Using Your Time Wisely at College Fairs
Attending a college fair gives you an excellent opportunity to talk with people knowledgeable about their school. Those friendly faces behind the tables at college fairs are usually college representatives or alumni volunteers. Either way, they are armed with brochures and ready to answer your questions. It is a wonderful way to gather lots of information and get your questions answered.
However, college fairs are usually very crowded and full of confusion. You can end up walking around aimlessly and not feeling like you have gathered new information. Here are some ways to make your time at a college fair more productive.
- Before you go. Look over the list of colleges and universities that will be participating and decide which ones you would like to learn more about. Then, prepare a short list of questions you want to ask. Ask school representatives at different schools the same questions so you can compare their answers. As always, do not ask questions that you can easily find the answer to in college materials. Some questions to consider are:
- How many students are in enrolled in a major you are interested in pursuing?
- How easy is it to get to perform research with a faculty member?
- What kinds of services and support are offered to incoming students?
- What are some of the most popular or unique extracurricular activities?
- When you arrive. Most schools will give you a map showing where the different college tables are located. Many college fairs are spread out among several rooms. Look at the map and determine the most efficient way to visit the schools you are interested in. Try to cover all of these schools in each room before moving on to the next one. Parents - if you accompany your child to a college fair, ask him or her in advance what role you should play. Sometimes a parent and student will divide up to cover a greater number of schools. But if you stick together, make sure your child does most of the talking.
- What to bring. It is advisable to bring the following items with you to the college fair:
- A notebook and pen to record your impressions on the spot.
- Pre-printed personalized name and address labels to affix to college information request cards, if you want to save time.
- An open mind. Listen carefully to the answers you are given.
- Aftermath. When you get home with your bag of brochures, don't just throw them in a pile. Sort through them, read the information, and put them into college folders for further reference.