Umm...University/College Fair/Tour...Ready, Set, Ask!

You never know what doors are going to open up and why they are going to open up. You've got to be ready to walk through them – L. Holt

“Okay, are you ready for this?” the overly excited adult in your life asks. “Umm...Sure” you calmly respond. 

You are thinking, “I don’t think so”, “this is a total waste of my weekend” or “I am not even sure what to ask”. Well, if you are planning on going anyway, you might as well make the best of it. How do you get ready? 
Brace yourself! You may not like what I have to say...You have to relax and plan on spending two hours at the fair. Why? Because you have to:

• Walk slowly or do a walk-through when you enter the fair
• Do NOT stop unless you really feel you want to
• Circle on map they give you (or make a mental note) possible stops as you are walking
• You have completed the round and circled some interesting choices...Now what?
• Now you are ready to go back, chat and collect brochures

Yes, this is why I suggested two hours.

If you have an idea about the program you would like to attend (you are ahead of the crowd), then you may want to talk to the people in charge of the program. Some questions to ask:

• Length of program (one, two, four...you have choices)
• Type of courses (think about the courses you enjoyed in high school)
• Class size (look for smaller classes if you like a lot of attention)
• Graduation requirements (final year group project, internships...)
• What else is important to you?

My best advice (if you want it) is to talk to current students who showed up and are eager to share their experience. Think about and question them about:

• The reason they like the program (chances are that might the reason you will hate it)
• The reason they choose the program (it could be the same reason you are considering it)
• What they do all day (it is really important to know this as you may end up there)
• Their favorite class and why (this answer will go a long way in helping you decide)
• Events (any particular concerts, activities...you look forward to)

​That’s all...Enjoy the fair and best of luck!