<p>Admitted Student Weekends (which I have not attended) and Recruitment Weekends (of which I have attended many) can definitely be filled with rah rah activities. But, any discerning student should find it easy to look past the hype and get a sense of the real school. On each visit, I made sure to spend a few hours by myself or with a close friend. I checked out the dorms, the classrooms, the dining halls, and the bulletin boards - ESPECIALLY the bulletin boards. I visited one school that blew me away in terms of the social offerings in that single night, not to mention that week (and another school where I was bored on the very first night!). If you’re not shy, talk to current students. If you are shy, find a non-shy friend (I found I filled that role relatively well) to hang out with. I also checked the book store, the student union, etc. I wanted to see what the students were doing and what the atmosphere was like. In 1-3 well-used hours, I was able to get a great feel for the school outside of the plush program.</p>