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College Fairs:
Making your way through the crowd

College fairs are a great way to get information about a number of different college options in a short amount of time. However, for a first time visitor, they can be a bit intimidating. Some college fairs are quite large with dozens of different colleges in attendance.

Don’t let that intimidate you. Remember, those people standing at all of those college booths are being paid to help you. Sure, they want you to enroll at their college, but most of them are great people who simply want to provide you with the information you need about their college and answer any questions you might have.

So let’s back up a step and talk about what you should do before the fair, yes, before the fair.

First, talk to your high school guidance office and find out how many fairs are being planned in your area. It’s a good idea to attend more than one. There are a number of reasons why: not every college attends every fair; something might happen that prevents you from attending the fair you had planned and you want a backup; after you visit that first fair and get a feel for how it works, you might have some new questions that you want to ask at the next.

Second, plan ahead and do some research. Make a list of what you’re looking for in a college including such things as: what you want to major in; how close do you want to be to home; is cost a factor, will you be looking for financial aid; how about extracurricular activities like the arts and sports; how big of a school do you want; and so on. Then, go online and find colleges that fit your criteria, depending on what you’re looking for, that could be a little or a lot. One good resource for finding colleges is College Search. 

Now you’re ready for the easy part, going to the fair. If you can get a list in advance of the colleges planning to be at the fair, check that against your list of colleges meeting your criteria. Most fairs have a map of where each college booth is located or they are arranged in alphabetical order.

Take the map and start making your way to the colleges on your list. If there is a crowd around the college table you’re interested in, you might want to go to the next one on your list and then come back. This way you’ll use your time more efficiently. Except for some of the largest colleges, you’ll find that the crowd around any one college table tends to fluctuate during the course of the event.

Once at the table, relax and just have a normal conversation with the college representative. Tell him or her what your interests are and what you’re looking for in a college. They’ll help fill in the blanks.

After you’ve visited the colleges you’re interest in, you’re not done yet. If there’s still time left in the fair, wander around a bit and take a look at some of the other colleges’ information. You just might find that one college you hadn’t notice before, but that is perfect for you.

After all that, now you can go home and fall on the bed for a well-deserved break. BUT, don’t just toss those college materials in the corner. Within a day or two, pull them out and take a look at them more closely. Match them up against your original list of things you are looking for in a college. Begin to weed out those that don’t match your criteria and then can begin researching those colleges that more interest you, including planning a visit to the college campus.

Now, go get ‘em!