College News, College Scholarships, and Grants - CollegeToCareers.com » college fair

How to Get the Most Out of College Fairs

Caroline — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:00:58 +0000

Before the Fair

Find out which schools will be at which fair: It will to your advantage to find out and make a list of which schools will be at the fair before attending. Because many students already have a general idea of which colleges they are interested in by the time college fair season rolls by, knowing exactly which schools will be present at the fair will allow you to decide which fairs you will want to attend. Although you generally want to first attend the fairs that will feature the some of the schools you are interested in, it never hurts to attend college fairs that feature colleges you are unfamiliar with. Keep your mind open and try to attend as many fairs as possible. You never know which schools you may end up find appealing.
College Fair

Research: Do a little homework before each college fair. You may want to do some research on the different schools that will be present at the college fair you will be attending. Go to the individual school’s homepage and browse around. Look to see if the schools have the specific things you value and are looking for in a college or university (i.e. location, school size, class size, campus life, etc.) . Jot down any unanswered questions you may have after looking through each schools homepage. This is a great thing to do before the college fair because it will help you make the most of your time with the college representatives at the college fair. Many students who neglect to do their research before the college fair often waste the valuable time they have will college representatives by asking trivial questions that college representatives give brief answers to before suggesting that they visit their schools website for more information. Doing your research before hand will allow you to ask personally meaningful questions which will help you pick which schools to apply to.

During the Fair

Get there early: Be early or on time to the college fair. There are often only one to two college representatives from each school–less than the amount of students that will be interested and asking questions. Getting there on time will help you maximize your time with the different college representatives.
Navigation: College fairs can be chaotic and overwhelming at times. With so many schools bunched up in one place, students often cannot decide which table to go first. Review your list of schools and questions and go to the schools that interest your the most because the schools that interest you the most are often the schools you have the most questions about. After visiting the schools that you are most interested about, you may want to walk in a circle and go through the rest of the tables (most college fairs set the tables up in a circle). Do these however you like, but please try to visit every table and speak with a representative. You may want to plan out a route to avoid backtracking and wasting time.
Ask Away: Do not be afraid to whip out your notepad and ask about the your unanswered questions from your research. There is no such thing as a dumb question.
Write it down: Because there are so many different schools at a college fair and each school is so different it is important to write down what you have learned after visiting each college’s table and speaking with each colleges representatives. Take the time to write down the answers to your questions or anything else important because you may end up suffering from information overload after visiting all the tables at the end of the fair.
Business Cards: If a college representative offers you a business card, take it. Try to get a business card from all the school representatives at the fair–you never know if your interests will change later. If you are not offered one, ask for one. this is because many of the college representatives at college fairs have some sort of connection with admissions. This means they know the admissions process for their individual schools very thoroughly, can tell you what type of person their school is looking for, etc. And the bonus is that you will be able to contact him/her if you have any future questions. Networking and making a connection with a representative can be very lucrative.

After the Fair

Weed Out the Colleges that Don’t Interest You: Separate the brochures and business cards of the colleges that interest you from the colleges that do not interest you. You want to weed out the ones that you are not even considering applying to so you can do further research on the ones that you are certain you want to apply to and decide between the colleges that you are considering applying to.

Ask The Right Questions At A College Fair

Nohel — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:00:38 +0000

College fairs are in full force this time of year. Many students have never been to a college fair and are uncertain of what to ask college representatives. Students are wondering if their parents should go to the college fair with them. The individual situations will vary, but one thing all students have in common is that they want to know what to ask at the college fair. I wrote an article on finding a college through a college fair, but with all the emails we received about what to ask, we are providing you sample questions of what to ask a college representative at a college fair.

Some general tips to consider: Do your research ahead of time and look at the school websites of those that you are interested in. Even go on a college visit and find out demographics, number of students, location. Write down your questions before the actual event so that you remember what you want to ask. It get a little intimidating if you go to a college fair unprepared.

Questions for a College Fair

A good way to start is by introducing yourself, your field of interest and where you currently are. Then follow up with “I’m considering attending ______________ (name of school), what sets your college apart from others?”

