GETTING THE MOST FROM COLLEGE FAIR AND COLLEGE NIGHT

QUESTIONS TO ASK IN COLLEGE DECISION MAKING

 

Admissions

Student Life

Environment

Programs

Financial Aid

 

Students and parents, check out the National Association for College Admissions Counseling
website for additional college fair dates and locations!

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GETTING THE MOST FROM COLLEGE FAIR AND COLLEGE NIGHT

• Before the fairs, spend time determining what kind of school best suits YOU. This major process takes time and is complete when you finally say "Yes!" to your school of choice. Remember there is no solitary "right" college; there should be a number of "right" colleges. Your parents, counselor, and career center specialist offer many resources to help in your research.
  
• Review the list of participating colleges and with the help of your parents and counselor, decide which schools to visit at the fair. Visit those first, then explore others.
  
• Study the "Questions to Ask in College Decision Making" worksheet and prepare your own personal list of questions to ask college admissions representatives.
  
• Bring with you to the fair, prepared labels with your name and address. Often college reps will have mailing cards at their school's table for those desiring more information.
  
• Familiarize yourself with the fair program and layout. Don't forget where you parked!
  
• Obtain from college/university admissions representatives a personal business card or pertinent college application materials as needed.
  
• For College Night at Hayfield, note that all workshops will be presented three times during the evening, at 7:10 PM, 7:50 PM, and 8:30 PM. The only exception to this is the session on Considerations for Students with Disabilities, which will be held ONCE from 7:10-8:10 PM. Choose 1 or 2 sessions you wish to attend and use the remainder of time to visit with college admissions representatives.
  
• After the fairs, if you are really interested in a school, write a thank you note, using the representative's name you contacted at the fair.
  
• Follow-up also includes the all important campus visits and talking with students and former students of the colleges. They know firsthand what the academic climate is like.
  
• Finally, your goal is to find a college where you have the greatest chance of enjoying academic achievement in a satisfying living environment. A realistic assessment of your personal abilities and interests coupled with reliable information about your researched colleges will allow you to apply to colleges where your are most likely to be accepted and, more importantly, be successful!

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QUESTIONS TO ASK IN COLLEGE DECISION MAKING

Admissions:

• Where can I get an application? What is the application fee and deadline?
• What do tuition, room and board cost?
• How important are ninth, tenth and eleventh year grades? Senior year grades?
• Is it better to get an A in a regular course or a B or C in an AP/IB course?
• What are your GPA and SAT statistics?
• Are achievement tests required?
• How can high school courses count for college credit?
• Are there any other requirements? Do I need to take any special high school courses?
• How much math/science and foreign languages should I take?
• What kind of recommendations do you look for? School, community, work?
• Do you have a summer transition program?
• Are interviews required? Are there group or individual interviews and tours?
• When is it best to visit the school? Can I stay overnight in the dorm and visit classes?

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Student Life:

• Is there on-campus housing? Is on-campus housing coed?
• What percentage of students live on campus? How are roommates selected?
• What's the social atmosphere? Is it a suitcase/commuter school on weekends?
• What type of organizations and clubs are there?
• Is it easy for freshmen to get involved in activities and mix with upperclassmen?
• Can students have cars on campus? Do I need a car?
• What is the percentage of minority students? International students? Special Needs students?
• What student services are offered?
• What sports do you participate in? Intercollegiate, club, and intramural?
• What are some of the other extracurricular activities?
• How good is the dorm security? What are the campus crime statistics?
• What percentage of students study abroad?

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Environment:

• How large is your school?
• How close is it to local life?
• How large is the city or town?
• Is on campus parking available?
• What is the school culture?

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Programs:

• Is your college two or four years? What degrees do you offer?
• How large are classes? How easy is it to get to know faculty?
• How do you assign faculty advisors to students?
• Do I need a computer? Is there easy access to computer labs?
• What kind of academic support is available? Tutors, learning labs, writing centers?
• Are first year courses large lectures? Do professors or graduate students teach sections?
• When must I choose a major?
• What types of internships or co-op experiences are available?

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Financial Aid:

• What types of aid do you offer? Is aid academic (merit) or need based?
• What percent of the students get aid?
• How do I find out about grants and scholarships offered by your school?
• Are there deadlines, and what are they, for submitting FAFSA forms?
• What else do I need to submit to be considered for all kinds of financial aid?
• Do I need to file a FAFSA to get a campus job?
• What percentage of students work? How easy is it to obtain a job on campus?

See your counselor and/or career center specialist for further help.

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