In preparation for this Saturday’s US College Expo coming to Calgary, I’m sharing my top 5 tips to be prepared for your college fair. If you haven’t heard of the US College Expo yet, head on over here to check it out. I’ll be there to represent KVP Educational Consulting and answer any questions you may have about applications and admissions planning for United States colleges and universities.
Tip 1: Prepare Your Self
These are admittedly basic tips. Having hosted and attended dozens of college fairs, I can tell you I’m often surprised how many students don’t prepare in these ways. Trust me, you’ll want to fall in the group of students who present themselves as mature, I’ve-mastered-personal-hygiene!
- Dress: College Fairs aren’t formal occasions, so nice jeans and a clean shirt is just fine. You want to be sure you are looking your best, so the yoga pants and sweats should stay home. Keep in mind that you want to make a good first impression and you don’t want your clothing choice to scream, “I just came from soccer practice”, “I just rolled out of bed”, or on the other extreme, “I’m going to prom right after this!”
- Hygiene: You want to leave a good memory of yourself with the admissions reps you speak with. This means you want them to remember you for your quirky personality or your unique academic interest—not the onions from your lunch. Brush your teeth and bathe before attending. Another tip? Be cautious about colognes or perfumes, as scent sensitivity is becoming more prevalent. If you decide to use a scent, remember less is more.
Tip 2: Prepare Your Contact Information
Sharing your contact information helps you to stay connected to the colleges or universities you’re interested in. Many fairs will allow you to “register” online before the fair itself. These fairs will usually give you a barcode when you check-in or in your online portal, then you can choose to share your contact information (barcode) with scanners at specific schools. By registering before the event, you can ensure that your contact information is entered accurately and easily shareable at the fair.
- Email address: Take a quick look at your email address. Is this address portraying you in your best light? Is it professional, personal, appropriate? It is time to create an email address that is, if you don’t have one yet. Otherwise, many high schools provide you with a student email address and this is a good, safe option to use.
- Zip Code/Postal Code: Can you recite your postal code, and all parts of your address? If not, brush up before the fair! There’s nothing like needing to turn to a parent or pull out your phone because you can’t recall the last 3 digits.
Tip 3: Prepare Your Questions
College fairs are a great opportunity for you to find answers to your questions about college planning, admissions, financial aid, campus life, academic programs, etc. This is true no matter where you are in your journey, from just starting to think about what you’ll do after high school to being in your last year of high school narrowing down your choice of college to attend. Think about where you are in the process, what your unique interests are, and what would be most helpful to hear in person vs. look up online independently.
- Set of questions: It can be helpful to ask the same question(s) of each school you visit with, to compare schools. Each representative may take the question and conversation in a different direction (which is good!) but by asking for the same information, you’ll get a sense of what different schools have to offer.
- Financial Aid: I’d recommend asking questions about colleges’ financial aid regardless of where you are in your journey. How to apply, what type of aid they offer, what services their financial aid office provides, etc will help you understand the cost of the college. I’d especially ask if you are in a unique situation (i.e. international applicant, child of someone serving in the military, recent job loss of a parent, etc.)
- Research: Research potential questions to get started. The website resources at the bottom have good information to help you articulate different questions you may have.
- Pro Tip: Remember to make appropriate eye contact with the representatives you connect with. This means looking them in the eye when you’re speaking to them and when they’re speaking to you. You don’t need to stare at them constantly (which would fall under ‘inappropriate eye contact’), but you don’t want to be looking down at your phone, either. Which is a good reminder, your phone should stay in your pocket or purse as much as possible during the fair!
Tip 4: Prepare To Go Into New Territory!
By being prepared, you’re also preparing yourself to be flexible and ready to go in a new direction to explore a school you’ve never heard of before. Take this opportunity—it’s one of the best parts of college fairs!
- See a new school you’ve never heard of? Take a few minutes to speak with the representative to learn more! I even encourage students to intentionally look for a few schools they’ve never heard of before at college fairs to help expand your knowledge of what’s out there. In doing so, students often discover a new program or school that would be a great fit. Even if you end up not following up with the new school, you’ll learn more about yourself and what you like or didn’t like about their offerings.
- Plan to visit with a colleges you know little about. Ask questions about what makes them different from schools you know/are already looking at. Get a sense of what aspects appeal to you and what aspects are not appealing.
Tip 5: Prepare to Gather Information and Follow-Up
To get the most out of your time at the fair, you’ll want to have information that comes home with you. Including names and contact information for college representatives that you’ve met.
- Bring materials to take notes: Bring a pen and paper, or cell phone if that’s what you’re used to using, to take a few notes after speaking with each college. If you do this before moving on to another college, it can help you keep schools straight after the event.
- Bring a bag: Some college fairs provide tote bags to help you carry materials you gather from different colleges—but it can be a good idea to have a reusable bag of your own in the event they don’t provide one.
- Pro Tip: Collect college admissions representatives business cards (or at least write down the names of those you spoke with). This is a handy reminder and resource for following-up after the fair. With their business card, you’ll have their email address and name to send off something to the effect of “Hi Kate, I really enjoyed speaking with you at the US College Expo last weekend. I’m wondering if you could share more about the bioengineering program’s entrance requirements, specifically…”
Remember: College fairs exist because of students like you. They exist to help students find, learn more about, and engage with colleges that can maximize their potential after high school. The people working at college fairs are people who, by and large, truly enjoy working with students through this process and wish to help inform you and guide you in the process. Go confidently, knowing that the people you will meet are there to support you!
Looking for experienced guidance through the college planning and admissions process? Let’s chat.
Check out some of these other resources about college fairs:
- National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC)
- College Board’s Big Future