I just wanted to hear experiences of other posters to decide if there is more to it that I may have missed.
He had another event to attend had and lots of homework and a test to study for so he wasn’t really interested in going. He’ll attend one his senior year.
Why was that “funny”?
Because those people meet thousands of kids and their parents ever month and have no way of remembering them, second it’s very rare for real adcoms to man these booths. Usually these are volunteer alumni or low level administration people with no say in admissions whatsoever. They are there to set up their booth, give out marketing papers, get contact info for mailing lists and move on to next fair.
^^^ I understand all of that, @WorryHurry411 . But why is that “funny”? That the kids are trying to do their best to impress them?
You already have such a pre-formed negative opinion of these, why did you bother to ask the question? I’m a volunteer alumnus presenter for my Ivy League school at my local district’s college night for the last 12 years. My district consistently sends many apps to selective schools and I would say that my info assists that process.
Why be so cynical? Sure, some kids and families go and wonder if they need to impress me. I tell them gently, no. What made you an expert so suddenly that you look down on those less informed?
Remember, people have taken time to answer your posts here. You’ve learned since you’ve been a member.
I thought the word funny wasn’t at all meant to suggest humorous.
WADR, @lookingforward , it was used in a sentence with “trying to impress” and “score” and was IMHO not complimentary. This process is hard enough for kids and families without taking a crack at those just trying their best to navigate it all.
When added to the fact that the OP asked the question and then proceeded to say how they were worthless, when on the other side of the table of it is alumni like @T26E4 giving their time…
I don’t see the big deal, WorryHurry. You found it useless and your kid doesn’t want to go. So don’t go. There’s no need to overthink things. If you’re scared you’ll miss out on something, then go already.
Nope, not complimentary. And I think, not meant to imply humorous. We had the same reaction to a cattle call type here, gave up on them. Depending on your area, these can be monstrous. Nothing says all kids across the country will find them helpful or have even an instant to speak with a rep. Frankly, for those in our area, which are open to multiple high schools, anything from 9th graders up, you cant even get near the tables to put your name on a list.
Each family needs to make their own decision. This sort of meeting can be quite different than your high school bringing in a few reps, setting up a few sessions.
My son has had several back and forth emails with a regional rep from one of the schools he is applying to. The rep will be at a local college fair. I think it is absolutely imperative that he stops by the table, says hello, and puts a face to the name. The rep is an AO and i’m sure connecting with the rep will help his App during the process (unless he barfs on the table.)
Re: College Fairs
I am alumni who goes to college fairs locally. I talk to students who are interested…my college (CWRU) is one that people who are interested stop by on purpose, but we don’t get much “just walking by” traffic.
I talk to the students about our college and hear what they have to say.
By stopping by they are “showing interest” in the college, which we track.
I also let them know about alumni interviews which are sent to the Adcoms.
So…did you go?
We found them interesting. It was interesting to talk to the reps regardless of who they were. They knew about the colleges they were representing and we’re happy to chat.
Perfect timing as I attended a college fair with my daughter last night. While much of the information is easily attainable here on CC or college websites, I felt it was important for her to be part of the process and actually engage with school representatives. Just a junior but want her excited and informed about her options. BTW - had a great interaction with a UA Recruitment Rep who followed up with a personal email today - time well spent.
I gather that it’s a diffrent experience in every district.
There are two types of college information night at my D’s school. One is the college fair that the adcoms from different colleges came to the school. We did get some useful information from one school about their merit aids. Most of the other colleges my D planned to apply were not there though. The other one is the college application information meeting by the HS. It is very important as they covered the whole application process, financial aid, recommendation and transcript request. Some of the info are unique for each HS and they may have different policy. For instance, y D’s HS requires students to submit request 2 weeks before deadline for each college application with a short form attached. For the college fair, it is safe to skip it as you can also find information elsewhere. For HS specific policy, you should contact the GC for those information if you missed it.
College Fairs: Keep in mind this is a great opportunity for your student (not mom or dad) to walk up to a representative, introduce themselves, shake hands, look them in the eye and engage in some conversation about their school and talk about themselves. An added benefit is learning about a school you hadn’t considered.
We attended college fairs to learn about schools and give our son the opportunity to talk to school representatives. It was a good experience and let him put faces to the people on the other end of his apps as he wrote them. Whether or not they were the right faces didn’t matter. It served to humanize the process for him.