It is the season for Spring College Fairs. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Colleges.
Here is a list of the upcoming College Fairs:
Spring 2016 National College Fair Calendar
Springfield National College Fair
Eastern States Exposition (The Big E)
Sunday, April 3: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Monday, April 4: 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Austin National College Fair
Palmer Events Center NEW LOCATION
Tuesday, April 5: 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Providence National College Fair
Rhode Island Convention Center
Tuesday, April 5: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Omaha National College Fair
CenturyLink Center Omaha
Thursday, April 7: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Dallas / Ft. Worth National College Fair
Arlington Convention Center NEW LOCATION
Thursday, April 7: 5:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Honolulu National College Fair
Hawaii Convention Center
Tuesday, April 12: 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.; 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Columbus National College Fair
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Saturday, April 16: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Nashville National College Fair
Music City Center
Sunday, April 17: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cleveland National College Fair
FirstMerit Convention Center of Cleveland (Formerly the Cleveland Convention Center)
Sunday, April 17: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Montgomery County National College Fair
Montgomery County Agricultural Center
Tuesday, April 19: 9:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.; 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, April 20: 9:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Greater Memphis National College Fair
Agricenter International
Tuesday, April 19: 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 20: 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
San Diego National College Fair
San Diego Convention Center
Wednesday, April 20: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
New Jersey National College Fair
Meadowlands Exposition Center at Harmon Meadow
Wednesday, April 20: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 21: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Prince George’s County National College Fair
Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex
Friday, April 22: 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
New York National College Fair
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center of New York
Sunday, April 24: 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Orange County National College Fair
Anaheim Convention Center
Sunday, April 24: 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Ventura/Tri-County National College Fair
Ventura County Fairgrounds
Monday, April 25: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Inland Empire National College Fair
Ontario Convention Center
Wednesday, April 27: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Greater Los Angeles National College Fair
Pasadena Convention Center
Thursday, April 28: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
San Francisco National College Fair
Cow Palace Arena
Saturday, April 30: 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Vancouver International Universities Fair
Vancouver Convention Centre NEW INTERNATIONAL FAIR
Saturday, May 7: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Boston National College Fair
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC)
Sunday, May 22: 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Monday, May 23: 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
At IMAGINE COLLEGE COACHING, we encourage all of our students to attend. There is much information to be learned at a College Fair.
Our Coach, Ty Anderson has a few critical tips on getting the most out of your College Fair Experience.
1. Put your name and email on email lists, contact inquiries, student information pamphlets, and questionnaires. Get connected to the university! Make sure you don’t leave the table/booth without the university having your contact information in some way.
Why? One of the biggest things that universities look for is a student’s “level of interest.” You may not end up wanting to go that school in the long run, which is fine, but if you decide you are interested and apply, being on their contact list will be greatly beneficial, it shows that you are truly interested in their school. They want students who want them.
2. Make a personal connection with the representative at the booth.
Why? Often times this person is an alumnus, school representative, or current student. Regardless, they have personal experience with the school and can give you a student’s perspective about academic programs, campus life, residential life, clubs and organizations, etc. The point is, this person is the best source of info for that school outside of a student currently on campus. This is your time to ask questions that may be more than surface level. (How big are classes? What is the longest walking distance class to class on campus? How clean/ new are the dorms? How safe is campus? How does your financial aid work? Is it need- based? Do you accept all outside scholarships? ) This person is a great source of information; don’t walk away without making a personal connection!
3. Pick up flyers, pamphlets, information brochures, and one-pagers.
Why? When it is time to start sorting through information in the near future, we want to be able to reference schools and their respective information easily. Now, don’t come home with 34,937.3 flyers, however have “hardcopy” sources of information, that way when you have a question about a school, or we are trying to organize information, it can be more quickly accessed rather than searching the internet to find it.
4. Make a list of school preferences BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE COLLEGE FAIR.
Why? College fairs present a lot of information in a condensed setting. You (like I did) will forget information or things you liked about the schools. I’m not saying that you should make your concrete list before you leave, but just jot down some pros/cons about schools you liked and ones you didn’t. I/we can take this information to create a profile of schools you may like. Example: if you list 10 schools, and one common theme you like is the small class sizes, then I/we know to start creating a profile for schools with smaller class sizes. Don’t leave the fair until you have this list going, it will help you a ton in the long run!
Bottom Line: These fairs are a GREAT source of information. Use it to your advantage. Meet and connect with representatives, gather info about the schools, and ENJOY YOURSELF! Take time to form opinions and be particular about what you like and don’t like! After all, this is your college experience! This is really the first step to being on your way; we can start the process once you have some schools in mind!
Ty Anderson is a College Coach with IMAGINE COLLEGE COACHING. He is currently a student at Baylor University and works in admissions at Baylor as well. He is an excellent resource for teens hoping to get into college. He enjoys coaching teens through the college admissions process. Contact him today. https://imaginescholarships.com/