In August, I spoke about the years I have spent behind a table at a college fair, often by the doors and therefore, by the trash can.
I love college fairs, even after being part of them for nearly two decades. I love talking to students and seeing their eyes light up with excitement as they tell me about what they love, what they hope to do with their lives, and what is important to them. It is an incredibly uplifting part of my job.
On the other hand, I’ve also seen a lot of misses — conversations that could have been more productive, more helpful to students and their families.
Part 1 of this series was to get you prepped for navigating the college fair itself. This second edition is to encourage you to think more deeply about the questions you ask, your approach to new ideas or environments, and what you hope to gain from talking to college representatives.
Think of this as your mental pre-game that can help you make the most of your time during college fairs, campus visits, summer programs, and any other opportunity you have to interact with colleges and universities. I’m coming out the gate swinging with my number one pet peeve at college fairs.
A reflection on the statement: “I’ve never heard of your school.”
Many years ago, standing behind my table (by the trashcan) at an out-of-state college fair, a student looked my table up and down, sneered, and then said, “I’ve never heard of your school before.”
Bless the high school counselor who was walking past at that very moment and brought down the hammer. She said to the student, “What’s your name? Oh? I bet they’ve never heard of you either.” Wow. That’s what I assume the student was thinking because no words came out, their mouth just hung open. The counselor then said, “Even though they don’t know your name, I bet you are worth getting to know. And so is that college.” Double Wow.
There are SO many colleges out there, with amazing faculty, amazing research specialties, and amazing opportunities. So, it stands to reason that many might be great fits for you. Like that Michael Bublé lyric, “I just haven’t met you yet” implies, don’t limit yourself to only the colleges you can name at age 17. I still don’t know all the colleges out there and I have seen A LOT of college fairs.
Don’t miss out on a great fit for you. Approach new-to-you colleges with an open mind.
Ditch “Brochure Questions” whenever possible.
What are your admission requirements? What are your average SAT scores? How do I get in? What majors do you have? Where is this school anyway…?
Whew. To be fair, these questions are sometimes necessary, and I am happy to help a student acclimate and learn more about my campus. But did you just wait in line for 20 minutes to ask me to list all our majors? Truthfully, you could look that up in less than a minute on your phone.
I’m not being snarky; I am challenging you to be strategic. Ask a question that means something to you. What will really make a difference in your decision making? If the number of volumes in the library will be the deciding factor for your college choice, then by all means, ask. But if not, approach the college representative with a different type of inquiry. Here are a few to try:
- What makes your students interesting to you? (Great question for campus vibe and ethos)
- How do students and faculty interact? (Great to hear about research, special interest groups, college size, etc.)
- Tell me about the local area around the college. (Very helpful for figuring out student life beyond the classroom, what students do for fun, internship availability, outdoor opportunities – all great things to know).
- What’s the academic culture and workload at your school? (Again, great for learning more about the values and priorities at an institution)
- What are some ways to learn more about my area of interest? (Admission counselors are bridge builders. I am not an Architect or a Material Science Engineer and cannot tell you the full curriculum of those programs. But I can recommend their visit session so you can connect to that department and learn more.)
What should you NOT ask?
Honestly, there is no such thing as a “wrong’ question as long as you learn more from it and it helps you make better decisions. That said, I will admit that I have few that I hear a lot and would recommend replacing with one of the questions above. These include: “Are your majors good?”, “How do I get in?”, “I don’t know anything about your college, tell me everything.”
Broaden Your Horizons
My (very cool) coworker asked her teenager to list 15-20 adults he knows personally and believes are successful. (Bonus if you talk about why you would describe them as successful. Is it because of money? Are they happy? Do they have a fun family? Are they respected? Does their work impact the world in a positive way? Good stuff to think about!) Then she made him ask each one where they went to college.
The resulting list was incredibly varied, and included pretty much everything you can think of: big, small, public schools, private schools, Ivy league, state schools, East Coast, West Coast, and even international schools. All of these adults were successful. All had taken very different paths. Thought practices like this help you avoid the closed-off attitude that comes with the “I haven’t heard of your school” statement.
Just like applicants, colleges and the students who attend them are varied and unique. Ask questions that help you get to the heart of a school’s values and ethos and consider if it resonates with you. And don’t forget, as you walk the aisles of a college fair, don’t rule out a school because you don’t know them. They are probably worth getting to know—just like you.
Katie Mattli has worked in college admission for over 18 years. She joined Georgia Tech in 2014 and works with first-year recruitment initiatives. Her previous years at a private liberal arts college for women fueled her love of student leadership and advocacy. She cares deeply about transparency in the admission process and supporting students, families and student advocates as they navigate the college admission process.