<p>Hi, so I'm not exactly sure if this is the right forum to post this in (if it isn't, please tell me so I can make a new one in the right place). </p>
<p>So, I'm going to my first college fair tomorrow. It is called Exploring Educational Excellence. I went to my college counselor last week for tips on what to say and do, and she basically gave me a couple of generic basic questions to ask the representatives. </p>
<p>I was wondering if there were other things I should know about? Something I should do? What I should wear (formal vs casual?)? How I should act? Important questions to ask? Necessary items to bring (ie notebook, pencils, bag, etc.)? I'm actually really nervous, and I'm scared I'll embarrass myself or something...
Thanks for everything!</p>
<p><em>bump</em> any help is appreciated >.<</p>
<p>Read info on the websites of the colleges you are interested in and write down any questions you may have about what you have read, admissions questions, and whatever else you are curious about.</p>
<p>Dress comfortably but neat. Many college representatives are young people- recent college grads and some may be dressed up but you don’t have to be. Polo/khakis are fine, shirt/skirt for girls or nice pants- even nice jeans and a shirt are fine too. You don’t want your clothes to stand out- ie T shirts that say something, low cut or too short skirts, ripped clothing, but you can look like a high school student. Some college fairs are huge, but this one looks smaller and a little more formal, so I’d err on the polo/khaki for guys or nice pants/skirt/nice shirt/blouse for girls.</p>
<p>Bring a backpack or bag to carry brochures and info. Ask all representatives for their business cards to contact them if you have questions. Some students print out their own cards with name/address/phone/e mail to leave with the representatives to save time- but simple ones are appropriate. There will likely be a sign up sheet too.</p>
<p>Now relax if you can and be yourself. It’s not a formal interview, but a chance to learn more about the schools you are interested in.</p>
<p>Is this the one with Columbia, Brown, Rice, Cornell, and University of Chicago? If it is, I attended this last year and could give you an overview and some advice on this particular fair.</p>
<p>Okay, I went to that exact thing last year, it is not exactly a college fair…</p>
<p>Wear something a little nicer (it is not necessary, but it looks good on you). I personally wore a sundress, if you are a guy kakis and a polo will be more then enough. There will be two opportunities to ask questions. The first will be to the whole panel of colleges, only do that if you truly have a question that is relevant to many/can not be easily answered through online research and is not specific to any one college. Then there will be a brief breakout thing where you can talk with the rep from a specific college if you want. If you have a school specific question ask it then. You truly do not need to ask questions, I personally asked one to the Georgetown person and that was it. If you think you will want to take notes bring a small notebook and something to write with, though it is not necessary.</p>
<p>Anything else I can help with?</p>
<p>@Pennylane2011: Wow, thank you for all the information! I feel like with this, I’d be totally prepared tomorrow. So, thank you so much! :)</p>
<p>@jabrown2013: Yes, it is! Specific advice would be greatly appreciated!!</p>
<p>@ArtsyGirl13: Oh, is it different from a regular college fair? That was what my counselor called it, so I just kind of used it again.
If I don’t have a lot of questions that I have to ask, what would you suggest doing exactly when the event breaks into the separate colleges? Also, since you went, what did you think about the fair/event(?) personally?
Thanks for all your information as well! :)</p>
<p>After the general information session stop by the college rep from the school or schools that interested you most. What ended up happening when I went was that a semicircle was formed around the rep and we took turns asking questions/hearing his answers. Sometimes you will hear answers to questions you never thought to ask. That being said if after listening for a bit you feel that the info is not helping you, you are free to leave.</p>
<p>I liked it. Because I live in PA it seemed like everybody was obsessed with UPenn which was sort of annoying. Basically you will hear general info from the schools, so it is a bit repetitive if you have already done your research on the schools. That being said, I did end up finding a school that I felt was a good fit for me. I actually visited this past weekend/it is now on my list of schools I will be applying to in the fall (it was originally a school that I thought was not a good fit for me).</p>
<p>It’s going to start off with each college rep doing a presentation for their college. I found these pretty helpful, though a little generic. They were as bad as a typical college info session, and I thought the representatives did a good job of showcasing the unique aspects of the school, which gave me a feel for the “personality” of the college. </p>
<p>During the presentations, my advice is to have a place to take notes just to jot things down that interested you or that you liked; that way you can do some research after the facts. They also give tips for applying to colleges in general which can be helpful. </p>
<p>After this the representatives have booths for their college, and students can go and ask questions, fill out info cards, grab brochures, etc. This part is like a zoo because there are so many kids rushing from booth to booth trying to get their questions answered. My best advice is to ASSERT yourself. You won’t get a word in edgewise if you don’t. This isn’t the time to be shy or timid, but don’t be rude, pushy, or otherwise impolite either. </p>
<p>If you can I would advise sticking around until the end. I did this and I was able to talk to the reps much more easily. Some of them even gave me their table copy brochures (which are like 100 page books stuffed with info on the school) to take with me. </p>
<p>Overall, I thought it was a pretty good college fair type thing. I was introduced to an unfamiliar college, and learned a lot about the others, which I didn’t know too much about to begin with; I’m not sure how helpful it would have been if I was already familiar with the colleges though.</p>
<p>Lols i’ve been to those twice now!! XD
dude it’s not like they are going to except you into their college right there and then ;9
haha anyway do bring a pencil/pen to scribble stuff down! you should visit a lot maybe 70% or more, you’ll get more perspective!! Yes don’t be formal bout don’t be sloppy either (be yourself.) Be friendly ask about your future majors and maybe hobbies/ EC’s you are interested in! talk about what the college’s strongest or leading majors are! do be friendly and don’t hover too long in each booth. you should know how long the event is and maybe stay in each both for 4 or 5 minutes @ the most, pick up papers they advertise (bring a folder)! then when you are finished go back to booths you liked if you have lingering questions!!
Good luck!!
P.S. Do try to have fun and don’t over-stress the situation.</p>