If you are in the process of searching for colleges, you should take the time to attend at least one college fair. It’s a great place to learn more about the colleges you’re interested in and talk to people with first-hand experience. By attending, you can better cultivate an ideal college list.
Here are 5 benefits of going to a college fair.
Get Answers Directly From College Representatives
At a college fair, students get to interact with representatives from several colleges. This is the perfect opportunity for personalized information. Make a list of questions you have and ask the people at the college booth.
Discover New Colleges That Were Not On Your Radar
With over 4,000 colleges in the US, it’s impossible to research them all. Chances are you would just check out a few that you’ve heard about or those that are located relatively close to home. In doing this, you may be missing out on a college that may have actually been the best fit for you.
When you go to a college fair, you will discover new schools that you hadn’t heard about before. If it sounds interesting, you can get all the information you need about it right there.
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Narrow Down Your Shortlist
“Where should I go to college?” is a big question. It helps to focus it on outside parameters. Perhaps you already have a large shortlist of potential colleges to apply to. Now all you need is a little more information about each school to help you narrow down that list. Make notes on what information you need about each school and use the college fair to get the details you need firsthand. You may just realize that a couple of schools on your list were not the right choices after all.
At the end of the day, you will have a smaller list of colleges that are better suited to meet your personality and your academic goals.
Find Out About Financial Aid
Colleges have basic financial aid information on their websites but it’s not exhaustive. If there is specific information you are looking for that will influence your ultimate decision, you can get those details from the college representative. This will help you customize your shortlist even further.
Save Money on Campus Visits
College fairs are no substitute for campus visits. Nothing beats visiting a college personally, and you should visit as many campuses as you can. However, visiting all the colleges on your shortlist is expensive and impractical. Attending a college fair gives you a sneak peek into life at that particular campus. Also, with a more focused shortlist that you now have, you can be more selective about which campuses to visit personally so you are not wasting time and money visiting colleges at random.
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