I am looking at doing an MBA next year. I would like to apply to business schools in the USA, such as Wharton, Stanford, Duke, and Darden. Do you think that it is necessary to do campus visits before hand or during the application process?

Will it make a good impact if I go there and meet the faculty in person?

The big problem is that it would be a lot of time and effort to go to all of these schools for me. I do not necessarily have that kind of time, although if it made the difference between me getting into Stanford and not, then I would gladly find the time and resources to visit the school.

It's weighing on me a bit, since round one application deadlines are coming up so soon.

It's not necessary but it certainly helps. The opportunity is really to meet admissions staff and students. If you can't travel, then meet alumni, as many as possible.

Visiting campus would allow you the opportunity to get a feel of the place. Some schools that you might think attractive on paper might not turn out to be a fit for you once you visit. I visited a top 10 school back in India, after visiting the campus I just couldn't imagine myself studying there and thus did not enroll.

Additionally, visiting campus will also provide a recognizable face to the admissions committee. I am told that this helps in some schools - might not be true everywhere. Depending upon which stage of application you are in, you can use experiences from your visit in the admission essays/applications to provide the fit factor or you can have a face-to-face interview during your visit.

If you can, do it, especially for the school that's top on your list. I agree, it might be hard to hit all of those stops on a single trip, but if you just pick one and spend a few days there it might not be too bad.

Otherwise, yes, meeting with alumni helps: pick their brains about the experience, campus, student life, and anything else that you'd be interested in. It's much better to get real insight from somebody who's been through the program than read about it from a marketing brochure.