Hi! I was wondering if when I visited CMU, there would be a disadvantage to me later on in the admissions process for demonstrated interest if I just went to the campus tour/info session as opposed to going all out and staying overnight. Staying overnight would be more of a hassle to my parents unfortunately. Thanks!
I think the visit & doing a CMU interview is a good way to show interest & writing strong supplements on the Common App. I think most students can’t make it to a Turning Tarten overnight - just my opinion.
An interview will help, all else equal, and those can be done in your local community sometimes. It’s the personal contact more than the presence on campus that might help an application. But a campus visit will definitely help the applicant decide whether it’s a good fit. If you think an overnight would help you figure that out by all means do so. My D3 was encouraged by some friends (kid goes there) to spend the night but it was really to help D3 get a good feel for the place. CMU isn’t for everyone.
Of course the biggest measure of demonstrated interest would be to apply ED but that should only be done after a lot of thought and only after being convinced it’s the correct application decision. You won’t get an opportunity to compare financial aid packages so it’s really letting your pocketbook speak for you.
CMU was a reach school for my son. He was accepted (will attend) and did not attend a Turn Tartan Overnight. He did however take a campus tour, attend a local information session, and do a local alumni interview. So apparently those are good enough for ‘demonstrated interest.’
As @Mamelot says, you should not look at these opportunities only from the ‘will it help me get in?’ standpoint, but also from the chance these offer to help you really learn about the university.
Alright! Yes, I was counting on the visit to help me get an idea of the school as well, of course. 
I’m really liking it right now and I’ll see if I like it more when I visit. Thank you everyone!
Just gonna say that the only thing I did was shoot a few emails and phone calls, did a local alumni interview, and I still got in. I did schedule an interview but I had to cancel.
I think they look for demonstration of interest in your application materials as well (your essay and overall package), so focus on that as well.
Do the Turn Tartan Overnight thing if you want and it works for your family. Otherwise, the campus tour and info session should be sufficient. A lot of students don’t have the opportunity to visit campus at all.
A note about Turn Tartan Overnight: I think that your experience differs greatly depending on your host. I hosted a prospective student one night this past school year and I think it went surprisingly well. She was nice, quiet, not too strange, etc. It also helped that a friend on my floor was hosting a couple prospective students and our respective charges could hang out together. I think that all involved thought it was a good experience.
That said, I’ve heard stories about prospective students who really do not click with their host and are given to someone else who is already hosting other students. So it can be hit-or-miss.