2017 Charlotte College Fair – with over 200 colleges and universities

BY LEE SHULMAN BIERER

Attending your local college fair is a great way for students and parents to dip their toes in the waters of college exploration. It’s crazy loud, crazy crowded and yes, a little intimidating, but it’s a harmless first exposure that often yields great results.

Charlotte’s College Fair is Sunday March 12, 12-4 p.m., the Park Expo and Conference Center, 800 Briar Creek Road. See below for workshop schedule and complete list of colleges,

College fairs are an information-gathering bonanza. I often suggest that families with freshmen and sophomores go because it makes a student’s next step after college more of a reality. For students who haven’t really figured out that high school grades count, a lot, encouraging them to have a brief, one-on-one conversation with an admissions representative from the college of their dreams does wonders. Feedback from families has been very positive. The reality that college is just a few short years away sinks in and formerly lackadaisical students “get it,” turning themselves into more dedicated students because they now have a goal in sight. 

Homework to do before attending the College Fair:

• Find out which colleges will be attending (see our list below) and make a list of the ones you want to visit.
• Check out the booth location map and scope out your most expeditious route.
• Register at gotomyncf.com and print out your badge with a barcode. This will make stopping at a variety of colleges much simpler and faster. Each college will be able to scan your badge and automatically put you on their email and regular mail distribution lists.
• Create a list of questions that are specific to your needs and wants, i.e., don’t ask about their SAT test scores when you can find that out on their website or in a college guidebook. Instead ask something like “I’m thinking of majoring in business but I’d like to study abroad, where will I be able to go abroad and still continue taking business courses that will count towards my major?”
• Discuss your priorities: size, cost, majors of interest, 2 or 4-year college, co-ed or single sex, far away or close to home, etc.
• Make a list of the college representatives you’re interested in meeting.
• Check out the workshops available – see the list below.

Making the most of the College Fair while you’re there:

• Introduce yourself when possible to the admissions representative. Request business cards so you can follow-up.
• Ask your question(s) and come prepared to take notes on each college’s responses.
• Divide and conquer. If your list of colleges is very long, you may be best served by splitting up and stopping at booths independently. Some booths will have very long lines and run out of brochures and business cards, so plan your time strategically.
• Attend any of the workshops on the college search process, financial aid, test prep, etc. These sessions are good and it’s a great excuse to sit down! See list below.
• Be adventurous and go beyond the “usual suspects.” Make it your mission to find one college that you’ve never heard of and learn something about it.
• Don’t hog the admissions representative, especially if there is a long line. Ask your question, collect your literature, say thank you and move on.

Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte. Send questions to: lee@collegeadmissionsstrategies.com; www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com

 

 

2017 Charlotte College Fair –

Where:       The Park Expo and Conference Center, Independence Hall, 800 Briar Creek Road, Charlotte

When:        Sunday March 12,  12-4pm

Cost:           FREE

More information:

Register:     www.gotomyncf.com

Website:     www.nacacnet.org (type in “Charlotte College Fair” in search box)

E-mail:       collegefairs@nacacnet.org 

Phone:         703-299-6853

 

Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte. Send questions to: lee@collegeadmissionsstrategies.com; www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com

 

 

Workshops at the 2017 Charlotte College Fair:

1:00-1:45

• Paying for College, Timeka Ruffin, CFNC Regional Representative
• The SAT: 10 Application Tips, Edward Kim, Director of Curriculum
• Building College Readiness with the SAT Suite of Assessments, Supriya Oberoi, College Board
• Campus Connections featuring HBCU’s Gerald Baucom, Campus Connection BCT, Inc.

2:00-2:45

• Searching for Scholarships, Timeka Ruffin, CFNC Regional Representative
• Don’t Stress-Prepare: What Every Student Should Know Before and After the ACT, Marchelle Horner, Account Manager of Client Relations for the ACT
• College Aid and Affordability (1 of 2), David Gelinas, Senior Associate Dean and Director of Financial Aid for Davidson College
• The SAT: Your Scores have Arrived. Now What?, Edward Kim, Director of Curriculum

3:00-3:45

• Selective College Admissions: Getting Into Selective Schools, David Kraus, Director of Admission for Davidson College
• The SAT: 10 Application Tips, Edward Kim, Director of Curriculum
• College Aid and Affordability (2 of 2), David Gelinas, Senior Associate Dean and Director of Financial Aid for Davidson College
• org: Todo que se necesite para planificar, solicitar admission y pagar sus estudios universitarios Donna Weaver, Spanish Services Manager NCSEAA

Bierer is an independent college adviser based in Charlotte. Send questions to: lee@collegeadmissionsstrategies.com; www.collegeadmissionsstrategies.com

 

