Shop for Colleges at a College Fair

The numerous options and choices in colleges and universities can make it very difficult for your student to decide on the best possible one. The decision can become even more difficult as the schools compete for your student’s enrollment. College fairs offer the opportunity to learn about and evaluate several colleges in a single day and narrow your student’s focus to a smaller list of schools to visit.

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.
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 or check the Iowa Association for College Admission Counseling’s website. The National Association for College Admission Counseling has a registry for nationwide college fairs.
Iowa students should plan to attend the ICR Future Career and College Fair.
This event is not just for students planning to attend college. Area businesses are represented so students can explore various careers, which are grouped into clusters. Students are encouraged to have their career assessment results from school or spend a few minutes in ICAN’s Career Assessment Center. Along with numerous colleges, military personnel and people from apprenticeships and building trades are in attendance. Since many exhibitors now use a Strive Scanner to communicate with potential students, students are encouraged to register for a barcode prior to the event. Put Sunday, March 24 on your student’s calendar and plan to attend this free event. The fair will be held from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center in Cedar Rapids.
Iowa students can schedule a personal advising session with ICAN.
ICAN offers a multitude of career and college planning services to 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. Both in-person and virtual appointment options are available.
Sign up for ICAN’s Tip of the Week.
If an ICAN personal advising session isn’t feasible for your student, then registering for ICAN’s Tip of the Week is another option. Timely and relevant information based upon grade level is delivered directly to your student’s inbox, similar to your own SP³ emails!

What Your Student Can Do Later

Attend the Golden Circle College Fair.
The largest college fair in Iowa 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.
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

Attend with your student.
Attend the advising session or 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.
Help develop the list.
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.

Registration is still open through March 29 for a scholarship for Iowa high school students, not just seniors. The scholarship awards $1,000 College Savings Iowa deposits, which can be used when your student is ready to pay educational expenses. Register at www.IowaStudentLoan.org/ScholarshipSignUp.

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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