Making the Most of College Fairs
Should I Attend College Fairs?
One of my favorite college fairs is coming up in NYC this weekend, featuring a consortium of colleges known as the Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL). You can still register here.
Why do I love the CTCL? These are liberal arts colleges located around the US that tend to have small class sizes and college resources dedicated primarily or solely to undergraduate education. They often award significant merit aid (non need-based). You can read more about the CTCL schools here.
My kid’s high school also had a college fair last week, and it was so fun to see students, parents, and counselors attend and gain all kinds of useful information. Here is the advice I gave my son and his friends for this fair and others:
College Fair Student Checklist
Before the Fair:
Register ahead of time (if required)
Review the list of colleges attending and make a plan for which schools you want to visit.
If there is a map of the booths available before you arrive, make a visual plan/order for visiting.
Pro tip: if there are certain schools that are very popular, plan to start there to get ahead of the line.
Prepare ahead by researching schools so you can ask targeted questions. Use my free CTK College Questions list to get you started.
At the Fair:
Arrive early! These fairs usually last a few hours, so arriving early can help you with shorter lines and less fatigued admissions staff.
The student should take the lead– parents, hang back. Sign in at each school’s booth with your name and email, introduce yourself to the admissions person, and ask your questions.
Take notes! Add some notes in your phone or on a notepad after each school. Then, you should be typing up those contemporaneous notes to a central note-taking system like my free Researching Colleges download. This is a great point at which parents can get involved, by talking to your kid about what they learned and what they liked.
Thank the admissions rep and let them know how helpful the conversation was.
Pro tip: Get the rep’s business card if possible and follow up by email with a thank you. Thank you notes are memorable and keep up the relationship.
After the Fair:
If the school puts you on its mailing list, you will start to receive emails. For schools that track demonstrated interest, click links and browse the school’s site occasionally to demonstrate your interest.
If a school continues to be of interest, note when if and when it will later visit your own high school, and be sure to attend that meeting as well to connect with the admissions rep again.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Create a Spreadsheet for Your College List. You can copy this spreadsheet template and adapt for your criteria.
Find out More About College Fairs
Ask your guidance counselor for information about upcoming fairs at your school or in your region.
Read your high school’s daily/weekly newsletter for information about upcoming fairs.
Follow specific interest groups, e.g. for your geographic area or major type. There are fairs for several types of schools, including these:
National Portfolio Day for visual art (virtual and online);
Specific college consortiums, like the Six Colleges (virtual and online), and
General interest, by, e.g. NACAC (virtual and online, national and regional)
When Should I Tour a College?
Spring and fall are the best seasons for visiting colleges. Remember to schedule your visit for when students are on campus, so aim to visit when the college is in session (not during the college’s summer, winter, or spring break periods).
For more on how to make the most of your college visits, read more at the CTK Blog: CTK Tips for College Visits and Building the College List.
What’s New at CTK?
College List Admissions Packages
With the unpredictability of college admissions post-pandemic, at CTK we believe curating the college list is part art and part science. My formula uses the latest data while also relying on what I’m seeing in terms of essay quality and activities in a student’s resume.
View my College List packages and consider scheduling a free consultation to discuss any questions.
