Ease fears by attending college fairs

Ease fears by attending college fairs

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A poster outside the Career Center. Photo Credit: Serena Bettis

For many high school students, college is daunting. All the work of finding a college, learning about what the school offers, deciding on location, thinking about a major, along with factoring in tuition, scholarships, and all the application requirements to apply turns into  lengthy and often frustrating tasks. With parental pressure and everything else going on in a teenager’s life, choosing a college to attend becomes an anxiety-inducing task that may often feel overwhelming. At Fossil Ridge High School, the College and Career Center is apt and ready to help.

As one of the best tools given to Fossil students for their success, the Career Center offers many college visits (typically in the fall), organizes college fairs, and gives counseling to those in need. Diane Campbell, the college counselor, is always willing to help. “It’s an exciting ride to see where kids are applying and attending,” Campbell says. She invests in guiding each struggling student’s quest for the perfect college, or assisting in exploring alternative options for life after graduation. On the topic of college fairs, Campbell refers to them as speeding dating, where students are overloaded with information all at once. “The Career Center is there to help for that,” she claims.

‘Cats to College Night, the school’s most recent college fair, featured about twenty colleges, included a keynote speech from CSU’s Director of Admissions, and thirteen different breakout sessions on frequently asked about topics. By attending even this short fair, students can learn more than they would by doing simple Internet searches or talking with their friends. College fairs debunk many mysteries about specific colleges and application processes, leading to a world of discovery.

Many people simply do not know how to start looking for the college they want to attend. In order to begin the process, the best place to start is a college fair. At a fair, students and their parents can go up to any college table, whether they know anything about it or not, and ask the most generic questions about the school. It is good to know the types of majors the college offers, the class structure and size, and something that makes that specific college unique. Cornell College, for instance, allows a student to focus on a single subject for eighteen days and then starts all over with a new class after a four-day weekend. That is something found in about ten colleges across the nation.

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Other important things to find out about a college are their resources available for research, internship opportunities, and the town surrounding the school. Knowing the college’s placement rate into graduate programs and the average amount of money a Colorado student receives in scholarships are also necessary, according to University of Nebraska representative Melissa Ruppelt. When applying to a college, it is good to visit the school, sit in on a class, and eat the food. If a student decides to go somewhere for four years, they want to be sure they like the food the place provides.

Even though the questions might seems generic, the answers are not. Some things people say repeatedly, but there is so much offered that does not meet the eye and college recruiters know about every aspect of their school. It is good for students to hear things for themselves, not only from their teachers or from parents.

Hearing someone who works in college admissions speak on how to apply to colleges also benefits students who are unsure about where they want to go. Students should ask themselves simple questions – one or two worded answers – about what they want. Location, class size, campus size, and type of school are easy answers that only students can choose for themselves. Even a hint at an idea for a major will help in deciding on a college, because if they do not have programs for something a student is interested in, the student probably should not go there. Choosing a college is all about fit. Once the list of potential colleges has narrowed down, it is important to look at admissions requirements to see if going there is realistic. If it is, students need to be sure to pay attention to all application requirements and deadlines, otherwise their chance at attending goes away.

Starting early is best, because that way a student can talk to as many colleges as possible, and they will not feel as rushed when it comes time to decide. Get online, go to college fairs and visits at school, and take tours. Searching for a college does not have to be frightening if it becomes an adventure.

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