Visiting Medical Schools / Admissions Offices before Applying

[Happensinvegas]

Hello SDN,

So I am applying this cycle, and I hope to put my application in the verification queue within the first two weeks. Next week my older brother is graduating from undergrad, and I will be flying in a two days early with nothing on my agenda. The university he is graduating from has a medical school that I am very interested in applying to, and it is very much within my range based on MCAT and GPA. I was wondering if there is any benefit to stopping into the medical school office / admissions office during my free time over there. Obviously by next week I won't have sent my application to that school yet.

Some General Questions
Do those offices keep record of visitors?
What would they be able to show me / talk about if I did go visit?
Is it common for people applying to medical schools to visit medical schools prior to getting an II?

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[MagicBanana]

Hello SDN,

So I am applying this cycle, and I hope to put my application in the verification queue within the first two weeks. Next week my older brother is graduating from undergrad, and I will be flying in a two days early with nothing on my agenda. The university he is graduating from has a medical school that I am very interested in applying to, and it is very much within my range based on MCAT and GPA. I was wondering if there is any benefit to stopping into the medical school office / admissions office during my free time over there. Obviously by next week I won't have sent my application to that school yet.

Some General Questions
Do those offices keep record of visitors?
What would they be able to show me / talk about if I did go visit?
Is it common for people applying to medical schools to visit medical schools prior to getting an II?

You can go and look around. You can ask the office if they have any materials for prospective applicants. I'm not sure they would be able to offer you much more. They would likely not keep a record that you visited. Going to formally visit a medical school prior to getting an interview isn't very common. In my opinion, you can use other resources to determine if the school is worth applying to. If you've got a chance at an interview, thats when you'll be able to form the best impression about whether you'd like to go there or not. I've only seen a couple schools that offer formal tours or visits.

 

[P0ke]

Hello SDN,

So I am applying this cycle, and I hope to put my application in the verification queue within the first two weeks. Next week my older brother is graduating from undergrad, and I will be flying in a two days early with nothing on my agenda. The university he is graduating from has a medical school that I am very interested in applying to, and it is very much within my range based on MCAT and GPA. I was wondering if there is any benefit to stopping into the medical school office / admissions office during my free time over there. Obviously by next week I won't have sent my application to that school yet.

Some General Questions
Do those offices keep record of visitors?
What would they be able to show me / talk about if I did go visit?
Is it common for people applying to medical schools to visit medical schools prior to getting an II?

It would in no way affect your application. Visiting them would only be to learn more about the school (if they even allow it).

 

[longhaul3]

Many schools discourage uninvited visitors and say as much in their admissions materials. Check the website. Either way, you probably won't get anything out of it.

 

[LizzyM]

I'm pretty sure my school's admissions office keeps the door locked except on interview days.

 

[wagonwheel23]

A better plan would be to get a sense of the surrounding area. Is it in a place you would want to live in for 4 years? If the answer is absolutely not, do not apply.