<p>Hi all. S and I will be attending a college fair held locally for about 75 universities, mostly midwestern, but from all over, including a few on S's list. This will be our first fair and I was wondering what to expect from it. </p>
<p>Can we really expect anything more than a sales job and general info about the school? Has any student ever had anyone remember them from one of these things? I'm basically going with S to get him a bit more motivated to engage in the process.</p>
<p>I’ve been to a couple of big college fairs and found them to be very helpful for a student just starting the process. I have some tips - Let your son (i.e force if necessary) do the talking. By the third booth, he’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Come up with three or four questions to ask about all the schools so you can compare them and so your son feels comfortable with the approach. My son wanted to know about internships and living communities. By living communities I mean campus housing arrangements where students live together because they have a common interest or major.</p>
<p>If it’s a large fair, and they give you a map, take a minute to highlight the colleges that you want to visit. At the Philadelphia fair there were literally hundreds of colleges and it was easy to miss one as they were not set up in any particular order.</p>
<p>I understand now that they sometimes give out labels or something so that each recruiter has your students information. However if you don’t think they have that, then bring information stickers. I had my son do these on the computer on return address label blanks - Name, address, e-mail address, intended major, HS and graduation date.</p>
<p>Don’t be overly rigid. If some random college catches your son’s eye, don’t dissuade him from checking it out. There are lots, and lots of good colleges out there and lots of them are not brand names. Have fun and don’t take it too seriously. </p>
<p>Also, set up a college e-mail address easily identifiable - <a href="mailto:JohnTsmith@collegemail.com">JohnTsmith@collegemail.com</a> . My son let me access it also and it’s been so handy for both of us. My son has told me that that was one of my better ideas.</p>
<p>I agree with all above. I can’t tell you how glad we were that we had made labels! Saved so much time and trouble. Try to get there early-- they fill up and become zoo-ey. D definitely got a lot out of the one we went to-- partially just the realization that yes, she could talk sensibly to the reps.</p>