College fair season is in full swing! Just today, I looked up the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) for my own daughter, and happily realized this weekend is our BIG Florida fair in Miami with over 200 colleges represented from all over the United States. I guess a road trip is in order!

To see where a NACAC fair might be around you- go here.

When I was the college and career counselor at a collegiate high school, we rented a large travel bus and loaded it full of juniors to attend the NACAC conference in Orlando (about 3 hours away). It was a long day, but WOW what an amazing opportunity for the students. Prior to the event, I provided them some clear directions- how to dress, what types of questions to ask, how to showcase who they were, and more importantly, how to engage in schools that might not be on your radar. One of the students connected with Oglethorpe University (there was no line at the table and I encouraged her to just talk to her and ask questions)- that connection led to invite for a fly-in event that was coming up and she ended up winning the Presidential Scholarship- a full-ride. I heard from her a few years later, and she had secured a dream internship with BMW and was doing fantastic- all thanks to that fair and having the ability to just talk and explore unique colleges.

The issue with students attending a college fair is they don’t have a plan going in to the event. That is why this one-pager is of helpful. You can provide this to your students who are either attending your own school’s college fair or a larger event like NACAC. It helps them understand how to plan ahead, ask the right questions, talk to colleges on their list and keep an open mind about those that are not on their list, and how to get contact information. Combining this with the College Data Organizer, especially those who use “Level of Applicant Interest”, would be helpful as they begin to build their LIST and EXPLORE colleges! If using the College UnMazed workbook, I would also have them review p.76, Activity 6.5: College Visit Questions and Activity 6.6: College Visit Reflection Form for any of their college exploration- campus visits, college fairs, high school visits, etc.