The aroma of pumpkin spice is in the air. It is after all, the month of October. For juniors and seniors in high school this means—it’s College & Career Fair season. However, this year, most of the fairs will be online and it’s not likely you’ll be loading up on all the give-away swag. College Fairs put representatives from a number of colleges across the country together with parents and students in one huge location to help students narrow down their college or training choices. This is a great opportunity for students to show their interest in an institution and to ask questions to make sure the college is a good fit for them.
Before attending the College & Career Fairs online, it’s best to be prepared. Below are a few tips to help you avoid aimlessly bouncing from one online table to another, only to end up without answers.
Highlight Your School Choices
Most College & Career fairs have long lists of institutions that will be participating at the event that may seem overwhelming at first. Take some time to review the list of schools that are attending, then pick out the ones that peak your interest, and research each institution online
Ask Questions
Develop questions that address your concerns. Below are a few to help get you started:
- What does the admission process look like?
- What are the ACT/SAT requirements?
- What is the cost of attendance for the upcoming school year?
- Does your college offer on-campus housing?
- What is the current pandemic situation regarding housing?
- What type of activities does your college campus-life offer?
- Does your institution participate in the Western Undergraduate Exchange program (WUE)?
- When are your Admissions and Financial Aid deadlines?
- What are the top programs at your institution?
- Is there job placement to help for graduates?
- In addition to federal aid from the FAFSA, what other financial assistance is available from the college or state
Reliable internet connection
It is important that you get the most out of speaking with a college representative, and the last thing you want is to have the information get garbled up due to bandwidth limitations. One way around that is to turn off your portion of the video feed and just use the audio. They will be understanding and more importantly, you will have a better audio quality as a result.
Get Contact Information and Take Notes
Don’t forget ask for the college representative’s name you visit with in case you’d like to send a thank you note (it’s a polite thing to do) or if you have additional questions later. Finally, remember to take notes. Be sure to have a pad of paper and a pen with you before you attend a fair or meet with a college representative.
Above all, have fun and enjoy the chance to connect on a personal level. Here are two virtual fairs that you may consider attending: