In a student’s junior and senior years of high school, we typically encourage families to begin seriously researching colleges. This would mean going to the college website, gathering their admissions materials and eventually visiting the college campus. A few times a year, however, students can take advantage of college fairs – an event where many colleges come together in one location to meet with high school students.
There are so many options for our grads!
The National Association for College Admissions Counseling hosts College Fairs all over the United States during the fall and the spring. You can find their Fall Schedule HERE. For those of you in Florida, there are fairs in the month of October in Jacksonville, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. Attendance is FREE.
By filling out the registration information, you will receive a pass with a barcode. Once you are on site, have your barcode scanned by the colleges or universities you are interested in and they will be given access to your contact information so that they can send you their materials. This sure beats the old days when you had to fill out a form at every booth!
There will be well over one hundred colleges at the College Fair, so follow the student registration links to find a list of those that will be at your fair. Then, highlight the ones you want to spend time with. You will also want to take advantage of the onsite counseling resources and workshops where you can ask questions about financial aid, choosing a major, scholarships, etc.
If you have a student who is interested in attending an arts school, the NACAC also puts on Performing and Visual Arts Fairs. These are separate from the above College Fairs and you can find those details HERE.
In addition to making a list of the colleges you want to talk with, write down any questions that you may have. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of college representatives that are there, so planning ahead will help you focus your day.
By attending a College Fair, you can talk with colleges you have been interested in pursuing and explore others you may not have even been aware of – all in one location! So take advantage of this opportunity and plan to attend an event soon.
~to your success
Joanne
(Image courtesy of jscreationzs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
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