College fair?

[Jazzii]

Hey parents. I am a HS senior and I have a few questions about a college fair bill be going to at my school in a few weeks

1. Do I need to dress up? I already know the colleges that I want to apply to, should I dress up and just make myself known to the college rep?

2. How do I go about introductions? Like would I say "Hi, I'm so &so ; I applied to your school & want to major in education" ?

3. Since I would already be applied to some of these what should I ask about?

I know these may seem a little silly, but I was told I should go and make myself known, someone said to look at it as a mini interview- to be personable/nice etc. I just don't want to seem overbearing.


Thanks!

[M's Mom]

1) dress like you are going for an interview - casual but nice. (In some parts of the country this means nice jeans and and anything but a t-shirt. In other parts, it means khakis and button downs. You know the norms in your area best.)

2) Your introduction is fine. It wouldn't hurt to add a line to the effect that 'it looks like a terrific school' or 'the x program sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.' Stating a positive almost always gets any conversation off to a better start.

3) Ask about any changes that they are anticipating in the coming year that would impact you as a potential undergraduate. Ask if they attended the college (often alums staff the desks at these fairs) and if they did, ask what they found most memorable about it. Ask about the services provided by the career center. Don't ask about things that are obvious from reading the web-site, unless you are talking to the rep at a school you never considered but are now intrigued by.

[MidwestMom17]

I echo M's mom's advice. Also be sure to check out colleges you have not yet seriously considered -- you may find one to add to your list.
The admissions reps are usually great sales people for their college, about all you have to do is say "Hi, I'm X," and they will take it from there -- asking you questions, giving their spiel, etc. Be sure to sign up on any lists they have for emails, home address, etc., and pick up catalogs/viewbooks.
Also some fairs have info sessions on financial aid or other topics; those are usually helpful.

[younghoss]

And since this is something of an interview, think ahead and be prepared; what questions might the rep ask you? Have answers ready.

[beolein]

If there will be more than just a few schools and more than just a few fellow students attending, note the following.
You will learn nothing about the schools that you can’t find on their web sites. If you have a question about something you couldn’t find on a site, the rep likely won’t be able to answer it because they know only general information.
The reps will not remember you later and don’t forward to their schools lists of students they like or don’t like.
College fairs are relics of the pre-internet age when information was hard to come by, fewer students existed, and only selective colleges who needed to recruit students participated.