EducationQuest will host a spring Virtual College Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CT Tuesday, March 1. This is your last chance this semester to visit with more than 60 colleges in one place! Read on to learn how to make the most of your time at the fair and find your right fit. 

Plan in advance

Check out the list of participating colleges and make a note of the schools you want to visit. When thinking about selecting a college, it’s helpful to have at least one dream school in mind, several schools that meet all your criteria, and a fallback school in case your plans go sideways.

All the schools you consider should meet your basic criteria. At the very least, they should offer the major you are interested in, but also consider the size, location, and social climate. Don’t rule out a college at this point in the process because you think it may cost too much. Your dream school might become affordable if you earn scholarships and qualify for financial aid.

Ask lots of questions

While at the Virtual College Fair, you can join a group video chat or have one-on-one discussions with college reps. Both options are helpful for different reasons.

College reps often give an overview of their school during group video chats, which is helpful if you don’t have specific questions. If you haven’t talked to a college rep before, this is a great way to get started. Just remember it’s their job to recruit students to their school, so they will make it sound very attractive. For example, they may refer to the oldest dorms on campus as “charming” or “traditional” when they are actually just old and lack air conditioning.

The one-on-one chat format allows you to ask much more specific questions. Ask about campus-based scholarships, an honors program, Greek life, how many students stick around on weekends, the possibility of internships, and anything else that interests you. Check out this list of questions to get your creative juices flowing.

Three $500 scholarships will be awarded

To make visiting college booths even more fun, EducationQuest will award three $500 Virtual College Fair Scholarships! To be eligible, visit at least five college booths on March 1. That’s it! So simple! Scholarship applications don’t get much easier than this. You can find out more details about the scholarship here.

Good luck finding the right college for you. See you at the Fair!