<p>If I have the ability to go visit a department/sit in on a class, does this help my chances at all? I understand I won't have the opportunity to speak directly with the professors/interview, etc. but I was wondering if a record or note is made to my application which shows a high level of interest? Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>It’s not generally advisable to visit a school before you’ve been admitted or invited to interview. After-admission visits are very common to aid in selecting which offer to accept, but you won’t get any sort of “bump” from visiting beforehand.</p>
<p>The calculus changes when you get offer letters in hand, because (if you have multiple admissions) you are now the sought-after commodity. For example, I visited IU and met with my advisor, who then pulled strings to substantially match a funding offer made by another school.</p>
<p>No, because merely having the disposable income to visit a school isn’t a strong enough signal for showing ‘high levels of interest’.</p>