON of questions about professional practice). We all got along very well

If you visit a program without any studios, the admission's staff will give you the names of a few students to contact. Usually these students volunteer their time to show you around and answer your questions. Be gracious and polite but feel free to ask any questions that come to mind. Depending on when you visit the school, remember that many of them are probably already stressed out on term papers, research, teaching undergrad courses, or studio work. If I shadow one student for the day, I usually will treat them out for coffee.

Whatever you do, always send a thank-you note to each professor you interview (and possibly each student you shadow).

Finally, see if you can set up informational interviews with local planning firms and municipalities to find out more about what to expect after you graduate (again, see previous posts).

Hope this helps-