As the leaves here in New Hampshire begin to change, it signals the start of Autumn. For some, a relaxing time to enjoy the beauty of nature, but for college seniors and admissions professionals, red and orange leaves signal a hectic/stressful couple of months. Admissions professionals will typically go on the road "recruiting" at high schools and college fairs across expansive territories requiring late nights and hours upon hours of driving.

As seniors, the stress of getting back into the normal school cycle can be dauting in-and-of itself. Add to it the stress of college visits, prepping for the fall SAT, and finding time to write a well thought college essay and you have yourself a pretty crazy start to the year.

Not to add more to the plate, but the college fairs that these admissions reps. are travelling to are a great resource for students and should be taken advantage of. It's a time when (depending on the fair) there could be over 200 colleges represented in one place. 

I always encourage students to ask pointed question when speaking to an admissions representative at a fair. Simply asking yes or nor questions won't tell you much about a college. Ask questions such as:
'Where do students in this program do their internships?'
'What are your job placement percentages?'
'How many of your students are accepted to graduate schools?'
'Do you have a core-curriculum focus?'
All of these questions, along with many others, can provide information which can help you decide whether or not the program is the calibur you would like it to be.

I also suggest making some sticky labels with your name, address, phone number, email address, subject of interests, gender, and year in high school. College reps. will have inquiry cards on their tables for you to fill out. If you have labels premade you won't need to rewrite your name and address 15 times.

You can also check out this website offering great tips.

Did you know that there will be a very large college fair hosted by Southern New Hampshire University on Monday, October 4th at 7 p.m. It's free and open to the public. To see a complete listing of the participating colleges, you can visit this website. While you're there be sure to check out the Center for College Plannings table to grab al sorts of good information or to ask one of our college counselors a questions.

See ya there!
Rich