That is a great opener to start out with. Also, consider the following questions:

What type of student organizations and clubs are there for students?
When are the enrollment deadlines and do you require a certain SAT score?
Can I get a list of majors to take with me?
Will you be reviewing admission applications, if so what do you look for?
Can the enrollment fees be waived?
What does your school consider for admissions? (i.e. activities, grades, sat scores, experience, interests, etc.)
Can you tell me about the safety history of the college and possible the community it is in?
What percentage of your students go on to graduate school?
What is the placement rate for those seeking employment?
What accommodations do you offer for students with physical disabilities or learning differences?
What are the retention rates of incoming students at your school?
Is tutoring available for all students, if so, is it free?
What is the biggest student complaint you hear currently?
What is your typical class size look like?
Can I have a business card with your direct phone number? (in case you have further questions)
What is the parking situation like?
Do you offer student housing, if so, for how long?
What kind of financial aid does your school offer?
What is the cost of going to school there annually? (i.e. tuition, room and board, etc.) be met?
Does your school allow double majors or a change of major?
Is the campus wireless?
Can I work on campus?
Does your school offer scholarships or grants for incoming students? How can I be considered?
What percentage of students return for their second year?

These questions should get you going in the right direction at a college fair. If you have any questions about what to ask, feel free to comment or leave us a message on our contact page.

College Fair Success: “Do your research, write down your questions prior, meet the colleges of interest and enjoy yourself!”

Find A College Through College Fairs

Nohel — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:00:53 +0000

If you’re a high school student or a community college student looking to transfer, odds are, you’ve been asked “what university will you be going to?” Most common answer, “I don’t know yet.” Students struggle to find a college they are are 100% sure they want to go to for a number of reasons. I will touch on these reasons in a later post. Regardless of not knowing what college to choose or knowing exactly what college you want to transfer to, attending a college fair is one of the best ways to find a college that matches your wants and needs.

Find A College

Finding a college fair can be a little tricky if you have never done it before. But once you know where to look, you’ll be set for future research. For this example, I went to the local newspaper’s website. In San Francisco, I often frequent the Examiner. On their website, I simply typed in College Fair in their search field, and the results came back with an upcoming college fair.

The college fair I found is coming up on Saturday, April 17 from 1:30 -4:30 pm. The location is in the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco. Here is the link to the actual College Fair. These colleges are great because you’re exposed to hundreds of colleges and workshops ranging from Financial Aid, Historically Black Colleges, University of California (UC’s), California State University (CSU’s), California Community Colleges, etc. The workshops are great because they cover college applications, personal statements, and other college resources that are available for you. There will even be bilingual volunteers to answer any questions from non-English speaking students or parents.

If you are planning to attend a college fair, especially one of this magnitude, be sure to pre-register to save you a spot. The college fair websites provide registration information or you can call the contact listed on the college fair website.

Attending a college fair can be an overwhelming experience. For new students attending for the first time, I would recommend you have an action plan for what you want to accomplish. Prior to the event, you should research schools that you are thinking about attending and create a list of who you want to talk to. Come prepared with specific questions about the individual schools. This is your opportunity to find out why you should go to one school over another all in one day.

Use online resources like our College Directory to find a specific school, or other websites such as College Board or Peterson’s. Be realistic about the schools you are interested in and use the fair as an opportunity to get information from those colleges that you are serious about.

With hundreds of students cramming to speak to the college reps, it’s important to make a meaningful introduction.

The Introduction To Find A College

Use your time with the college reps wisely as you will only have a few minutes to speak to them.

Introduce yourself
Express why you are interested in their school.
Provide a quick snapshot of their background
Ask your questions (majors, programs, statistics, sports, etc

By the end of the college fair, you and your parents (should they go with you), should have a better understanding of the resources, and facts about potential colleges and universities. Hopefully this resource will help you find a college a little easier or at least point you in the right direction!

College Help: “To find a college, you must put in time doing research!”