Collegiate Connections: What Does It Take to Start a College Fair?
By Brooke Foster
College. It’s a simple, seven-letter word. It seems harmless enough, but it strikes fear into the hearts of juniors and seniors across the globe. For many students, college is an opportunity for them to experience the world and learn about themselves. However, for others, further education means something far more scary: preparations for the future.
The college search is still an ever-daunting challenge for the Classes of 2021 and 2022. With travel restrictions imposed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, prospective college freshmen find themselves relying mainly on the internet for help. Many universities are forced to go virtual, which in a case of an online school, can be an advantage. Campus visits are replaced by virtual information sessions. Future freshmen found themselves headed to Zoom instead of the admissions office for interviews. With ACT and SAT testing centers closed down and volunteer opportunities few and far between, students are left to wonder how their futures will play out. How can we help our next generations reach for their dreams?
With so many of their peers affected, members of NorthStar Academy’s Student Council had an idea. If students couldn’t visit the universities, what if the universities visited them? After weeks of research and brainstorming, the idea for the first-ever Virtual College Fair was born.
The idea initially started out as an extension of the Career Fair, which took place in April 2020. Student Council members would reach out to various NSA alumnus to speak about their experiences of life after graduation. However, it later began to branch out, where the Student Council learned of other virtual fairs hosted by the National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC). These virtual opportunities allowed students to not only learn more about the universities they were interested in, but also the overall college admissions process. Topics, such as financial aid and the Common App, were heavily featured.
List of visiting universities during the Virtual College Fair
In order to give NorthStar Academy students their own personal look into the admissions process, the Student Council and NSA Administration set out on a mission to contact representatives from a variety of universities. After weeks of preparation, they already received responses from over twenty individual universities (Figure 1). With only a month to go until the big event, the pressure was on for them to deliver.
When asked about the project, 20-21 Student Council Vice President, Caleb Renich, had this to say: “When I first heard the idea for the College Fair, I thought it was a pretty neat idea. Bring in lots of colleges, host some calls with the student body, and get NSA hyped up about it. Now, after putting weeks of effort and elbow grease into it, I’m 100% bought in. I can’t believe the wonderful responses we’ve received from students, staff and colleges, and I’m so excited to see where this is going!”
Brooke Foster is going into her third year with NorthStar Academy. She is currently serving as Student Council President for the 20-21 school year. In her free time, Brooke enjoys reading, writing, singing, and listening to the latest Broadway soundtracks. In the future, Brooke hopes to be able to use her skills to give a voice to those in need.