THINK ABOUT WHAT COLLEGE IS RIGHT FOR YOU

• Large, medium, or small (undergraduate and graduate)
• In-state or out-of-state
• Private or public
• Calendar (semester, quarter, trimester)
• Student body (diversity, male/female ratio, international students)
• Academics (core curriculum, majors, minors, research, professors, class size)
• Social environment (greek life, sports, spirit, weekends, nightlife) 
• Extracurriculars (clubs, sports, work, volunteer)
• Expenses (tuition, room, board, fees)
• Special programs (honors, co-ops, internships, combined degrees, direct admit)

Find out the list of schools that will be in attendance 

• Do your research for the colleges that are of interest to you based on the above list 
• Then put together a tiered list ranked from first to last 
• Prepare a list of questions 
• Include the same core questions for each college. This will help you compare different colleges on a like-for-like basis. 
• Also, include questions that are specific to a particular institution and the programs and opportunities offered.

Gather supplies 

• Bring a pen and notebook to jot down important information and record the responses to your questions.
• If you are more inclined to take notes via your phone, use the KW4C CollegeFair preset template in google sheets to keep the distraction of looking at your phone to a minimum during conversations. “Make a Copy” of this template for your personal use. 
• Bring a small tote bag or backpack to keep all the materials (brochures, pens, viewbooks, etc…) collected in one place. 
• Pre-Register at StriveFair.com. Be sure to create an appropriate and professional email address to be used for all college communications and applications. 
• Don’t forget to pack your tiered college list and questions or have them ready in your google sheets template.
• Bring a water bottle 
• Wear comfortable shoes 

• Dress the part 
• Be genuine 
• Plan to arrive early for parking and plan the route of tiered-college list
• Pick up a map showing the location of the college table/booth
• Once the fair opens, implement your plan 
• When speaking with college admission reps
• Smile, shake hands and introduce yourself - be sure you are the one doing the talking - NOT your friends or parents
• Explain why you are interested in a particular school 
• Make sure you ask the questions you prepared - remember you are here to get specific answers don’t use the valuable time to ask questions that are easily found on the institutions' website 
• If the college admissions rep is unable to answer your question, ask for the name and contact information of someone who would have the answer 
• Collect any materials at the table that are of interest to you
• Ask what is the best way to contact the rep at a later date, should you have further questions  
• Thank the college admissions rep for his/her time
• After leaving the table/booth jot down notes about each conversation (this will help in the future when emailing or speaking with the college admissions rep) - demonstrated interest
• What are the most important points you want to remember about a particular school?
• What are your impressions thus far?
• Is this school a “good fit” for you? 
• Don’t wait until the end of the fair to make your notes; it will all be a blur, and hard to keep everything straight 
• Keep in mind just because a particular school may have a well-known reputation, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the school for you. 

Within a few days of the fair as the information will be fresh in your mind

• Sort through and organize the material and notes that were taken at the fair
• Review the information 
• Write down any further questions 
• Follow up directly with the college admissions rep that you met to get the answers to those questions - it’s a great way to show initiative and demonstrated interest
• Make adjustments/modifications to your tiered list based on your experience and the new information you gathered at the fair 
• Have schools dropped off the list? 
• Have schools been added to the list?
• Have schools moved up or down the ranking? 
• Write a handwritten thank-you note to the admissions rep if you REALLY want to attend the school 
• Schedule campus visits to your top schools