There are two college fairs coming up: One at Wilton High School on Wednesday, Oct. 14, the other at Danbury Fair Mall on Monday, Oct. 19 (5:30 to 8 p.m.).
Darienite.com thought it would be useful for more people to see these tips for attending college fairs, put together and presented by Danbury High School’s Guidance Department:
U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Ryan C. Delcore
(April 15, 2015) A U.S. Navy recruiter shares information with students during a college fair at Misawa Air Base, Japan’s Robert Edgren High School. (U.S. Navy photo by Ryan C. Delcore)
College fairs can be very informative but they can also be overwhelming. Admission representatives from a variety of colleges are all gathered in one place, just waiting to answer your questions, but it’s easy to get caught up in the crowds and confusion.
Soon you’re criss-crossing the room, stopping at any booth that catches your eye or seems popular.
When that happens, you end up with lots of pretty brochures, but not a lot of clear impressions about which colleges you may be interested in.
Making the most of a college fair means planning your strategy before the fair.
1) Make a list. Choose the colleges you most want to find out more about. If you have time, research these colleges by reading information in your guidance office or by checking out guidebooks or web sites.
2) Know what you want to find out at the fair. Write up a short list of questions to ask admission representatives. To compare several schools, plan on asking the same questions at each table.
3) The questions you ask should be unique to your interests and not easily found in standard college materials. The college fair is a good time to talk person-toperson with the representative of that school.
4) Cross out questions like “How many people are in the freshman class?” Instead, ask what the two or three most popular majors are. That can give you a good idea of the main interests of the majority of the students.
5) Inquire about what courses you would take your first year in a particular major.
6) Students who are undecided should ask about what services and support are available to help them explore various majors.
7) Other things you can ask about are extracurricular activities, what kinds of students the college is looking for, what percentage of students receive financial aid, and other concerns unique to your interests and situation.
Mapping Out a Strategy
Before you leave for the fair, make sure you have the following supplies: a small notebook with your list of colleges and questions you want to ask, a pen or pencil, and a tote bag to hold all of the college information you’ll be collecting.
Students with access to computers may wish to print up a few sheets of self-stick address labels. Include your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, high school, year of graduation, intended major(s), and any extracurricular activities you’re interested in.
At the fair, slap the address labels on the college information cards to save you time in filling out the same information over and over at each college’s table.
Browsing
Planning ahead ensures that you get to visit the colleges that most interest you, but also make sure to leave time for browsing.
Be adventurous. Don’t just focus on “name” schools. You may find that a school you’ve never heard of offers the exact major, extracurricular program, etc., that you’re seeking.
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