Welcome to the world of college fairs! If you’ve never been to one, a college fair is a great opportunity to learn about a lot of schools quickly and get face time with college representatives. These events are held in many places, such as your high school, your local school district centers, or city or state convention centers.
To make the most of your time at the college fair, you need to make sure that you are ready for the fair and that you’ve gathered all the important information before you’re wandering down the aisles, wondering which college tables you should visit. Here are some strategies you can use before, during, and after the fair to get the most out of your experience.
Before the fair
The first thing to do is sit down and think about what you’re looking for in a college, such as a prospective major, the size of the school, what student organizations it has, etc. If you know what you want in a school, you can ask useful questions to the college reps at the fair and make a good impression on them while you’re there.
The next step in preparing for the fair is finding out all the information you can in advance. Get a list of the attending colleges by talking to your college advisor or school counselor. If you know which colleges will be at the event, you can do some detective work to find out which ones might be interesting to you. If you can get a map of where the schools will be located, that’s even better.
The biggest mistake students make at fairs is not managing their time well.
Go online and check out their web sites. Look in the “Academics” or “Departments” section (usually a link on the home page or under the “Prospective Student” heading), and see what majors they offer. The College Search tool on Collegeboard.org is another good place to find a list of majors that schools offer. You can also see what kind of extracurricular activities the school has. This should only take you a few minutes, but it will make a big difference once the college fair gets started.
Finally, prepare a list of questions for the college reps at the fair. The more specific your questions are, the better. If the college reps can tell you’ve done your homework, they will work harder to give you good information. Here’s a sample list of things to ask:
1. I’m really interested in [major], and I know your college has a program for it. Can you tell me more about it? What makes it unique?
2. What are the other most popular majors at your school?
3. What kind of tutoring or advising is available if I need help at school? Is tutoring free?
4. What kinds of student organizations are there at your school? What other activities can I participate in on campus?
5. What kind of financial aid options are available for students at your school?
6. Can you tell me the requirements and deadlines for applying to your school?
It’s fine to write the questions down in advance and read them to the college rep. They understand if you’re nervous and they’ll try to help you, but don’t hand the list of questions to them.
During the fair
Once you’ve done your preparation, getting around when you’re at the fair should be easy. Navigating the fair is simply a matter of going from one college to the next until you’ve covered all the ones on your list. If you’ve got a map, hit the colleges in order of most important to you to least important. If you don’t, walk up and down the rows and find the colleges on your list. And while you want to visit all the schools on your list, don’t be afraid to stop by an interesting table or talk to a representative who catches your attention.
No matter what grade you’re in, going to a college fair is a good idea.
When you do find one of your choice colleges, introduce yourself to the representative and start asking them your questions. Make sure to bring an empty bag (and one that’s comfortable to carry), because you’ll want get all of the swag that they’ve got with them, like guidebooks, posters, and water bottles. Also, you should carry a notepad with a list of your schools on it so that you can write down the interesting stuff you’re learning. Finally, don’t spend too much time at any single table. The biggest mistake students make at fairs is not managing their time well. Although the conversation might be interesting, you need to give yourself enough time to meet with other representatives, too. Don’t be shy about saying that you need to check out some of the other tables before you leave.
Be sure to thank the college representative for her time and all the information she gave you. It’s important to be polite. This is also the perfect time to get the rep’s business card. Treat those cards like gold, because they allow you to get in touch with reps after the fair, when you’ve got plenty of time to ask any questions you forgot.
After the fair
Even after the college fair is over, you’re not quite finished. You need to start following up with all of the reps that you met during the event. Wait a day or so, then send them an email thanking them for their time. Reintroduce yourself, and tell them what school you’re from. You could also mention the major you’re interested in pursuing at the school and ask one or two more questions.
Getting a dialogue started with your college representative is important because it’s likely that they will be the one reviewing your application, or they may at least have a say in your application being accepted or denied. Especially at smaller schools like liberal arts colleges, college reps usually double as admissions people, so the better you know them, the more you can improve your chances of getting into the school.
Going to a college fair can make a big difference in how you look at a college and can improve your choice of schools or your chances of getting in. No matter what grade you’re in, going to a college fair is a good idea. There’s probably one happening near you very soon, so ask your counselor or college advisor today and follow these tips to make the most of your experience.
Chris Edwards is a college advisor with Advise TX in Austin, Texas, and an ambassador for KnowHow2GO.
This is really helpful.