On April 2, at 9:30 a.m. juniors were called from their second period classes to head to the buses to go to the college fair. The college fair is run by NACAC (National Association for College Admission Consulting) and is held at the Montgomery County Agricultural Center, also known as the fairgrounds.
The college fair has college representatives to allow students to ask questions about the school. “Admission representatives from schools across the country are all gathered in one place. Their goal: To encourage you to learn more about their institutions, and help you sort through the qualities you’re looking for in a college,” www.nacacfairs.org, the college fair website states.
At the fair there are about 4 rooms full of tables which all contained college information, and college representatives were at each table. “When I first walked into the college fair I was a bit overwhelmed because there was so many schools to see and it was a bit intimidating to talk to the representatives, but it was really fun in the end and I am really happy that I chose to go,” junior Miranda Wright said.
While at the fair students were encouraged to, “explore your options. Each fair draws representatives from 175 to 400 colleges. The schools are located throughout the US, and from around the globe. Ask questions. What’s college life like? What majors are popular on campus? Chatting with representatives from a variety of colleges can help you cement your own preferences. Gather information. Pick up brochures and other materials about the schools that interest you. Ask admission reps to scan your barcode—an easy way to help colleges follow up with you after the fair,” www.nacacfairs.org, states.
In order for juniors to be able to go, they had to pay $5 fee and sign up. They were encouraged to go by college counselor Kathleen Carr, and their individual counselors, to get an inside look at different colleges. “You never know who could be at the booth, sometimes it’s people who read your college application,” Laura Cope said.
A goal of the college fair is to help juniors get more information on their top choices but also learn about new schools students may have never heard of. “I think the college fair was really helpful because I got to ask a lot of questions about the school and I got a lot of pamphlets that had more details about the school. I would also recommend everyone to go because I think it was a really helpful experiences,” junior Amy Kraft said.
