RISD - Demonstrated interest - Is touring the campus important decision for admissions

Does anyone know if RISD track kids who tour the campus as part of their application and if it influences their decision with regards to admissions? Or is it solely all about the portfolio and good grades? I appreciate any thoughts on whether or not we should head to Providence for a tour prior to submitting an application. I don’t want not showing up for a tour to negatively impact my kid’s application. And of course, we will tour if she gets in prior to deciding whether or not to attend. Thanks!!!

They may track but I doubt it influences admission decisions. If it’s not too much of a hike I recommend going for a tour. We visited from NJ and good thing, my daughter hated a lot of things about the school and the culture and opted to not even apply there. There was a very miserable vibe even from our tour guide! She gave it one more shot at NPD by talking to them was like NOPE, definitely hate that school. Lol. You might save the application fee and your daughter having the stress of completing the piece the assign as part of the application. @MBNAN

@mommek3 thanks so much for the advice! We are west coast based so its a bit of a journey for us to head there this winter. But I totally understand what you mean. You really have not idea how a place will be until you visit these colleges, get a sense for the classes and overall vibe. We have already knocked off a bunch of schools because of this. We will keep this mind. I appreciate the feedback.