I may have missed something, but
If the guidance counselor is saying “must visit” before applying because she thinks that “showing interest” is required for those schools, then of course this isn’t true. There are other ways to show interest.
Visiting after acceptance, is more important, IMO.
S visited Chicago, Northwestern, and another school the summer before senior year, and again after he was accepted at all three. The first visits were combined with a family vacation and probably did make it easier to answer the “why X” question. However, he was always aware that acceptance was a long shot and didn’t want to get to attached to a place that might not even end up being an option. The #1 choice after the summer visits changed after the second round of visits–knowing that they were real choices and that he was going to have to make a decision added a lot of focus. The second round did cost some money, but this was a drop in the bucket compare to what we paid for the degree, so worth it to us to help make the best choice. If only one round of visits is possible, I think the after-acceptance visit is more important.
FWIW, S decided on Chicago, graduated a little over a year ago, got a job in the loop, and still lives in Hyde Park.