Does visiting the campuses help you get in?
And this might be a stupid question, but how does one schedule an ‘official’ college visit/campus tour (ex: Yale)?
Tippy top schools generally do not care about interest. Other colleges care a lot. You need to look at a college’s common data set to see how they regard interest. Some might just consider it, others might regard it as important.
So yes, at some colleges visitng campus is a great way to show interest if they consider it. Yale won’t consider interest, so don’t make a special effort to get there. Every college will list tour times and dates on its website. Just google “visit _________ college.” Usually you can sign up on line. If you visit without going on a scheduled tour, and the college cares about interest, be sure to always sign in at the admissions office. Requesting an interview is another good way to show interest, esepcially if it is not possible to visit. You can also go to college fairs and sign up for emails and mailings.