College Fair To Do's

Darlington's 18th Annual College Fair is coming up on Tuesday and we look forward to welcoming over 100 colleges and universities from around the country (and some international ones!) to campus once again. Next week, advisors will be talking to their freshmen, sophomores and juniors about the following topics to help students make the best use of their time at this much-anticipated event.

FRESHMEN:

Freshmen will probably have little idea of exactly what they are to do or what the fair is all about. That is normal and OK. It will be a new experience for them. Tell them to relax and enjoy “window shopping.” A few suggestions for them:

• Tell them to “browse” – take a look at lots of different colleges
• Be sure to stop at any college which they already have in mind
• Do a lot of listening – observe and pay attention to the questions that the juniors and seniors are asking
• Be open-minded –look at large, small, coed, women’s and men’s colleges, those close to home and far away
• They might begin asking about the high school courses that will best prepare them for admission in four years
• They should not think that they have to stop at every table, fill in a card, and ask questions – they are not applying yet, just exploring

As a fun “activity,” you might ask freshmen to pick up a brochure from a college that they have never heard of and bring it to Thursday’s advisee meeting and share it with the group.

SOPHOMORES:

This will be the second time through for most of them. They should be a little more focused, though still in the “browsing” stage.

• Ditto to all of the above advice for freshmen
• Definitely visit with any college that they are already thinking about (for many of them, UGA, Georgia Tech, etc.)
• Don’t limit themselves to just a few colleges – continue exploring many different types and locations
• Be sure to ask questions about course selection for their last two years at Darlington
• Again – listen to the conversations that the seniors and juniors are having with the college reps

JUNIORS:

The juniors should be much more focused. They should begin to look more carefully at certain schools, though still be very willing to explore.

• Begin to ask more specific questions about financial aid, merit scholarships, athletic and fine arts options and possibilities
• Ask about the colleges’ upcoming winter and spring visitor days and special programs for prospective students
• Focus more on the kinds of questions on the two attached handouts 

SENIORS will of course be really zeroing in on their top choices as they prepare for the application process and the last of their campus visits.

We invite parents to attend the College Fair with their student if they wish. And as always, the College Guidance staff is always available to answer questions and/or provide guidance!