Yes, our kids knew they wanted to go to a U outside our state so it made the most sense to drive past Us when we were traveling for other reasons. Most of the time, driving past and/or thru the campus was enough to get a feel for where different Us were situated and the different types of configurations.
S did end up accepting and attending a U he had never stepped foot in. We all 1st stepped foot on that campus when we went to move him in as a freshman. D liked it best of any U and that was the only U she applied to and was accepted at.