By June Peers
The College and Career Office hosted its annual College Fair on Saturday, March 25. In the morning, there were 12 workshops that informed students about the college process, such as creating a good resumé, interview skills, and college essay writing tips. In the afternoon, the fair itself began, attracting over 1,500 students, families, and community members.
The College Fair had representatives from over 150 colleges and universities, giving students a wide range of colleges to explore. Representatives came from institutions all over the country, including Syracuse University in New York and Hawaii Pacific University. Extraordinary enough, some even came from out of the country, such as The American University of Paris and Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland. With such diverse experiences associated with each college, this allowed students to decide whether they wanted to study in-state, out-of-state, or abroad.
Despite the long lines for well-known colleges such as UCLA and USC, students were able to grasp whether prestige was an important factor for them when applying to colleges. Rather than researching colleges online, students could interact with knowledgeable representatives, discovering which college would be the best suited for their preferences based on the location and whether the school caters to their desired major. Many colleges handed out pamphlets that provided helpful information, such as major selection, cost, average high school GPA of their students, and attractive campus photos.
Colleges attend these College Fairs in the hopes that they can inspire young academic talent to excel even further by attending their school. Representatives, especially, have a passion for enlightening students about the career paths they can pursue at their college.
“Our college is trying to make higher education more accessible to students by sharing as much information as possible and helping them get connected with what might be a better fit for them after high school,” UC Santa Barbara representative and admissions counselor Joanne Hernandez said.
Furthermore, colleges are always delighted to attend this College Fair each year due to Granada Hills Charter’s reputation for academic achievement.
“At Granada Hills Charter, there are a lot of extracurricular opportunities while also placing an emphasis on academic achievement. A lot of great students come from this school and UCs are definitely aware of that,” UC Davis representative and assistant director of undergraduate admissions Nancy Alderete said.
Throughout the year, colleges go through a very thorough process when trying to gain and later, review admissions. In the fall, they attend college fairs in order to gain students’ interest. In winter, they review applications and select applicants who they believe represent the academic values of the school. And finally, in the spring, they encourage admitted students to visit the campus.
At the College Fair, students were given an opportunity to plan for their academic future. As colleges are becoming more accessible to students of all backgrounds, this has allowed many to seek higher education in order to prosper in the future.
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