<p>This passed fall my DS and I went to a college fair. It was nice because there were so many schools in one place. We were able to talk and get a feel of the school without traveling. My son went to just talk and check out USCarolina and ended up falling in love with the school. The rep was friendly, energetic about the school and supplied information that I hadn't even thought of to ask. She gave us her card and told us if we needed anything to call her. I then fell in love with the school. </p>
<p>On the flip side, we checked out Clemson. My DS and I were the only people at her table. I would ask a question, she would answer, look around me, and above me. She never made eye contact or supplied anymore information than what I asked. She kept looking around like she was waiting for someone better to come along. I was extremely disappointed. I feel like if you are sending someone to represent you, then you send someone who makes the student want to be a part of the University. If this is the best why would I want to to send my DS to a place that seems to not want him. </p>
<p>I don’t know if I would be so influenced by one person at a college fair. When we went to this big college fair last fall, it was clear that there was a big range of reps. Some reps were the admissions director with years of experience while others were new grads (class of 2012, 2013) who were less polished.</p>
<p>As far as I could see, the primary functions at this fair (it was packed) was to pick up brochures and get your tag scanned to get on the college’s list. Actually talking to the rep seemed optional. Obviously it’s much more pleasant and informative to tell to an engaged and interesting rep, but I would not judge a college on just five minutes of conversation, either good or bad.</p>
<p>I would not consider one of the many young folks that colleges hire to attend these college fairs as an indication of what the school is like. and, I wouldn’t consider that one person as an indication of whether the school wanted my child.</p>
<p>Colleges often hire newish grads into these positions. Colleges may have 50+ of these young things around the country. They’re not a fair representation of a school. </p>
<p>Sometimes colleges send alumni to represent them at college fairs. They can’t send someone to each and every college fair, and probably have to prioritize which ones to send their staff members to. Perhaps it was her first time or she was just substituting for someone who got sick at the last minute? There are a number of possible explanations.
It seems really short-sighted to me to reject a school based on such a small piece of data as this. Look at the rest of the data available to you about this school if it is one that meets your requirements…</p>
<p>I didn’t care about Clemson until I visited, and that was when I knew that was where I wanted to go. I fell in love with the community, which as a whole is the exact opposite of the person you described. On the other hand, I thought I loved another school until I spent the night there once and realized it wasn’t for me at all. If your son is interested in a program that Clemson has, tour the school. It makes all the difference.</p>
<p>I attended two college fairs, and neither was a particularly helpful or positive experience. Maybe it’s just the area I live in (Los Angeles) but the college tables seemed to be crowded with lots of push type-A moms dragging their children along. I remember on one occasion I was speaking with a young college rep when a mother came up to the table and thumped a 3-inch binder filled with alphabetically organized files on the table. She whipped out a pen and began to interrogate the poor guy about his college’s fall a couple slots in the USNWR rankings the past year. He was very flustered and didn’t know how to respond.</p>
<p>The actual campus visits were a far better way to gauge the atmosphere of the school. </p>
<p>We went to an individual college meeting. I had heard of the college, but knew little about it. One of the reps led the meeting, and 3 alumni spoke. Son ended up applying to this school, and wrote his essay, “Why X”, based on this meeting. </p>
<p>My sensitive, violinist son still tells the horror story of his visit to the Hampden-Sydney table at a recent college fair. Cue old Southern white guy: “So what kinds of sports are you into, son?” My child: “Actually, I play the violin and I’m very involved in social justice issues. I’m taking yoga too.” SOuthern white guy: Dead. Silence. Big old stare.
GUess who didn’t apply?</p>
<p>We also found it peculiar that so many of the immigrant families had taken REALLY LITTLE KIDS to a college fair. There were parents there with elementary school children. </p>
<p>I agree with StackerMom. First impressions can be important, but in this case I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape. In fact, I’d be motivated to take a closer look online to find out if the rep left anything important out of the “presentation.” </p>
<p>Reps can also repeat a few choice quotes from parents and applicants </p>
<p>I agree though - don’t base your opinions of a uni on what a rep says - either because they have poor social skills or because they say nice things about it. They’re hardly going to say bad things about a college that they’re paid to promote (especially not if their boss is breathing down their neck!) and there will be plenty of people with good social skills at the college. Stick to asking them factual stuff, including the awkward questions - not “what’s your college like” - it will be much more illuminating. </p>
<p>At the two college fairs conducted at our student’s HS, many college’s “reps” were actually local alumni recruited to represent the college or university, particularly for school’s that were several states away.</p>
<p>I’m sorry but it really isn’t possible to “get a feel of the school” without traveling. Even watching the online videos (while probably better than basing impressions on a rep at a college fair) don’t really give you a good feel compared to actually showing up, attending admission sessions and touring the campus.</p>
<p>You and your student may well love the University of SC if/when you tour or you may be very disappointed.</p>
<p>Full disclosure, I visited and toured Clemson (after my daughter was accepted) and while my DD didn’t end up choosing to go there, I was extremely impressed with the college and particularly the student who led the campus tour. She was by far the most impressive student and guide I’ve ever seen, including those at several top 10 schools. IMO, it’s silly to write off a school because the kid manning the table at a college fair isn’t very good at the job.</p>
