With many seniors leaving high school, colleges looked to attract students to apply to their university. One of the many ways that school attract applications, would be through annual college fairs at each school.  This year, as a senior, I visited the College Fair with hopes to learn about in state and out of state colleges that sparked my interest.

Walking into the fair, I felt overwhelming feelings of nervous anticipation. I knew that deadlines were nearing. The cafeteria was packed with college representatives and even more packed with inquiring students. Whether it was juniors looking to get a head start on the college application process, or, seniors narrowing down their college application list, a steady flow of questions ensured that the representatives were always busy. From military schools, to study abroad programs, to everything in between, representatives and alumni were busy trying to entice students into choosing their program for the chapter of their life.

Leaving the cafeteria and entering the main hallway, I was met by several classrooms representing strictly in-state schools. Taking a left into the first class room, I was met by a burnt orange banner welcoming me to the University of Texas, Austin. Over fifty curious applicants filled the room trying to have their questions answered and show their demonstrated interest. Next, I took a right and walked into Texas A&M, College Station room and was met by another larger crowd of another 50 applicants. Again, the representatives were being swarmed by dozens of curious students. Upon exiting A&M’s room, I took another right into UH’s room. There I was met by three representatives, all currently freshmen. This meeting was very different from all of the other colleges that had hired employees act as representatives. This approach was refreshing due to the fact that I was able to relate more to the representatives, and, as a result, learned more about the school on a personal level

Leaving the fair, I had my hands full with pamphlets and business cars. Through going to the fair, I was able to learn about many new schools that I otherwise wouldn’t have considered going to. While the college fair is a very informative event, it is also a very time consuming one. Arriving at 6 p.m., I went from school to school and trying to learn about rankings, financial aid programs and campus life. Eventually, at 9 p.m., I left the fair with many new colleges in mind. However, I still wondered if there were any colleges that I missed going to because of the long lines and packed space. After all, I was only able to go to about 40% of the colleges at the fair.

It can be said that the College Fair had given me many more options for college. From touring the instate schools and learning about new out of state schools, I been able to add several new colleges to my list.