Attending a College Fair
theoretical or practical? What support is offered freshmen? How competitive is admission? How popular is my major? How large is this college? How large are freshman classes? Who teaches freshmen classes? (In most schools they are taught by graduate students.) Tell me about the dorms. (Co-ed? Special dorms for serious students? Choose your roommate?)
If your child is part of a special population, ask about the schools attitudes and policies toward them. For instance, we asked what the admission requirements were for homeschoolers. (If they didn’t know, we considered that a bad sign.) How many homeschoolers attended the school? How well did they do? Students with special needs must find out what services are available to them and how welcome they will be.
Gather literature at each booth of interesting schools. Sign the list to receive additional information. (I noticed some bright parents who created stamps with their child’s name and address or who brought address labels. It saved them a great deal of writing.)
Have your student take notes and take your own as well. You will find when you get home that all the schools will run together and you won’ remember who said what. The day after the fair, sit down with your teen to find out which schools interested her most. Go over the literature for that school. Additional literature will probably arrive soon. From the list, ask your teen to select five schools that really interested her and plan to research these schools further. Look up the school’s web page and contact admissions advisors for additional information. If possible, schedule a visit to the schools.
Starting early will give your student time to make an informed choice, but will also motivate your teen to work harder to meet the entrance requirements of her chosen schools.
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