Eight easy tips for making the most out of college fairs

By Carlos Alcala
calcala@sacbee.com

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At a single college fair in Rocklin last year, 4,000 to 5,000 people — teens and parents — swarmed the tables of college recruiters in the academic equivalent of speed dating. At such events, colleges bring their most attractive brochures and students bring breathless questions ranging from "How hard is it to get in?" to "How far is it to the beach?"

Scenes of academic anxiety are taking place now as college fairs are being held for Northern California high school students. "They can suddenly find themselves in a gymnasium absolutely heaving with people," said Alistair Turner, Sierra College's program manager for outreach and international students.

To reap this whirlwind profitably isn't easy. We asked experts from the fields of college admissions, public and private counseling, fair organizing and admissions guide writing how to get the most from the college fair experience.

Here are some of their tips:

• Be prepared. Students should know the difference between four-year and community colleges, between public and private, between academic and vocational programs.

Students and parents should ask questions of themselves to begin to define what they are seeking. If possible, get a list of recruiters and set priorities for which college tables you will visit.

There are many good places to do research online, but for California schools, check out CaliforniaColleges.edu, a Web site maintained by the California Education Round Table, which also organizes college fairs in the region. For a calendar of fairs, go to www.trumba.com/calendars/tdcn-calendar-2009.

• Ask questions. "There's no such thing as dumb questions," said Cindy Cutts, a counselor at Rocklin High School who organizes an annual college fair.

However, asking, "Tell me about your college" or "What are you guys known for?" is unlikely to give you useful answers, said Rich Toledo, director of undergraduate admissions at the University of the Pacific.

Better questions are more specific, such as: What is your average class size? How big is the student body? What percentage of students get financial aid? (Private universities may be more affordable than you think.) How much student housing is there? (Even some two-year schools, like Sierra College, have housing.) What are your popular majors? (This tells you what majors are likely to have good resources and faculty.) Practice posing your questions to a parent, teacher or friend so you won't be nervous during the real thing, said Jill Yoshikawa, a partner with Creative Marbles Consultancy.

• Know whom you're talking to. Some colleges send admissions officials; some send volunteers. You will get different kinds of information, with different accuracy levels, from each.

If you can, get the business card or contact information for an official you can reach with follow-up questions.

• Be age-appropriate. The experts disagreed on whether college fairs are appropriate for high school freshmen, but most said it can't hurt. It may even help you plan your high school schedule.

Sophomores should get exposure to the options and begin to see what kinds of post-high school institutions exist.

Juniors, for whom the fairs are most useful, should be narrowing their choices based on informational brochures and questions they ask recruiters.

Seniors, who are just a few months from application deadlines, should be using this as a chance to make the final cuts.

• What to bring. Students will collect a lot of stuff, so bring a bag to carry brochures.

Transcripts and test scores may help show recruiters whether you are admissions material. They won't get you admitted at the fair, but "it can't hurt," said Michael Burton, who coordinates the two-month college fair season in Northern California for the California Education Round Table.

Pre-printed labels with your name, address, high school and interests can be a time-saver to paste on interest cards that many colleges will ask you to fill out, said Bruce Hammond, the author of several college guides.

• What parents should do. Parents may have different questions than the students. They tend to be more about finances and less about majors, weather or the Greek system. Both kinds of questions are important, but it may work better if families split up at the fair and ask their questions separately, Hammond said.

• After the fair. Decompress and then sort.

Parents shouldn't pressure kids for their impressions immediately after the fair but give them a chance to absorb the information overload, Yoshikawa said.

One way to deal with the huge number of choices, she said, is to sort your material into three piles. One pile is for schools that you know you want to apply to. One is for schools you are interested in but may want a little more information. The third is for the least attractive, or those that may require a lot more research. Spend your research time on the second pile, she said.

• Take control. Remember, schools aren't the only ones with the power. Even if they make the final decisions, families have all the control on the front end, Yoshikawa said. Instead of worrying how to tailor the student to the school, figure out what schools will fit the student.