Are college fairs a thing of the past?

[Anonymous]

Attended our first college fair last night. Was very underwhelmed, but not sure what I was expecting really. With the internet providing more than you even want to know, the college fair can't be what it used to be 10-15 years ago. We focused on schools that track interest and if we had time, stopped by the others. That is really the only value I saw in it.

[Anonymous]

I would assume stopping by a college fair table would be tracked as interest. Can't hurt to ask the school's, but it seems like visiting and clicking through on the emails would be tracked.

[Anonymous]

It's good fro 2nd-tier schools. 1st tier get by on reputation alone.

2nd tier also track interest, and they see you're more likely to matriculate if accepted, which is a big thing for those schools.

[Anonymous]

We're on our third kid applying to college and had never gone to a college fair until last night. Why didn't we ever do this before? (sound of head smacking desk)

DC talked to reps from quite a few schools that we couldn't travel to easily -- e.g., on the west coast -- as well as schools that she hadn't hear much about because they just don't have the buzz at her school. She was surprised to find two schools that she really liked and had not previously considered.

Equally important, she made contact with regional reps from schools she's already visited and liked. We had stressed the importance of this and DD came up with what she called her "elevator speech and go to" question to make an impression on the reps. At competitive SLACs where shaping the class is a priority, this can definitely be a plus -- our middle kid, who's at a tippy-top-ranked SLAC, definitely got a boost from connecting with the regional rep, first at a single-school event and again when the rep visited his high school.

[Anonymous]

We were at WAIS last night too. Many schools have regional directors that will be reading your child’s application. It is important for your child to meet them, shake their hand. Some were given out their resumes to directors. Others had stickers to show interest in the school or continued interest if they are already on the mailing address. My daughter talked to many and asked questions that can not be answered on the website. Show them you have been there, show them you are going this summer. Tell them what you like and ask specific questions.

She talked to a few she had never thought of. She liked previous alumni students who now work in admissions. That showed her the school seriously takes their students seriously and aren’t hiring flakey people who dob5 truly know the school.

We have been to multiple fairs, have done mock interviews, and have visited schools. About 5 regionals have remembered her and that spoke volumes too.

[Anonymous]

Admissions people at the big schools won't remember shaking a kid's hand at a college fair. That probably isn't something that really counts as interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
She talked to a few she had never thought of. She liked previous alumni students who now work in admissions. That showed her the school seriously takes their students seriously and aren’t hiring flakey people who dob5 truly know the school.

That's a really weird take.

[Anonymous]

They were a waste of time in the early '90s, too. We could send away for brochures and catalogs just as easily as we could pick them up at a college fair, where half of one's colleges of interest were missing, anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
She talked to a few she had never thought of. She liked previous alumni students who now work in admissions. That showed her the school seriously takes their students seriously and aren’t hiring flakey people who dob5 truly know the school.

That's a really weird take.

Whenever we visit a college and see that the admissions office is staffed by recent alums, it’s a signal to me that they couldn’t get jobs elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
She talked to a few she had never thought of. She liked previous alumni students who now work in admissions. That showed her the school seriously takes their students seriously and aren’t hiring flakey people who dob5 truly know the school.

That's a really weird take.

Whenever we visit a college and see that the admissions office is staffed by recent alums, it’s a signal to me that they couldn’t get jobs elsewhere.

An even more bizarre take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Admissions people at the big schools won't remember shaking a kid's hand at a college fair. That probably isn't something that really counts as interest.

Well 5 remembered her name and what school she goes to, from previous quick meetings, so obviously it does. But you do you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Admissions people at the big schools won't remember shaking a kid's hand at a college fair. That probably isn't something that really counts as interest.

Not necessarily true. My kid spoke briefly with an admissions rep from a top school at a college fair last April. When we visited campus and he approached the table that the admissions rep was staffing, he was immediately greeted by name with a familiar warm welcome and a few questions about how his (listed by name) ECs were going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
She talked to a few she had never thought of. She liked previous alumni students who now work in admissions. That showed her the school seriously takes their students seriously and aren’t hiring flakey people who dob5 truly know the school.

That's a really weird take.

Whenever we visit a college and see that the admissions office is staffed by recent alums, it’s a signal to me that they couldn’t get jobs elsewhere.

An even more bizarre take.

You don’t think it’s weird that recent History, communications, and French language majors are working in the admissions office instead of getting jobs in the “real world?”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
She talked to a few she had never thought of. She liked previous alumni students who now work in admissions. That showed her the school seriously takes their students seriously and aren’t hiring flakey people who dob5 truly know the school.

That's a really weird take.

Whenever we visit a college and see that the admissions office is staffed by recent alums, it’s a signal to me that they couldn’t get jobs elsewhere.

What the? Those are great jobs. Paid well, travel reimbursed, you get to talk up your alma mater, and then help in the admission process. I would have loved that in my 20’s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
She talked to a few she had never thought of. She liked previous alumni students who now work in admissions. That showed her the school seriously takes their students seriously and aren’t hiring flakey people who dob5 truly know the school.

That's a really weird take.

Whenever we visit a college and see that the admissions office is staffed by recent alums, it’s a signal to me that they couldn’t get jobs elsewhere.

What the? Those are great jobs. Paid well, travel reimbursed, you get to talk up your alma mater, and then help in the admission process. I would have loved that in my 20’s.

You think they are paid well? Wow.