Max, my middle child, is sandwiched between an older sister and a younger sister. He is in 9th grade and up until now hasn't expressed an ounce of interest in the college admissions process. Ninth grade is early, mind you.
However, when he told me that he wanted to attend his school's upcoming college fair last week, I almost fell off my chair. When he asked if we could talk about the fair in advance, I couldn't believe my ears. Every student has a different timeline for when they are ready to dive into this process. But the moment they are, you want to be ready for it.
So, here's what I told Max BEFORE the fair.
For a kid who is just getting started, I wanted Max to know that the college admissions process is a big funnel. The college fair experience is the top of the funnel—for colleges and students. It is a way for colleges to get the names of students who might be interested in applying at some point. For students, it is a way to get exposure to a lot of colleges in a short period of time. In fact, it is a great way for students to start the college admissions process. It can be overwhelming for any student. But it doesn't have to be.
The night before the college fair, Max and I reviewed the long list of colleges that planned to be in attendance. There were 70 colleges in total. Most of the colleges were a bit more regional, with a few exceptions. And almost every college had a fairly generous acceptance rate—50% or higher. That is a good thing. It allows all types of students to see college as a viable option.
First step for those of you reading this, review the list of colleges in advance of the college fair!
First step for those of you reading this, review the list of colleges in advance of the college fair!
I told Max that because there will be so many colleges there and so many students, I recommended that we pick three to five colleges he should plan to reach. It is impossible to do much more than that, especially with the very limited time the 9th graders had. We identified four colleges that would make sense for him:
1. We chose a college he knows.
His sister's college. I wanted him to get some practice introducing himself to the admissions officer at a "familiar" place. He could explain that his sister goes there. And, he could talk personally about what he's observed so far about the school. Does he want to go to the same college as his sister? I doubt it. But it is a low-stress way to kick things off. I wanted Max to realize that the list of colleges he visits at the fair is not the list of colleges he will end up applying to, per se. It is just an introduction to a handful of colleges that may or may not end up on the final list.
2. Then, we selected a college he lives close to.
"Close" is more like a block away! It's also where he swims for his club team. He grew up on this college's campus—literally. He could talk to the admissions officer about his unique perspective. It doesn't mean he wants to go there. He just has a connection to it and there is something so authentic about that.
3. We chose a similar type of college to #1 and #2 that is a bit farther away.
When we looked up the major choices for this college the night before, I pointed out that they had Geography as a major. Max had no idea you could major in this. He has always loved maps, learning about countries, and populations. When we clicked on the departmental website, he learned you could specialize in three different types of geography there. His mind was blown! He had confidence in starting a conversation with the admissions officer about their unusual major.
4. The final college we picked was a much bigger university, much farther away, with the lowest acceptance rate of the 70 colleges in attendance.
Count on me to know every college's acceptance rate better than my in-laws' birthdays! I wanted Max to get a feel for a highly selective school, whether he was competitive for it or not down the road. This was a bit of a test for him. Did he want to explore a larger, urban university with higher academic standards? We shall see...
The second step, then, is selecting three to five colleges you want to visit during the college fair. You don't have to follow Max's plan; pick the colleges you want to learn more about. Include one college that pushes you outside your comfort zone, though.
After we selected the four colleges he planned to visit, we did a little research on each college. We didn't spend a ton of time doing this. I told Max that if he was lucky, he might get a minute or two to talk to each admissions officer so he didn't have to know everything about a college. He just needed a conversation starter about each school if need be.
This third step can give a student some confidence going into the fair. At the very least, you can mention something that stood out to you or ask a question when you speak to the college's admissions officer.
READ MORE: What Does the Term "School Group" Mean in College Admissions?
In advance of the college fair, Max's school shared with him and his classmates instructions on how to provide their contact information to each college. Some colleges have QR codes, while other colleges make students fill out a form.
This fourth and final step is important as it gets the student on a college's mailing list and shows "demonstrated interest." Some colleges track and use demonstrated interest in the admissions process. While visiting a college's table at a college fair isn't as powerful as visiting their campus for an official tour, it still counts if demonstrated interest is a part of the process.
Before Max went to bed the night before the college fair, I made it clear that this wasn't going to change his admissions outcomes. This was simply a first step to see if he wanted to explore certain colleges further. I assured Max that admissions officers rarely take notes on students they meet at college fairs and they rarely remember students. If anything, he would remember the admissions officers much better than they will remember him. I also wanted to remind him that he is only a freshman. There is so much time between now and when he applies to college. Going in with an open mind is the best approach.
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Not every underclassman is ready or willing to attend a college fair. But it's such "low hanging fruit" if they are up for it. Students can be fairly passive, fairly observant, and fairly chill about the college fair experience. I never thought Max would be interested in it, nor did I think he would ever want my opinion. It is a reminder to me that kids surprise us.
Max's experience at the college fair and his takeaways surprised me even more, though. Stay tuned for next week's blog to learn everything Max told me after attending his first college fair.
