College Fairs of Greater Denver, Inc. has three out-of-state college fairs planned for this coming week.These fairs present a great opportunity for freshman, sophomores and juniors to start browsing through the huge variety of colleges across the nation and beyond. For seniors, the fair is the perfect place to meet the admissions representative that may be reading your application and both verify and update your college list.

The fair closest to Boulder is at Monarch High School in Louisville on Wednesday, October 12 at 6:30 pm.  This event will be repeated in Denver the next night, Thursday, October 13 at 6:30 pm.  On Saturday, October 15, a third fair and series of workshops will be held in Castle Rock from 10 am – 2 pm.

It is very easy to identify many good reasons to attend one of these local college fairs:

  •  Look for new options and colleges that you might want to attend.
  • Help identify the campuses that you really want to spend time and money to visit.
  • Talk to the college admissions representative in person rather than online or over the phone.
  • Attend the free workshops at the Saturday fair on a wide variety of topics from selecting colleges and writing essays to financial aid and careers.

The College Fairs of Greater Denver website also provides a list of tips for attending college fairs and some suggested questions to pose to the college representatives.  Before going to the fair, do prepare by identifying who you want to talk to from the list of colleges attending and have questions ready.  Bring with you a pen and copies of your resume, if you have one. 

You should plan to arrive at the fair at the very start of the session to beat the crowds. Do anticipate difficult parking, particularly if you arrive much after the starting bell.  This event is not a good time to spend with friends. Work alone or with a parent to be most productive.

When your time to talk to the admissions representative comes, be sure to introduce yourself and shake hands. Use good eye contact and state what you are interested in or ask your questions. Take one of their business cards and take notes, potentially on the business card. For colleges that you really want to attend, send a thank-you note for their time during the fair.