College Fairs

At the fair, you'll find out about academic programs, campus activities, financial aid, and admissions requirements and have the opportunity to talk briefly with college representatives.

• Make a point to talk with the college representatives – they want to engage with you and answer your questions. 
• Take notes. 
• Sign up to be on the mailing lists at colleges that interest you.
• Pick up brochures from colleges that interest you and take them home to review.
• Attend information sessions, if available.

Be sure to go to the fair prepared to maximize your time. Bring paper and pen to take notes, and a list of questions.

Some questions you may want to ask:

• What are the college's strengths?
• What kind of extra academic help is available?
• If you are the first in your family to go to college: do you have any programs for students who are the first in their family to go to college?
• What majors are the most popular?
• What are the admissions requirements?
• What scholarships and financial aid are available?
• What qualities should prospective students have?
• When must I choose a major?
• What is the average student to teacher ratio?
• Is student housing guaranteed all four years?
• How are roommates selected?
• What programs are offered to help students adjust to college life?
• What other student services are offered (tutoring, career counseling, study groups)?
• Please estimate the percentage of grants, scholarships, loans and work-study awarded in your financial aid packages.
• How many freshmen return for their sophomore year?

If you’ve had an in-depth conversation with a college representative, stay in touch. Send a thank you for the time and information you received.

Check with your school counselor or college advisor about a fair near you.

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When	Event	Time	Where
April 20, 2023	Southern Tier College Fair at SUNY Broome Community College	6pm-8pm	SUNY Broome CC Ice Center 907 Front Street Binghamton, NY 13905
April 26, 2023	Rockland County SUNY College Fair	6pm-8pm	Rockland Community College Eugene Levy Fieldhouse 145 College Rd Suffern, NY 10901
April 27, 2023	Hudson Valley College Fair at SUNY New Paltz	6pm-8pm	SUNY New Paltz Athletic and Wellness Center 1 Hawk Dr New Paltz, NY 12561
May 3,2023	Rochester College Fair at SUNY Brockport	6pm-8pm	SUNY Brockport Special Events Recreation Center (SERC) 321 New Campus Dr Brockport, NY 14420
May 4, 2023	Buffalo College Fair at SUNY Buffalo State University	6pm-8pm	SUNY Buffalo State Sports Arena 267 Rees St Buffalo, NY 14222
May 5, 2023	Bronx TCAC Transition Fair	9am-3pm	UFT Bronx Borough Office 2500 Halsey Street Bronx, NY 10461
May 7, 2023	Long Island College Fair at Suffolk County Community College: Michael J. Grant Campus	12:30pm-2:30pm 3pm-5pm	Suffolk County CC: Michael J. Grant Campus Suffolk Federal Credit Union Arena Crooked Hill Road Brentwood, NY 11717
May 21, 2023	New York City College Fair at Armory Track and Field Center	12:30pm-2:30pm 3pm-5pm	Armory Track and Field Center 216 Fort Washington Ave New York, NY 10032

 

 

Tips for Making the Most of Your College Fair Visit

Planning ahead with these seven tips can help you make the most of your time at a college fair:

1. Organize before you go. Review a list of the participating colleges, usually available online or at your high school guidance office. Choose those in which you are especially interested. Make another list of secondary colleges to check out if you have time.
2. Prepare your questions ahead of time. Review the colleges’ websites and prepare questions you would like to ask. College fairs are fairly crowded and you may not have time to get all of your questions answered, so choose questions not easily found on the schools’ websites.
3. Print address labels to bring with you. Save time filling out college interest cards and pre-print labels with your name, address, email address, your high school, when you expect to start college and the major(s) that interest you. Some high school guidance offices provide personal bar codes with this information –  check with your school.
4. Strategize. When you arrive, pick up a map, if available, so you know the layout of colleges. Some college fairs don't provide a map but organize colleges alphabetically. Target the colleges you want to visit so you don’t waste time backtracking.  Bags are often available at the door for collecting brochures.
5. Try to arrive early. Early arrival allows you to move at a more leisurely pace. Also, the later you arrive, the more crowded it gets and the less likely the college reps will have as much time to spend with you.
6. Review carefully.  After the fair, review each college’s materials carefully. If there’s something you really like about the school, highlight it and put a sticky note on the page so you can find it later. If you have a question about something you read, write it down and put it on the top of the pile. If you can’t find the answer in the brochures, check out their website. If you still have questions, send an email to the admissions representative to get more information.
7. Stay organized. Once you’ve reviewed everything, create a file for each college that still interests you so you can add any additional information you receive from them. You may discover that some of the schools you were considering aren’t really good for you. Weed out the brochures of colleges that aren’t a good fit and bring them to your guidance office to share with other students. A personal college file will become an important resource when making your college choice.