Time devoted to visiting each school can depend on a student’s application plan. If the guidance counselor has recommended that your high stats child look for the best fit and potentially apply ED or SCEA, spending time on a school specific tour (i.e. engineering), with professors, in classes, meeting with students and eating at local restaurants is worth every minute. Otherwise, it is terrific experience just to dive into departments of interest and meet with grad students and professors.
Many students change their intended major freshman or sophomore year, but those that have the most exposure often seize the incredible research opportunities once on a campus. We did not view the in depth portion as college searching, more as a career search and and a way to nudge our children to be more comfortable engaging one on one with professors. Once they chose their top school(s), I brought them back to meet with professor(s), tour labs and attend classes without a parent tagging along. Their reactions at the end of the day told me everything I needed to know.