Around 80 universities, junior colleges and military schools from across the nation connected with students and families at the annual college fair on Oct. 8 in the cafeteria. Universities in attendance included Harvard, Louisiana State University, Texas Tech, junior colleges like Houston Community College and military schools such as West Point.
College Access Coordinator Jasmine Thomas was the head coordinator of the college fair. Last year was her first time managing the event.
“I was very nervous about [my first Bellaire college fair] because I didn’t know what to expect and there were a lot of high expectations,” Thomas said. “[This year], we used color coordination, we had more volunteers, and I was more communicative with the representatives.”
Thomas also saw a change in table displays and what schools had to offer. During the fair, she said she enjoyed seeing all the students and meeting their parents.
“By showing kids who don’t know where they’re going in life with some small visuals like a college fair, I feel like I’ve done what I’m supposed to do,” Thomas said. “That’s a part of why I’m here and why I’m doing this. My ‘Why?’ is definitely meeting students [and] seeing them be successful in the future.”
To manage the high turnout, parent and student volunteers worked behind the scenes to organize the setup of the fair. Parent volunteer Rania Yacoub, who has been volunteering at the College Center since the start of this school year, helped organize the event.
“I ultimately showed up to support my daughter and to get the most out of what this free and in-person event had to offer,” Yacoub said. “She’s a sophomore, but I’m still trying to get us as prepared as possible and as early as I can.”
For senior Liyan Feng, the college fair helped him gain a little more confidence about the college application process.
“I asked UT Austin about their honors programs like Turing and Dean’s Scholars, and what they’re looking for in application essays because the essays on their website were kind of dull,” Feng said. “I also asked Rice about the majors I wanted, their famous residential colleges and how I can incorporate that into my essay.”
Despite attending the college fair, Feng said it did not narrow down his college list nor broaden it. Like many other seniors, Feng said he already felt prepared for college applications and only went to the fair to gather more information.
Junior Katherine Huang said she visited the fair to get a head start before senior year and see what certain colleges were looking for.
“I wanted to give myself ample time to learn about the colleges that I want to go to,” Huang said. “I was interested in asking the representatives about their own experiences at that college, if they were alumni.”
Initially, Huang was only interested in applying to UT Austin. However, the fair expanded her college list to the University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas at Arlington.
“I used to think that college admissions were particular about certain aspects,” Huang said. “Apparently, most schools like UT Austin have a general holistic review. They don’t just look at your main area of interest, but also your overall grades, SAT score and letters of recommendations.”
Washington University alumni Karina Carcamo was her school’s representative at the college fair. WashU offers programs such as Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology (PNP), Beyond Boundaries and Olin Business.
This was Carcamo’s second time representing WashU at a college fair. She said she enjoys volunteering for her school.
“Whether you’re a junior or senior in high school, it’s always nice to be able to mingle with parents and also talk about the student side,” Carcamo said. “I told a parent and student that there was no fear in and nothing wrong with coming up to the table and asking questions. Even I myself was super undecided going into college. But at WashU, you have the flexibility to truly take anything you want while meeting different environments.”
Executive Director of Admissions Charles Murphy, who has been attending college fairs for 20 years, represented Rice University. Rice offers seven undergraduate schools of study and over 50 total majors.
“In college fairs, the conversations with students and families are relatively short, but I hope each of them walks away with a motivation and enthusiasm to learn more,” Murphy said. “Whether that’s coming to visit campus because we’re not too far away, exploring more on our website or watching some things on the admissions YouTube channel, I hope they convey some things and possibly get [students] more excited about coming to Rice.”
Murphy said he worked for four different post-secondary institutions in four different states. He’s been to schools ranging from urban to rural and from large to small.
“Obviously, we’re all here to recruit students to our schools, but I think all of us at the fair want to promote college as an option for any and all students,” Murphy said. “We just want to encourage students to consider college, whether that’s a four or two-year college, because furthering your education beyond high school really opens up a lot of opportunities. There’s usually great benefits to continuing your education in some way, shape or form after high school.”
To learn more about future events like the college fair or the college application process, visit the College Center in Room 1304 or the school’s website. Upcoming events organized by the College Center include weekly campus visits by colleges like University of Houston Downtown on Oct. 17 and American University on Oct. 23.
