In past years, students would get the opportunity to find their interests and start planning for life after high school in-person. However, this year, the annual college fair is being conducted virtually for the first time. 

“This year’s virtual college fair is going to be interesting,” college and career counselor Shawna Chamberlin said via email.

Students will be able to register for the event and will then receive login information which will then take them to different colleges. By clicking on their college of choice, they can access the college’s main webpage, which allows them to watch videos, chat with representatives, and learn more about each university.

“There is no live camera conversation with the college representative,” Chamberlin said. “But, this process should make it easier for students to speak with their preferred colleges.”

As a virtual take on a college fair is a new idea, many are skeptical as to how it’ll pan out.

“The lack of personal communication between students, parents, and admissions officers really worries me,” junior Keenan Serrao said via text. “ I miss the experience of meeting with different people and learning about new programs, which will be more difficult this year as I won’t be able to achieve the same level of interaction with other people as I usually would.”

But while some have their doubts, others are hopeful and look forward to the new and different experience.

“I think it’ll turn out well,” senior Megan Guidry said via text. “College fairs help students get an idea of what different colleges have to offer. And I think colleges can still successfully do that. I think that students will even have a better understanding of what they’re looking for in a college as having the fair online will make it easier to access the information from the booths. Another thing is, this way, you don’t have to worry about the huge crowds circling around a single booth which always made it hard to learn anything.”

Even with limited resources, utilizing an online platform provides many advantages.

“An advantage students have this year is the ability to talk with more admission representatives,” Chamberlin said. “When the fair is in person, the students and parents are spending a great deal of time searching and standing in line to speak with someone. This process should make it easier to speak with their preferred colleges. I hope that students will use this opportunity to gather admission representatives’ contact information. And, once they’ve hit their favorite schools, I would check out other options as well. You’d be surprised at all the opportunities available from schools you might not have even considered in the first place.”