Hello-- There’s a small targeted college admissions fair coming (my DD top 2-3 schools are participating). It’s a 2 hour round trip for us plus a day lost that could be spent on other things (SAT studying for example as that’s coming up too!) My questions is, is the fair worthwhile given that we will visit all of these school in person (or already have in some cases.) What does a prospective student get out of the fairs that they might miss in a tour and admission sessions on campus? (Note: she is not old enough to interview yet-- only a Junior). Thank you.
If you are going to visit the schools in person, I wouldn’t bother going to the college fair. IMO, it’s a way to show interest if you can’t get to campus.
I would agree it’s not worth a two hour round trip, especially if you have already or plan to personally visit her colleges of interest or attend info meetings if their reps visit your school. If there is a college fair closer, it might be worthwhile to attend. DD found some great “likely” schools at the one held in our HS district. Visiting booths is a way to “demonstrate interest” to schools that care about that. It sounds, though, like you have your bases already covered, in which case SAT studying is probably a more productive use of your DD’s time.
No point if you are visiting campuses and your list is set. If a student is still in an exploratory mode, it can be a nice way to see what’s out there before you set off on an extensive road trip.
I might do it if the fair is nearby and you have nothing else to do at the time, or if you really want to do it. Otherwise I don’t think that I would bother either.
We never did any college fair that required a two hour trip. We did attend one “admitted student” event that was perhaps a 20 minute drive from our house (for a school that otherwise was 5 hours away). Otherwise we just visited the schools that we were most interested in, and visited at times that were most convenient for us.
You will get a better feel for the school when you are actually on campus.
Agree - not worth it.
Thanks everyone-- you just freed up a weekend for me!