I'm an American, and I'm going to apply to business schools in Europe, probably these:

IE
INSEAD
Goethe
Amsterdam Business School

When should I visit them? I'd like to go soon, before I apply, but I'd imagine that there's probably not much going on in the summertime. Should I wait until the fall so I can sit in on classes? Will that be too late?

Hello April

Best time to visit is the fall now as students are away doing projects. My best friend works at one of the top schools in the Netherlands that is 20 - 30 minutes away from Amsterdam, you should take a visit so you can compare, they also have scholarships. Make sure they listen to what you are looking for and that you have access to walk around and chat with other members like career services and possibly the Academic Director. Your a future client, see how much attention they give you. If you would like to know the school my friend works at, feel free to get back to me. Sitting in a class is a must and also meeting the students and alumni as well if you get the chance.
Saint

Thank you, Saint. I would like to sit in on a class and talk to people, which is why I think I'm waiting until the fall. September or October, maybe, before it gets too cold.

Hi April,

Better to go is the open day, or schedule a visit while they are having classes.

If you go ti IE you can also visit IESE and ESADE in Barcelona (which are 2,30hours from Madrid by fast train).

I would not go to Amsterdam. Nothing there. If you like NL go to Rotterdam - RSM.

Thank you for that information. Just one question though - why not Amsterdam? I've been considering Amsterdam Business School, and it looks quite interesting.

Let's say that Rotterdam Business School is well ahead of Amsterdam in terms of quality, prestige, rankings, exits, networking...

So it´s worth to go RSM instead of ABS. But you may go both to check the previous info. When are you planning to visit all European Schools?

If you're interested in just meeting with the schools recruiters they are probably all going to be on The MBA Tour OR the QS World MBA Tour. You could meet with them and learn about the schools more before you make the trip. Most of the North American tour dates are in September, they are hitting most of the major cities. I'll be at The MBA Tour in Chicago!

SingleSpain: Thanks for that info. I will probably end up going to both of those schools, and it's looking like I'll be going sometime in October, to see classes and meet representatives, etc.

sally: the MBA Tour looks like a fantastic idea! I am going to try and make one of those dates, for sure. Here's a link for anybody curious about it:

http://www.thembatour.com/

sally: the MBA Tour looks like a fantastic idea! I am going to try and make one of those dates, for sure. Here's a link for anybody curious about it:
http://www.thembatour.com/

I would definitely try to visit the schools, but i am not sure that an open day gives you a true impression of the school - better make an appointment and go visit during regular semester time. most schools would agree to this, and you would get better attention from the school personal, as you will not be visiting on a day in which hundreds of others also do ++ the impression you would get would be more authentic.
the open days are nice, but they are a Marketing event.......

Hi Andy, yes that's my plan, to make personal appointments with the schools. Mostly that's a logistical choice, though - I don't want to have to plan a trip to a number of different schools in various cities by the schedules of their "open days." And yes, I am looking for a more authentic experience...

That's not the one she was talking about. The QS MBA Tour website is: http://www.topmba.com/mba_fairs

Thank you, Sally. It looks like the QS World Tour has more of the schools I'm interested in, so I will probably go to that one, in Los Angeles.