<p>In reading some of these posts and how some kids make their decisions on whimsical perceptions, it is like "deja vu all over again" for me. In the initial visits that my son went to, the rank order of the college was directly related to the type of fast food vendor that was in the college commons. First it was RPI with its Ben and Jerry's, then it was Penn State (as I recall) for its Chick-Fil-A. The irony is that his ultimate choice was in Ithaca where not only are neither of these present in the entire town but even the closest Dunkin Donut (another favorite) is about an hour away. Lots of trees and waterfalls though.</p>
<p>On a more OP-related note, while I suspect that some schools do discrimate against those who do not visit, I suspect it is mostly directed against those who live close enough to visit but who don't bother. Two of the very highly qualified members of my son's HS class were waitlisted by Lehigh most likely because they never bothered to visit even though they lived only a little more than an hour away. It was clear that they viewed Lehigh as a safety school and it was clear that Lehigh didn't appreciate this.</p>