Tips to Help Navigate Virtual College Fairs
October is traditionally the month of college fairs. While tickets to them won’t sell out like a pair of Bad Bunny Crocs, the investment you put into your college education will compound faster than those foam shoes. And with so many college fairs being held online this virtual year, it could be easier for you to attend them. Fairs also offer scholarship giveaways, application waivers, portfolio reviews, and application tips, which are only more reasons to give them a try.
Your starting point should be NACAC. No, I did not just cough up my coffee. NACAC is the professional organization of admission counselors. Every fall and spring, NACAC hosts massive college fairs for students and their families in major cities across the country. This year is no different. Also many communities host their own college fairs through school districts, commerce bureaus, and community colleges. Your school counselor would have information about those. Regardless of which you attend, the important thing is to go to at least one. This isn’t limited to seniors in high school either. In fact, many attendees are younger and are only starting to dip their toes in the college search process.
When you go, here are some tips to help make the process smoother and hopefully more productive for you.
Download Zoom for your phone or computer beforehand if you don’t have it already because some sessions and some booths will offer an opportunity to meet an admission counselor or hear a session that way. Don’t forget to be camera ready, too. Dress as you would if you were meeting your teachers at school (yes, remember way back when you could and would).
Try to use a desktop computer if you can because the virtual fairs often will require a larger screen to see the sessions and to participate in a chat at the same time.
Review the agenda in advance. Fairs have main (center stage) presentations about admission, financial aid, and career opportunities while simultaneous smaller side sessions are offered live elsewhere. Map out what you want to learn about and who you want to visit in advance.
There usually is a search button to find the individual colleges attending and their booths. But sometimes it’s not as easy as putting in their acronyms, like USC. You might have to spell out their names like “Southern California.” So, if you don’t find them at first, don’t give up.
Real live admission counselors from the colleges attend these fairs so come prepared with questions. Here are some sample ones to ask:
What do students like most about your school?
What would you change about your college?
What kinds of scholarships and financial aid does your university offer?
Do admission counselors make decisions based on numbers or do essays really matter?
What residential options does your college offer?
Where do students gather outside of their dorms and classrooms on campus?
Does it cost money to participate in co-curricular activities?
Take notes by copying and pasting into a Word document. It’s amazing how quickly you will forget who said what. Having a few thorough conversations also will be more meaningful than popping in and out of many schools’ booths or watching promotional videos only. Lastly, don’t leave without obtaining the contact information of the admission representative. You might want to follow up later when you’ve narrowed your choices and have questions about their application.
Figuring out which colleges you want to apply to takes time. Sometimes when you are beginning, you have no clue. But in having these conversations and hearing how colleges differentiate themselves, you slowly start to acquire a sense of what qualities are most important to you.