By Jocelyn Osborne

 

At Lead Up, we believe it is never too early to begin looking at colleges. Recently, Toshi, a Lead Up junior, attended her first Education Quest college fair at Southeast Community College. Here is what she had to say about the event:
What did you expect to see when you attended this event?

“When I went to the college fair, I didn’t expect there to be as many colleges as there were. I was also expecting to only see Nebraska colleges.”

With colleges spanning from Nebraska, to Missouri, to even Colorado and Arizona, Toshi was surprised by the amount of choices she had when visiting with admissions representatives from well-over fifty colleges and universities.

 

When you visited with admissions representatives from these colleges and universities, what questions did you choose to ask them?

“Some of the questions I asked colleges were, “What are dorms like?” and “Do you have a Photography major?” I was also asking how many kids are accepted into their school. Those were some of the things I was asking.”

Toshi went on to say that these are her greatest concerns when deciding where she wants to attend, prompting those specific questions. She also asked questions such as, “How many students find jobs within six months of graduation?” and “What financial aid options are available?”

 

What did you like most about the college fair?

“The best thing I saw was how all of the schools had something different to show what they offer. They were all creative instead of just handing you a pamphlet. Some even turned their brochures into origami or pieces of paper that looked like their school mascot.”

 

What advice would you give to any other people your age who are attending a college fair?

“Have some questions ready in advance. Do some research on what schools you might be interested in so you can maybe get to know that school. Go in open minded. If you go in thinking, ‘I just want to go to an in-state university,’ or, ‘I just want to go to a community college,’ that might limit your options and you might not find a college you like that is the complete opposite of what you want but is one you will really like.”

Toshi went into the college fair interested in only seeing out-of-state colleges, but became interested in many in-state options after attending this fair. Because she had a strong list of questions prepared to ask each admissions representative, she had an easy time beginning conversations and learning as much as she could about each college in a short period of time.

So, would you attend another college fair?

“I would definitely attend another college fair. It’s a great experience and it opened my eyes to a whole new world of things I can do.”

With a bag full of brochures about financial aid, dorm life, and what each college has to offer, Toshi now has all year to narrow down her favorites before attending next year!