myUsearch blog

Fall is the season for college fairs.  These events, which are held in cities throughout the country, are an excellent resource when it comes to narrowing your college choice. These fairs are usually attended by a large number of college representatives, all there to answer your questions and help you figure out whether their school should be on your final list.

Photo by calmenda 

The problem with college fairs is that they can be overwhelming to a student who walks into one unprepared for what he/she will find there.   The steps below will help you sail through a college fair and emerge with good information that will help you as you make your college choice.

1. Stop by your high school guidance office.
   If you don’t already know, ask for the website where you can find the most accurate list of schools that are participating in the fair.  While you’re there, ask your counselor if you will need your own personal bar code to take with you to the fair. (This is being used at more and more college fairs because by simply scanning your bar code, the college gets everything they need to stay in touch.) If you’ve spoken to your counselor about your college choices  before, you may also want to ask for recommendations of schools to talk to at the fair.
2. Get organized.  Print out a list of the participating schools. Highlight schools recommended by your counselor, as well as any other schools you are already interested in. Do a simple college search to identify any other colleges that might have what you’re looking for.  Highlight these schools as well. Do some research on all the schools you have highlighted on your list. Eliminate any that are obviously not what you’re looking for (i.e. a women’s college, if you happen to be a guy).  Come up with a final list of schools you definitely want to talk to at the fair. Because you will have a limited amount of time, keep it to a reasonable number -maybe 10 or so. Finally, decide on 1 or 2 questions you would like to ask each representative.  (Try to choose questions that are not easily found on the schools’ websites.)
3. Be prepared.  If the college fair you are attending is not using bar codes, make a sheet of self-adhesive address labels that include your name, address, email address, phone number, high school and year of graduation. This will save you from having to fill out the same info on contact cards for each college you visit with.  You will also want to take the list of schools you want to visit with, the questions you want to ask, a notebook to jot down anything you want to remember and some
   large paperclips to  help keep business cards and brochures together.
4. Decide on a strategy. If you have a family member with you, decide how they can help you the most. For example, if your family is concerned about financing your college education, it might be a good idea for an adult family member to spend time at the financial aid table getting some questions answered while you talk to the colleges.
5. Plan to arrive early.  If you get there early, you can move at a more leisurely pace. Also, the later you get there, the more crowded it gets and the less likely the college reps will have as much time to spend with you to talk about your college choices.
6. Make good use of the map. Depending on the venue, college tables may be set up in one room or in a number of rooms. The map will help you find the colleges you want to visit more easily. Take a moment to circle those colleges on the map, so you don’t waste time backtracking.  (When you pick up your map, be sure you also pick up a bag for all the brochures you’re going to be getting.)
7. Take notes.  If a rep says something you definitely want to remember or something you want to ask about later, be sure to write it down.
8. Take time to sort it out.  Go through everything you picked up and put all the materials from the same school into their own pile. That includes any business cards you picked up from that school. Put any notes you may have taken about the school into their pile.
9. Go through everything carefully.  I would suggest that you take one school a night and review their material carefully. Have a pen, highlighter and sticky notes handy. If there’s something you really like about the school circle or highlight it then slap a sticky note on it so you can find it again. If you have a question about something you read, write it down and put it on the top of the pile.  Once you’ve gone through all the schools,  go back and look at the questions you have written down. Since you couldn’t find the answer in the materials you picked up, it’s time to check out the school’s website. Still can’t find your answer? Pull out that business card and send an email politely asking your question.
10. File things.  Once you’ve gone through everything carefully and received answers to your questions, you may discover that some of the schools you have been considering don’t really fit what you’re looking for in a college. It’s okay to recycle those materials.  I would advise that you create a file for each of the remaining schools. That way you can add any more information you receive from them. These files are a good place to start when talking to your counselor about making your college choice.

Good luck!

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