College fairs are a great way to start college shopping as early as the sophomore year of high school. But hundreds of people in a room and talking to strangers you may be trying to impress is intimidating! Here are some tips to make it easier and calm the nerves.
What To Expect
Often held in gyms or other large venues you will find dozens or even 100+ college reps standing at tables eager to tell you all about their schools. They may have brochures, pens, banners, and interest cards all vying for your attention. While it will be difficult to hold any lengthy conversations due to the sheer volume of people, with a little planning you can get the most out of your experience and get a head start on your college search.
Before you Go
These fairs can be overwhelming and there may not be enough time to meet all the reps. A little pre-planning will help though.
- Set up a college only email. Before you take your first standardized test or fill out an interest form create a simple email just for college-related business. You are about to get information from MANY schools that want your attention. Centralize it. This is more important than ever because of recent changes to recruiting practices that allow college admission offices to recruit students even after the May 1 deadline. A centralized account lets you turn off the firehose now and again.
- Pre-print address labels. You may choose to sign up and receive mailings from colleges. Save yourself some time and pre-print address labels with the following info:
Name, school, graduation year
Address
Email (from step 1 above!)
Cell (if you are willing to get calls and texts)
3. Prepare conversation starter questions – or use the ones I provide below and take a bag to carry the brochures you get. All that glossy paper is slippery and heavy.
How Do I Start A Conversation?
So there you are, looking into the eyes of someone who may hold decision making power over your future application. ACK! What do you say, how do you make a good impression, and what if you totally blow it and ask a stupid question?
First of all, relax. There is little chance these reps will remember you from a college fair. They often travel to dozens of fairs each year meeting hundreds of potential applicants. Second, you are only in high school! They know you haven’t done this before and they want you to succeed. As long as you ask your questions with respect and maturity it won’t be a problem. Here are a few conversation starters to make a good impression AND get useful information.
1) I am just starting my search. What, besides academics, should I be asking about?
2) What makes your college different from any other school I am considering? (This will help determine fit)
3) Describe the personality of your school
4) What are the characteristics of students who are a good fit for your school?
These next few might stump the rep, but never hurts to ask!
5) What percentage of students graduate in 4 years (in California Cal Grants are only given for 4 years, year five cost may go way up, and you are missing full-time income from a job!)
6) What is the average amount of debt by the time a student graduates?
7) What is the average starting salary of a new undergraduate alumnus and how many have jobs within 3 months of graduation?
Post-fair Game Plan
Great, you did it! Now what? Before you go to sleep make a few notes about which schools stood out and why. By morning it may all be a blur. Even if it is as simple as sorting the armload of brochures into interesting-not interesting piles that is better than nothing. This is only the beginning of the journey. The goal is to develop a sense of what kinds of colleges are out there and what makes them unique. The more you see, and ideally visit in person, the more you will understand what you do and don’t like. Investing time and effort now will make the application process SO much easier in your senior year. Make the time to attend fairs and visit campuses, it is worth it!