WHAT IS A COLLEGE FAIR?

Free and open to all students, college fairs allow students and their families to interact with representatives from a wide range of colleges and universities to discuss:

Admission requirements
Financial Aid
College Majors
College entrance exam testing (ACT/SAT)

WHAT HAPPENS AT A COLLEGE FAIR?

Admission representatives from a variety of colleges are all gathered in one place, just waiting to answer your questions. You can stop by the table of any represented college/university.

College fairs are an exciting chance to talk to admission counselors about schools you may be considering after high school. You may even discover that your “dream school’ is a college or university that you may not have even considered before attending a college fair. In addition to talking to representatives, college fairs allow you to pick up brochures and sign-up for college information mailing lists.

BEFORE THE FAIR…

Before you head out the door don’t forget to bring a pen and small notebook, your questions, and a bag to hold all the college brochures and information you’ll get. Consider printing out self-stick labels with your address, contact information, and graduation date to stick on college information cards at the fair.

Think about the following:

  • Do you want to attend a two year or four-year institution? Co-ed or single sex?
  • What size school do you want to attend?
  • What programs of study are you considering?
  • How far from home do you wish to go?
  • Do you wish to participate in any specific extra-curricular activities or athletics?

DURING THE FAIR…

Navigating a college fair can be challenging. There are many booths to visit and people to talk to. Focus your visit so you can get some in-depth knowledge about the colleges that really interest you.

  • Review the list of colleges at the fair and plan to visit the colleges that interest you most.
  • Follow the map which shows where college booths are located and plan out a route to avoid back-tracking.
  • After you visit a college’s booth, take a few minutes to jot down what you have learned.
  • Try to leave some time at the end just to browse through some of the booths you didn’t get to-you could stumble on a great college you hadn’t considered.
  • Ask about admissions requirements and scholarship opportunities.
  • Ask about student body size and student teacher ratio.

AFTER THE FAIR…

Here are some post-fair dos and don’ts to keep you on track:

  • Don’t:Put the college materials in the back of your closet. Keep them on hand for when you’re ready to review them.
  • Do:Look through the materials, and your notes, within the week
  • Don’t:Keep everything. Weed out colleges that aren’t a good fit.
  • Do:Research colleges that interest you. Explore websites, request more information from admissions offices, and plan to visit.