Making The Most Of College Fairs
Now that we’re into March and headed towards more consistently better weather (and who’s not happy about that?), high school juniors should be thinking about going to college fairs to connect with admission counselors.
This is important for a few reasons.
First, demonstrated interest matters and connecting with admission counselors is one way to show how interested you are in a college. Going to college fairs allows you to talk with these counselors one on one.
Secondly, you should be asking a lot of questions about schools, their programs, and policies so that you can really say to yourself why you are interested. This goes beyond a school offering your major or being located in a state or region to which you are drawn.
So do your homework ahead of time to ensure you’re not asking questions that can easily be answered by a visit to the college’s website. Having worked many college fairs in my admissions career, I can tell you that nothing irritates an admission counselor more than questions to which you should already know the answer.
You know what else bugs them? When you let your mom or dad do all the talking while you read your text messages or go skimming through your most recent tweets.
Get off the phone. In fact, turn it off and take advantage of the opportunity in front of you. These admission counselors are real people, the people who will more than likely have a say, if not THE SAY on whether or not you are admitted to their college. They’re not going to bite and they’re not going to be mean. Talk to them, let them get to know you and help them understand how awesome you are.
Fortunately for you, the National College Fairs are coming to a town near you this spring. You can review the full list of dates and locations on the NACAC website. If you have made some progress on your college list, write down the schools who you want to know more about. Then make it a point to visit with them during the fair.
You’ll be glad you did.
If you want some help and guidance on your college search and application process, contact us today to set up an appointment for a free consultation. If you’re in the local area, check out my our college planning workshops coming up this spring in Simsbury and Cheshire.