College Fairs and College Visits – Do They Matter?

by Claudine Vainrub, Principal of EduPlan / Friday, 19 October 2018 / Published in College Admissions

College admission representatives travel far and wide during the year to share information with you about their school. It’s a great opportunity for you to learn more about the colleges you are considering – especially for the colleges you can’t visit in person. There are two chances for you to meet college representatives:

College visits to your school
College fairs in your area

College Visits

Check your school calendar for dates/times of college visits. Mark these on your calendar. Research the college before you go to the meeting. Have five questions to ask the college representative.

College Fairs

Check for college fairs in your area. Some college fairs have hundreds of college representatives attending. It’s a great chance to explore lots of colleges in one place. Some of the most popular college fairs are:

NACAC college fairs. These occur both in the spring and the fall. Register here to attend.

Colleges That Change Lives. A great way to learn about small liberal arts colleges (based on the book, Colleges That Change Lives.)

Be sure to ask your counselor about other college fairs in your area. Plan to attend and invite your parents. They have questions too! Have the same five questions from college visits ready to ask the college fair admissions representatives.

Specialties too!

If you are interested in special programs, they have fairs too!

Performing & Visual Arts college fairs. For the budding artist, dancer, musician or others with an artistic flair.

Gap year programs fair. Ever thought about taking time to do something else between high school and college? That’s what gap years are all about. Find out what is available at a gap year fair.

Take Action

Stay on track with your college fairs and visits.

Check the dates of the fairs and set up tasks to remind you of upcoming events.
Use the discussions feature to record your notes on each college you talk to.

It’s always nice to have colleges coming to your neighborhood. Take advantage of the opportunity.