Independent College Consultant, Marie Morris, stopped by with great information about the benefits of attending college fairs...and the best way to navigate them once you're there.

There is a major college fair this weekend:

Portland College Fair

• Oregon Convention Center
• Friday, October 26, 2012, 9-12noon
• Saturday, October 27, 2012, 1-5pm
• To register, go to this website
• To find out which colleges will be represented, check out this website

So what should a student do at the College Fair?
In addition to over 200 colleges in attendance, there are also workshops on topics such as college admission, essay writing financial aid, and finding funds for Oregon students.
There are counselors on site to answer questions as well as financial aid people.

Should a student go with their parents?  Absolutely!  Lots for the parents to learn.
Should a student go with friends?  Absolutely!  Make it fun!
 

Does a student need to prepare?  To get the most out of the fair, registering ahead and looking at the schools that will be present will help.  The college fair can be overwhelming, but if a student has an idea of a few schools they want to talk to, that can give them a plan.  Most of the people staffing the booths are admissions folks, the first ones to read your application.  Also, look at when the workshops at occurring and plan around that.