6 Easy Ways to Maximize a College Fair

It’s almost that time of year! You will walk into a room filled with a sea of tables and colors in front of you. Mascots, glossy brochures, swarms of eager teenagers with even more eager parents! You are face to face with your destiny, but it seems like a needle in a haystack. How do you go about finding the best college for you?

College fairs certainly have the potential to be overwhelming. before you go take a look at these 6 tips to help you make the most of your time.

1. PREPARE

Doing some prep work will save you time at the fair, and allow you to ask the admissions representative more detailed and specific questions.

• Be sure to review the list of attendees ahead of time. Look at the various college websites to get an idea of where they are located, their strongest academic programs, tuition, etc.
• Look for the university’s news page to see what groundbreaking things are happening at the campus. It is difficult to include recent news, accomplishments and research discoveries in an admissions brochure because at universities these are happening constantly.
• Overall university rankings can be a useful guide, but what’s most important is the quality of education you will receive in your intended discipline. For example, did you know UIC Business is ranked the #1 undergraduate business program in the Chicago-land region?

If you’re not quite sure what you want to study yet, that’s totally understandable. You do have some time to figure it out, and I encourage you to research the value of an undergraduate business degree.

2. BRING LABELS

Information cards are vital to the college search process. They allow the university to keep you up-to-date regarding program information, upcoming events, and deadlines, so you don’t want to skip over this.

Consider pre-printing a set of adhesive labels that include your full name, date of birth, mailing address, e-mail address, the academic discipline you’re considered in, and your high school graduation year. You can place this on the info card rather than hand-writing individual cards.

If you choose not to pre-print labels, be sure to write this information very clearly on the contact card, in print, not cursive. Don’t rush! Saving time writing quickly actually does more harm than good if the writing is illegible and the admissions office cannot connect you with the additional resources you requested.

3, BE OPEN

You will have plenty of time to narrow down the list of colleges you are interested in attending. This is an opportunity to learn, and it is best to keep your options open. Speak to everyone you can, and learn more about how the university they represent can help you accomplish your goals.

4. BE STRATEGIC

Consider starting with the table furthest from the door, and/or with a school that is not as well-known. You will likely encounter less traffic and cut your wait time down significantly.

5. ASK QUESTIONS

It is not uncommon for students to visit college fairs, wait in long lines, and finally get to the table only to pick up a few brochures. No question is a bad question, however, take advantage of this opportunity to learn about the university from an actual person. Many times admissions reps are alumni of the university or in some cases are current students, and can offer a first-hand perspective of their student experience. If you’re stuck, consider these questions.

– What makes this campus unique from other universities in the region?

– What is the student experience like?

– What are some interesting things you’ve personally experienced as a member of the campus community?

6) TAKE A BUSINESS CARD (and use it)

The college fair is the only stop on the journey to enrolling at your chosen college freshman year. You may think of a question at a point later in the process, and having a direct line of contact is much easier than wading through numerical options on the admissions information line.

Email is generally better than leaving a voicemail (you’d be surprised how many prospective students forget to include their phone number) and you will likely get a faster response. Admissions representatives are an incredible resource, and are employed to help students just like you! I have given out hundreds of my business cards but very few students actually reach out for additional info or insight. Don’t only take the business card, USE it!

Using these 6 strategies will help you to make the most of the college fair experience and ultimately make the college search easier. As you continue learning about UIC Business, consider joining us on campus for an event!

I invite you to reach out to the UIC Business undergraduate admissions team if you have any questions about UIC Business! Email us directly at bizadmit@uic.edu.