A great way to help you decide which colleges are a good fit for you is to attend a college fair. College fairs are large gatherings of representatives from many colleges and universities who are there to answer the questions of prospective students. Each school will have their own booth with all sorts of brochures and information. There are college fairs for students with specific interests (such as local, religious or private colleges), while other college fairs have representatives from a mix of schools all across the country.

Once you narrow down the type of school that you are interested in, college fairs can be a great way to help you decide which schools to visit. Learn more about taking a college tour.

Here are some tips to help you make the most out of your college fair experience:

• Research what schools will be at the fair and make a list of booths you would like to visit
• If the fair has a map, take advantage of it and map out a route that allows you to visit all of the colleges that you are interested in
• Make a list of questions to ask each school such as specific information on majors, extracurricular activities and what the student experience is like
• Each school will be asking you for your contact information and you can save time by bringing labels with your contact information
• Bring a bag or backpack with you to hold all of the brochures and papers you will be receiving from the different college
• Bring a pen and a notebook and take notes on each school as you visit the booths
• About a week after the fair, review all of the information you received from the schools and the notes that you took

Find a College Fair Near You

• Ask your high school guidance counselor for information about college fairs in your area.
• The National Association for College Application Counseling (NACAC) holds college fairs all over the country
• College Week Live hosts online college fairs