Students visited the booths of more than 150 schools at this year’s Spring College Fair.
More than 150 colleges and universities across the country trickled into the Winter X on Monday to participate in the biannual college fair. Open to fourth, fifth, and sixth formers, the fair allowed students the opportunity to interact with college representatives from a wide range of schools, such as UCLA, New York University, and Hamilton College. Organized by Ms. Megan Jackson, Receptionist and Administrative Assistant at the College Counseling Office, this fair was the second of two college fairs held this year, the first of which took place in the fall term.
According to the Director of College Counseling Ms. Marcia Landesman, the event is designed to give students the opportunity to hear directly from colleges. She said, “Students are encouraged to do substantial research about colleges before they go to the fair. This way, they can ask in-depth questions and go beyond information that can be obtained from books and websites.” Ms. Landesman also noted that the fair was “a wonderful opportunity for students to demonstrate their interests in prospective schools, an important factor in admissions at some institutions.” When asked how the event is organized, Ms. Landesman said, “Most of the time, Choate reaches out to colleges, but some colleges do request for a table.”
Many students who attended the event left with an overall positive experience. For fifth former Mehreen Pasha ’18, it was an opportunity to hear more about the programs unique to each college. She said, “I learned much more about special academic programs each college had to offer — more than what I would have learned from the website.” Fifth former Michael Zhou ’18 agreed that the fair was both informative and helpful, saying, “I left with a better sense of which colleges matched my academic interests.”
The fair lasted from 7 to 8:30 p.m., avoiding conflict with the academic schedule. For some students, this was simply not enough time. “The lines were really long, and I wasn’t able to meet every college representative I was hoping to meet,” Pasha ’18 said, adding that she regrets that the fair didn’t last longer.
Ananya Karanam ’18, another fifth former who attended the fair, also noted the brevity of the event. She said, “I think it’s an incredible opportunity that we get over 150 colleges and universities to visit twice a year. However, I actually wish the college fair had been a little bit longer, maybe two hours instead of an hour and a half. That would give people time to get used to it and also talk to so many more schools..”
Another important aspect of the college fair is about discovering colleges less known to students. Grant Corso ’18 said, “I think that it’s an awesome opportunity to talk to representatives from schools that you might be interested in and have some preconceived notions about. And at the same time you get to learn about some schools that maybe you’ve never heard about, that you might find have a lot of things that you’re very interested in.”
Much of the reactions to the fair has been positive, though some suggested changes like Pasha’s ’18. According to Zhou ’18, the fair would have been better had it been held at a place other than the school gym.
There were also considerably more fifth formers than fourth formers. This was partly because many fourth form students considered it too early to begin the college process. Additionally, though, misinformation about the fair circulated among some members of the sophomore class, causing them to think the event was just for juniors.
Overall, the college fair seemed to be a meaningful experience for those who attended. Through one-to-one conversations with college representatives, students were able to appreciate both the individuality of each college or university and the diversity of options that surrounded them.
