College Fairs for Students by Career Council and National Hispanic College Fairs

Tips, Suggestions, and Questions to Ask Your Recruiters at a College Fair

Choosing a college is an exciting and vital time in your life. With input from counselors and parents, you need to start thinking about what you want to accomplish in the next four years, in order to create a foundation you will build on for the rest of your life.

Have you always wanted to be a doctor, or an actor? Have you already picked your career? Or are you going with the flow, waiting for an exciting opportunity to come along to find something that resonates with you? Either way, you need to pick the college that is most likely to give you the experience you need to attain your goals.

When you have an interview with a college recruiter, they will be asking you many questions. They will ask about your goals, how you study, your extracurricular activities, volunteer work, etc. You should be prepared to answer these, but you should be prepared to ask your own questions as well! Let them know that you have a plan, and that you want to see how their institution can help you achieve your plan.

Here are some question suggestions that you may find helpful:

The College

• What makes this school unique? You need to know the advantages of picking any particular college.
• What is the ratio between students and teachers in a typical class?
• What aspect of the school is most popular with the students? This can tell you a lot about both the school and those who attend it.

Admissions

• What are the requirements: grades, courses completed, etc.?
• How strongly do the SAT or ACT scores count? This can be to your advantage or disadvantage.
• How important are letters of recommendation? 

Academics

• What is the college famous for? Science? Pre-med? Drama?
• What are the most popular majors?
• What are the most challenging majors?
• Do they have programs that cannot be found elsewhere?
• How heavy is the workload? 
• Are there internships available or chances to study abroad?

Finances

• How much does it generally cost to attend each semester? Don't just ask about the cost of credits, include tuition, books, course fees, lab fees, room and board, other fees, and living expenses. 
• What financial aid programs and scholarships are available in your chosen field? The number of scholarships sponsored by small charitable groups is fantastic. The college will have a list of all of them.
• What about work-study programs? Are any in your major?

In most cases the college recruiter will have attended or is currently attending the college they are representing. If so, have them share their personal experiences.

Ask about how your interviewer survived freshman year. Is it common to join a fraternity/sorority? What was life like in the dorms? What made your interviewer proudest during college, and what was their worst mistake?

You can even ask about the quality of cafeteria food. What is the town like? What do the students do for fun? If you're interested in writing or acting, but not as a major, think about asking how hard is it to get a part in theater productions, or a position on the college newspaper.

When you go into your interview, you want to impress the person. You'll need to have spent some time thinking about answers to the questions they're likely to ask. But don't ignore the possibility that they'll open the floor to your questions. So, be sure to have some good ones picked out! Your questions can be just as important as your answers.

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This could easily be one of the best and most exciting times of your life. We understand the importance of the decision you and possibly your parents are considering. Please feel free to contact us you have any questions we might be able to help you with.

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