Whether you are pursuing undergrad or graduate studies it is important to get a feel for the schools you are considering. Cornell University’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is one of the top five programs I am considering for my MBA. I recently finished planning a weekend trip to Ithaca, NY to visit the town and to meet current students at Cornell’s business school.

Over the course of the weekend, my fiancée and I will explore Ithaca’s cultural offerings. We will indulge in the acclaimed Cayuga Chamber Orchestra as well as a ComedyFLOPS comely festival. I have also reluctantly given into my fiancée’s demands and planned a ski day in upstate New York. You must understand I have no skiing experience and the thought of ending my life by running into a tree is terrifying.

We will also take a walking tour of the Cornell campus. We hope the tour will give us an introduction to Cornell’s history, student life and research. Andrea and I are avid photographers so check back for our photos after the trip.

On our last day of the trip, we will visit Cornell’s business school. We will take a tour of the facilities and sit in on classes at the B-school. I am most looking forward to our lunch with current Johnson students and hope to learn the inside scoop about Cornell’s business school. Whenever I am considering an academic institution I think about the areas that matter most to me and use that to compare each school.

During my trip I will evaluate Cornell’s business school on three key dimensions:

1) People: To me the most important part of any journey are the people along for the ride. I’m looking for classmates and faculty who are as engaged and as passionate as I am. A hint of social responsibility is also essential in a world which is becoming more and more global and interconnected. Having met a few students and staff from the Cornell business school at a MBA tour event in Toronto a few months ago I feel very good about the type of people in the Johnson school attracts. During my time at B-school, I want to develop relationships that foster mutual growth and last a lifetime.

2) Extracurricular opportunities: As a student of Seth Godin, I love this phrase, “Go. Make something happen.” During my time at McMaster University and the University of Toronto I have been very fortune to make many things “happen” – I believe Cornell’s business school will be no different. I’m eager to learn about the opportunities at Johnson’s academic centers like the t the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise, an institution that works closely with organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to find solutions to environmental and social problems. I also have an interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, especially in healthcare. The Johnson school’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute is a prime opportunity to develop the skills and experience to lead health care innovation in internationally. In addition, with Cornell’s new high-tech campus being built on Roosevelt Island, a venture which some have described as New York’s Silicon Valley, and initiatives like the BR venture fund, the B-school is in prime position to be a leader in healthcare, social media and green energy startups for years to come.

3) Opportunities for my wife: In six months I’ll be married. A year or two later, I will leave the friendly confines of Toronto, Canada to pursue an MBA. I’m extraordinary fortunate that my loving life partner, Andrea, will be joining me on this journey. I’m sure she will also have her fair share of questions for the folks at Cornell’s business school. It will be important that she is welcome in the Johnson community and feels connected to Cornell.

As you can imagine, I’m really looking forward to the trip to Cornell’s business school and Ithaca, NY. Over the past few months I’ve thought a lot about which institution would provide me with the best mix of the three elements mentioned above. Though I’ll visit a few B-schools as I make my decision, Ithaca is the first stop and I’m excited to see what the Big Red has in store!