<p>With the availaibility of information online, I really don’t get the relevance of college fairs to begin with. I did go to the one at our high school with my son, a junior. It was very crowded and there were a lot of freshman and sophomores there. We didn’t spend enough time with any rep to get a positive or negative impression. But even on college tours I don’t get swayed by the particular tour guide. It is just one representative of the school out of thousands. (Except at Miami U in Ohio I was positively impressed by our tour guide - the girl was so socially awkward and non-preppy, yet so bubbly and enthusiastic about the school, it totally crushed the myth of “J Crew U” for us.)</p>
<p>I remember being completely turned off by alum reps at college fairs who only wanted to tell tales of their glory days without first finding out enough about their audience to know what would be relevant, and it was unfortunate that as a teenager I couldn’t discount the impression one individual made on me. Contact with an alum of a small LAC who took a genuine interest in me was a big factor in where I wound up. As a parent, I found it to be just one more data point to add to the information set.</p>
<p>College fairs offer a good opportunity for applicants to demonstrate interest. The speaker at the Colleges That Change Lives college fair was excellent in terms of talking about the admissions process in general.</p>
<p>The one that stands out for me was Barnard College. It was more of a multi-school road show than a fair. An adcom (not just an alumna) from each of 5 schools got up and presented a slide show followed by questions. Barnard appeared to be marketing itself primarily as a backdoor into Columbia. “We’re right across the street from Columbia. You can take classes at Columbia. You can use the Columbia library, You can date Columbia boys. You can park in the Columbia parking lot. A Barnard diploma says Columbia on it.” And so on… It was a case of Columbia, Columbia, and more Columbia.</p>
<p>D1 was very put off by that. She said it sounded like they are trying to say that a smart girl should really go to Columbia. </p>
<p>My D was actually kind of offended by a rep at a college fair. She and a friend stepped up to his table and when he found out my D’s friend went to a catholic school he turned his back to my D and spoke exclusively to the friend. Bad call on his part…my daughter might have been interested, her friend had no interest whatsoever. After that she would not consider that college - fair or not. </p>
<p>I did go to a college fair with my son as he was my first child who was applying to college. He/I found the entire thing a complete waste of time. There were at least 1000 people in a gym which was very warm, loud and crowded. I agree with the posters who said that you could basically find out any information that was provided at the fair on-line. We did find out several interesting things at the fair. At the Gonzaga table, I asked about aid/scholarships. I wanted to find out whether or not anyone received a full-ride there. According to the rep, the only students who get full rides at Gonzaga are atheletes. Also, the rep at Harvard told my son that while the music department, specifically the composition program, wasn’t the best in the country, the contacts that he made at Harvard would be invaluable! While those two facts were interesting, I won’t be going to a college fair with my daughter when the time comes. :)</p>
<p>I can’t remember name of this college but one booth was manned by an alumni mom and she spent the whole time telling me how this was a good school because she raised a politically and socially conservative child and he graduated college still politically and socially conservative. Perhaps if we were a conservative family we would have appreciated that but she was preaching to the wrong choir. I sort of felt bad for the school as I doubt they had anticipated some MOM telling potentials that the most important aspect of the school was that it didn’t change her child lol.</p>
<p>Miliken totally lost my daughter at the college fair. The rep took so much pride in the fact that you “don’t even have to write an essay to apply.” D is a good student who loves school. The first thing she said when we walked away was that she didn’t want to go to a school that had such low expectations of it’s student body.</p>
<p>I will say that the schools from Alaska were awesome. My D had no intention of going to Alaska but we felt bad that their booths were totally passed over. We went to talk to them and man, their rep’s were really on it. They were ready with every reason you SHOULD go to Alaska… so awesome D almost applied to one (but in the end, they didn’t really have the program she needed… and her 3 hours of snow experience just wasn’t going to prep her for Alaska.)</p>
<p>No one should judge a school by one college fair rep but at the same time, when you are being flooded with info from 100 schools at one time, you just don’t have time to think twice about the ones that turned you off. All-in-all, I’m glad we attended one. D didn’t FIND a school at the college fair but it opened her up with the reality that there are TONS of schools to choose from. It got her thinking about what she actually wanted from a school. It jump started her own personal research and that was certainly a positive.</p>
<p>I took one daughter to a center city college fair (we live in the burbs), and she really did find her school there. It was totally packed, with many students brought in by bus, either with their schools or other social organizations trying to help first generation kids get to college. We live in the south, so all the southern schools’ booths were packed 10-15 deep. We went to a few of the less crowded tables (okay, no one was there!) and talked to very knowledgeable reps from northern and western schools. She was able to pick up information from art schools on what would be needed for a portfolio (she had no idea) and just get a better picture of schools. I think seeing 40 people cramming the Alabama table or firing questions to the UF people confirmed to her that she didn’t want a big school because these same students will be fighting for courses or standing in line for dorms.</p>
<p>Many kids had no idea of the number of schools or offerings out there, and they needed to do it with a guidance counselor or mentor as their parents are a little lost too. They can see 100 schools at once, and wouldn’t even know how to look up a small college in GA or what they need to do to apply to a huge state school, deadlines, etc. Our guidance counselors at our mostly middle class suburban high school have no time to talk about individual schools with each student, and I’m sure the city GC’s are even more overwhelmed. The fairs allow them to help a lot of students on one day.</p>
</p>