College Fairs enable students to obtain individualized time with a college representative, collect informative materials and really make a great impression.  It is sometimes the very first interaction a student (and family) will have with a college/university.

Here are some "HELPFUL TIPS" for a productive College Fair experience:

DO YOUR RESEARCH~One of the best ways to prepare will be to review the websites of the colleges/universities prior to the fair.  Familiarize yourself with basic knowledge and be prepared to ask fully informed questions. 

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS~The very first question to a college representative should always be, "What are your Admission requirements?"  If you cannot realistically meet the requirements to be admitted, then it doesn't matter that the BIOLOGY department is stellar, or there are phenomenal STUDY ABROAD opportunities offered.  It is not to say that your academic or social interests are not important, but if you are not admissible, you may need to continue looking for that BEST FIT college/university.

CREATE STUDENT INFORMATION LABELS~Most colleges will have inquiry cards on their table for you to fill out to get on their mailing lists.  You can save a lot of time and be more productive engaging in conversations, if you already have a self-stick label on an index card ready to hand the college representative.  The information on the card should include:
NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL, PHONE (OPTIONAL), HIGH SCHOOL, GRADUATION YEAR, POSSIBLE MAJOR, GPA (OPTIONAL), SAT/ACT (OPTIONAL) ...........

COLLECT BUSINESS CARDS~The college representative behind the table may, or may not be, the territory manager for your area. It will be very important for you to stay in contact if he/she is the representative for your area.  The business card will have all of the information on it for you to send an email follow up to thank him/her for the information provided to continue the college search.This will demonstrate interest and it is nice COLLEGE FAIR ETIQUETTE!!!!