On May 19, students from seven schools gathered at The Shipley School to attend the Philadelphia Area Independent Schools College Fair, which hosted more than 130 colleges. This fair spearheads the beginning of college application season and gives students the opportunity to discover their potential dream schools or even simply ones they would have never considered.
For many students, the experience began during their own independent research of the attending schools.
Fifth Former Sean Scott said, “I had done some research on a couple of the schools there, and I had visited one, but a lot I hadn’t really given any thought before the fair.”
Others chose to do more directed research on the specific things they wanted in a school.
“After the fair, I began to like TCU [Texas Christian University] and SMU [Southern Methodist University], which I have now been researching a ton and continue to like.”
Sean Scott ’27
“I have a sense of what I want,” Fourth Former Alton Tionco said, “I looked into things related to majors I’m interested in.”
For many, the interactions with the college representatives were the most valuable aspect of the night.
Tionco described a particularly positive experience with the representatives of Wake Forest University, a school he had previously not been particularly interested in.
“She answered all my questions, and, honestly, now it’s one of my top schools,” Tionco said.
Scott echoed a similar sentiment after the visit.
“After the fair, I began to like TCU [Texas Christian University] and SMU [Southern Methodist University], which I have now been researching a ton and continue to like,” Scott said.
Each college at the fair was able to make itself heard despite the noisy gymnasium.
Still, some students did feel somewhat rushed. The 90-minute window means that most students can visit around 20 schools at the most.
“I wish I had more time to talk to more schools,” Tionco said.
The time allotted means students are less free to stroll through the aisles and must pick specific colleges to focus on. Despite this flaw, the experience was a net positive for many.
Tionco said, “I’m really gonna try to go to more college fairs after this.”
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