Monday, March 16, 2009

Spring NACAC College Fairs

It’s mid-March and for juniors in metropolitan areas around the U.S., there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be a NACAC college fair in your region. NACAC fairs give students the opportunity to visit various college booths and learn more about higher education opportunities available. College representatives are friendly, informative, and can be an advocate for you in the admission process. You’ll notice some familiar college names, but many of the institutions represented will be out of your region, out of your state, and in some cases, international!

I’ve heard many students ask why going to college fairs is important since all the information is available online. Well, the information is online, but learning about other college possibilities, engaging people, and taking an active first step in the college search is productive. Parents should allow their son(s)/daughter(s) to drive the process when you arrive at the fair (after all, it’s the student that will be enrolling in college, not the parent!). Come prepared with some questions that may not be found online and with an adhesive address labels so you don’t have to fill out college inquiry cards repeatedly. Admission Officers will be impressed with good questions. You may even want to take their card for follow-up purposes down the road.

It’s also important to take notes about the specific schools so you remember what you heard and/or learned. The college search can sometimes be a maze and with thousands of schools out there, you want to have the information documented in a systematic way that works for you.

Good luck beginning your college search! You will not be disappointed by the NACAC Fair in your area.

Liam Dunfey
University Advisors

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