Take Advantage of a College Fair
Colleges and universities compete with each other to attract students and reach their targeted enrollment numbers. A college fair is one of the best ways for them to market their product to a large audience in one place.
Know What Happens at a College Fair
- Accessibility is important.
School counselors are well aware of local events showcasing colleges and universities. Local colleges will often sponsor their own college fair and feature regional schools. Depending upon the location, this type of fair may include out-of-state schools. - Look for larger venues.
Larger venues attract more schools, due to the larger audience they have. This gives your student a larger selection of institutions, both small and large and from other states, to explore without having to travel to visit them in order to gain a first impression.
What Your Student Can Do Now
- Check with the school counselor.
Now that your student has a relationship with the counselor at school, the college or career path has been discussed. Your student should know whether college is necessary for the potential career goal. See if the counselor has a list of upcoming college fairs and if a representative from ICAN is scheduled to give a Career and College Planning presentation at your Iowa high school. - Attend a college fair.
In Iowa, the largest college fair is held every September in the Des Moines area. Colleges from Iowa and other states participate and share their individual features with parents and students in attendance. Having so many colleges in one place will help your student build or narrow a list of potential schools. For those who don’t live in Iowa, the National Association of College Admission Counseling publishes a list of college fairs across the nation, along with registration options. - Iowans can schedule a personal advising session with ICAN.
ICAN offers a multitude of career and college planning services to Iowa students and their parents beginning in eighth grade through high school graduation. During a personal advising session, your student can explore careers and colleges, take a career assessment, get help with scholarship applications, complete the FAFSA and understand the financial aid process. With eight locations throughout Iowa, your student would benefit greatly from one or more individualized advising sessions with a Student Success Advisor. - Sign up for ICAN’s Tip of the Week.
If not already done, register for ICAN’s Tip of the Week. Timely and relevant information based upon grade level is delivered directly to your student’s inbox, similar to your own SP3 emails. - Prep for the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
The PSAT/NMSQT is the preliminary SAT test that your junior can take in October. Even though it doesn’t count toward college admissions applications, the PSAT/NMSQT provides your student with a trial run of the SAT test, since it’s nearly identical to the SAT, as well as an understanding of the standardized test experience. Additionally, as the name indicates, the PSAT/NMSQT is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship. Some students win a $2,500 scholarship from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, while others win further corporate- or college-sponsored scholarships
What Your Student Can Do Later
- Iowa students should plan to attend the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids (ICR) Future Career and College Fair.
This event is not just for students planning to attend college. Area businesses are represented for students to explore various careers, which are grouped into clusters. Students may bring their career assessment results or spend a few minutes completing an assessment on-site. Along with numerous colleges, military personnel and people from apprenticeships and building trades are in attendance. Usually held in March, be watchful for event information on ICAN’s website. - Determine the desired features.
Your student should make a list of the desired features the ideal college should have. Those features may include degree offerings, academic programs, location, campus life, class size, facilities and most importantly, cost and financial aid. Certainly, campus beauty and a lazy river can be on the list, but only as secondary considerations and not the priority.
What You Can Do
- Go with your student.
Attend a college fair with your student. Chances are pretty good you’ll ask different questions than your student and get a glimpse of the college list your student is developing. If the college fair is a distance away from home, make a day of it and involve the entire family. Younger siblings will benefit from the experience as well. - Help develop the list of colleges.
As with any large investment, it’s helpful to make a list of the pros and cons involved. Help your student evaluate each school’s features and develop a personalized ranking system. A degree from a highly selective school may seem like the ticket to a successful future, but it’s worth it to explore other options that may be more affordable for your family.
Next Steps
Be sure to complete the survey questions at the end of this article to be entered into the 529 deposit giveaway!
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