Get Connected! The Phi Theta Kappa Network

College Fair Tips

The Missouri Alumni Association is pleased to host the annual Transfer College Fair at the Missouri Regional Convention. The college fair is an all-inclusive way to find out about colleges of interest to you because representatives from diverse senior institutions are gathered in one place. Representatives from Missouri senior institutions will be on hand to meet with students who are seeking transfer information. Most of these senior institutions offer transfer scholarships exclusively to Phi Theta Kappa members.

Due to the limited time allowed for the college fair, combined with the number of students who will attend, you may not be able to learn everything you need to know about colleges you are most interesting in attending. The MAA has assembled the following tips to enable you to make the most out of your college fair experience.

Go prepared. Before you attend the college fair, make a list of colleges that interest you the most. Then visit the websites of the colleges on your list to try to find as much general information as possible. This will allow you to ask more informed, in-depth questions when you talk to representatives at the college fair.

Make a list of questions. Write down your most important questions beforehand, so you don't forget what you want to ask. Focus on questions that pertain to your interests. Ask about majors that you are interested in pursuing. What kind of classes will you have to take for those majors? What are recent graduates of those majors doing now? How safe is the campus and its surrounding neighborhoods? What is the campus environment like on the weekends? What kinds of campus job opportunities are available? Just remember to ask questions that you couldn't find answers to from researching the websites.

Make student information labels. Most colleges will have inquiry cards that they will want you to fill out, which will place you on their mailing lists. You can save a lot of time at the fair by bringing along self-stick labels to place on the cards. Include your contact information, e-mail address, graduation date, GPA, and areas of interest.

Bring a pen and notebook. You will need these to take notes when talking to college representatives. Don't expect to remember everything they say. Write the information down.

Check out the floor plan. When you arrive at the college fair, go over the floor plan so you will know where the college reps you want to speak with are located. Mapping out your route will give you time to talk with the college representatives from your top colleges first. If there's still time left after that, browse around other tables that catch your eye.

Get business cards. Ask the college representatives for their business cards. You may want to get in contact with them again if you have further questions.

Follow up. Once the college fair is over, you should read over the college pamphlets that you received and the notes that you took. For the colleges that you are really interested in, follow up by taking virtual tours of the campuses and scheduling college visits.