S19 is attending a college fair this week, and the list of questions that the college counseling office provided seem really stupid to me. Most of them are questions you can find online if you do any research at all, and I think it’s a waste of time to ask the admissions officers these things. We’ve already done our homework and know the answers, which I think is kind of important if you’re trying to make a good impression. If you’re interested in a school, and you’re asking questions such as how many kids are in your college and what is the retention rate, then they’ll know right off the bat that you didn’t even bother to take the time to research their school. I would rather my son spend time getting to know the people who will be reading his application and asking intelligent, specific questions. So what are your suggestions for things that he should ask?
Right now, we have a pretty good idea of which schools he’s interested in so he’ll only be speaking to those counselors. He has no idea what he wants to major in so he can’t ask too many questions about that, unfortunately. But there must be other things he can ask. Thanks!
It’s nice to see some students check out the web sites in advance (unlike my S ).
How easy it is to minor? Can you do that across colleges/schools? What services are available to help students be successful (tutoring, etc)? How available?
College fairs are a lot of meet and great, IMO. One thing that I did that was very handy was labels for all the “get on our mailing list” which answered most of the things they wanted to know. The labels including name, address, phone, email, high school, current GPA, (weighted or unweighted stated and 4 or 5 pt scale), class rank (if known), ACT, SAT, intended major (or unsure but interested in …) and activities and honors. The labels save your hand from all the writing, are legible and got a lot of comments/attention. Reps would read it quickly and suddenly their amount of interest changed. They also made good conversation starters after they read them including, “you qualify for at least xx in merit” or why xx department is great. Avery strips work the best since you can roll them and keep them in your hand while mom keeps the additional ones in her purse.
The college fairs here I would say are large due to living in a multi college town. They are held in the state university ballroom with the local schools getting priority positioning. Roughly there are 100 schools represented and only 2 1/2 hours to try to hit each table. Ours also provides bags for all the items that you will pick up at the tables, pens, pencils, business cards, why you should come here brochures, etc. Those bags get full. Thousands of students (plus parents) means little time to ask questions let alone be able to move to where you want to go. Labels will save you a lot of time and let the schools know immediately just how interested they are in you. Some tables are manned by local alumni instead of college reps so they may not be able to answer all your questions.
The last college fair I attended was made even more challenging when a group (roughly 30) of Presbyterian based private schools rented the meeting room of a local hotel and held a college fair there on the same night with some over lapping time. Far fewer students had notification so there was more time to speak with the reps and they had food.
Look for a list of represented schools and prioritize that list. Use labels and any other times savers that you can think of. Use your time wisely.
I agree that any questions that can be answered by reading the website are not worth asking. Your S should think about questions that are unique to his academic areas of interest/EC areas of interest/etc.
The one college fair I went to with my S was mobbed and there was little time to ask private questions to the representatives. A few colleges booths were less crowded and my S had a very brief conversation with the representative but that was about it. Mostly people were handing in postcards to get on mailing lists (agree that bringing pre-printed address labels is a help). We did not return to the college fair when my younger D was applying to colleges as S didn’t find it all that worthwhile. IMO the biggest potential benefit of going to a college fair would be to “demonstrate interest” in a college you are unable to visit that considers interest in its admission decision.
Thanks for the responses. Actually, this will be a small college fair broken up over two days at S’s school for all the Juniors. The school provides labels and bags for them - that was a great idea, btw.
They only have about 45 minutes or so with the college reps so I want him to make the best use of his time and try to stand out as “the kid that asked intellectual, well-thought-out questions.” I may have him ask them about interviews too - whether he should (yes), how they’re done, when they’re done, etc.
@“Erin’s Dad” Don’t feel bad - most of the research was done by MOI, not the wee one. He doesn’t really know what he’s looking for anyway. This is not my first rodeo so I’m overly ambitious (otherwise, why would I be on CC?)
;))
I love the suggestions about asking how hard or easy it is to change majors or go between schools. I went to a large U, and it was not easy to take classes in a different school. In fact, it was nearly impossible for the popular marketing class in the business school while I was in the humanities. I also like the question about tutoring, although I’ll probably be speaking with the disability office of each college he’s admitted to since S has a LD.
@megan12 Get a transition plan from the high school which clearly states when accommodations he will need. This way you can present it to the school and ask, can you meet these.
I like open ended questions because the answers are often the most revealing and can lead to a real conversation. “What do you think makes [your college] stand out?” “What kind of student do you think thrives at [your college]?” You can start the question with a demonstration that you’ve done your research. “I know English and history are [your school’s] most popular majors, but what can you tell me about the strengths of your science programs?” “When I visited I loved how easy it looked for students to access the city. In your experience how do students take advantage of this?”
A simple question like the last could lead to a discussion of a student’s community service, love of ethnic food, interest in arts museums, rabid sports fandom, music taste, work on a history project, or any other of a host of things that will make your student memorable.
@GloriaVaughn Luckily, his accommodations are few and very basic so I don’t think it’s a matter of “can they” as much as it is “will they”, and “how well”. He just needs things like extra time, bigger scantrons or none at all (probably won’t get that), and the best would be to take tests privately. They all say they can do it so I’ll get more specific with them once I see who accepts him.
Son #1 was too shy to talk to any reps, but I think son #2 is more likely to have a good conversation if he’s given some prompts. Then he can yak about nothing for a really long time.
In my experience it’s helpful to shy, or just plain inexperienced kids to have a couple of canned questions in the ready. That way if they freeze they can use a rehearsed question to warm up. Once the conversation gets going most kids relax and can carry on a conversation.
@megan12 You’ll want to have your son leave his info with the reps - to do so quickly, have him write up his name, email, home address, phone number, etc. Also make sure to get the business card of the rep - if he or you has questions about the specific college later on, email that rep directly (demonstrated interest…).
Sometimes the rep is an alumna or alumnus. I attended a fair as my alma mater’s rep this week.
So it did not matter whether the student impressed me or not, since I have no “pull” whatsoever!
I was there to help supply info and answer questions, not judge applicants.
(But I did enjoy two students who came to the table with very specific questions about my college which showed they had already done some reading about it and were truly interested. It made for a nice meaty conversation.)
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I may have him ask them about interviews too - whether he should (yes), how they’re done, when they’re done, etc.