LIST OF COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ATTENDING

2017 CHARLOTTE COLLEGE FAIR:

1-Aberystwyth University

2-Allen University

3-American University

4-Anglia Ruskin University

5-Appalachian State University

6-Aquinas College

7-Arizona State University

8-Armstrong State University

9-Auburn University

10-Auburn University College of Liberal Arts

11-Belmont Abbey College

12-Berry College

13-Boyce College

14-Brandeis University

15-Brenau University

16-Brevard College

17-Bryant University

18-Campbell University

19-Capitol Technology University

20-Carolinas College of Health Sciences

21-Catawba College

22-Central Piedmont Community College

23-Charleston Southern University

24-Chowan University

25-Christopher Newport University

26-Clemson University

27-Cleveland Institute of Art

28-Coastal Carolina University

29-Coker College

30-Colby-Sawyer College

31-College of Charleston

32-Colorado State University

33-Columbia International University

34-Converse College

35-Davidson College

36-DePauw University

37-Duquesne University

38-East Carolina University

39-East Tennessee State University

40-Eastern Kentucky University

41-Eckerd College

42-Elon University

43-Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

44-Fairmont State University

45-FIDM/The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising

46-Fisk University

47-Florida Institute of Technology

48-Florida Southern College

49-Florida State University

50-Full Sail University

51-Furman University

52-Gardner-Webb University

53-Georgia College and State University

54-Georgia Southern University

55-Georgia State University

56-Goucher College

57-Greensboro College

58-Guilford College

59-High Point University

60-Hofstra University

61-Hollins University

62-Horry-Georgetown Technical College

63-Hussian College-Relativity Campus California

64-IE University

65-Indiana University Bloomington

66-Jacksonville State University

67-John Cabot University

68-Johnson & Wales University

69-Kalamazoo College

70-Keiser University – Flagship Campus

71-Kennesaw State University

72-Kent State University

73-Kettering University

74-King’s College

75-Lander University

76-Lee University

77-Lees-McRae College

78-Lenoir-Rhyne University

79-Limestone College

80-Long Island University-LIU Post Campus

81-Longwood University

82-Louisiana State University

83-Loyola University New Orleans

84-Lynn University

85-Maine Maritime Academy

86-Mars Hill University

87-Marshall University

88-Mary Baldwin University

89-Marymount Manhattan College

90-Massachusetts Maritime Academy

91-Medaille College

92-Mercer University

93-Meredith College

94-Merrimack College

95-Methodist University

96-Michigan State University

97-Midway University

98-Mississippi State University

99-Montreat College

100-Mount St. Mary’s University

101-Nazareth College

102-Newberry College

103-North Carolina A & T State University

104-North Carolina Central University

105-North Carolina State University

106-North Carolina Wesleyan College

107-Norwich University

108-Nova Southeastern University

109-Ohio University

110-Old Dominion University

111-Pace University

112-Palm Beach Atlantic University

113-Paul Smith’s College

114-Penn State University

115-Pfeiffer University

16-Piedmont International University

117-Presbyterian College

118-Providence College

119-Purdue University

120-Queens University of Charlotte

121-Radford University

122-Regent University

123-Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

124-Rider University

125-Roanoke College

126-Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

127-Sacred Heart University

128-Saint Bonaventure University

129-Saint Louis University

130-Saint Mary’s College

131-Salem College

132-Samford University

133-Savannah College of Art and Design

134-Seton Hall University

135-Shaw University

136-Shenandoah University

137-SKEMA Business School

138-Southern Methodist University

139-St. Andrews University

140-St. Lawrence University

141-St. Mary’s College of Maryland

142-Stevenson University

143-SUNY College at Potsdam

144-SUNY Maritime College

145-Sweet Briar College

146-Temple University – Japan Campus

147-Texas Christian University

148-The American University of Paris

149-The Art Institutes

150-The Catholic University of America

151-The Citadel

152-The New School

153-The Omega Studios’ School of Applied Recording Arts and Sciences

154-The University of Alabama

155-The University of Alabama in Huntsville

156-The University of Arizona

157-The University of Georgia

158-The University of Manchester

159-The University of North Carolina at Pembroke

160-The University of Tampa

161-Tulane University

162-Tusculum College

163-United States Coast Guard Academy

164-University College Dublin

165-University of Advancing Technology

166-University of California-Berkeley

167-University of Central Florida

168-University of Kent

169-University of Maryland

170-University of Mississippi

171-University of Mount Olive

172-University of New Hampshire

173-University of New Haven

174-University of North Carolina at Asheville

175-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

176-University of North Carolina at Charlotte

177-University of North Carolina at Greensboro

178-University of North Carolina at Wilmington

179-University of North Carolina School of the Arts

180-University of North Florida

181-University of Pittsburgh

182-University of Rhode Island

183-University of Rochester

184-University of San Francisco

185-University of South Carolina

186-University of South Carolina Aiken

187-University of South Carolina Beaufort

188-University of South Carolina Upstate

189-University of South Florida

190-University of Tennessee

191-University of the District of Columbia

192-University of the Sciences in Philadelphia

193-Villanova University

194-Virginia Commonwealth University

195-Virginia Military Institute

196-Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

197-Wake Forest University

198-Warren Wilson College

199-Washington College

200-West Virginia University Institute of Technology

201-Western Carolina University

202-Western Kentucky University

203-Western Michigan University

204-Westminster College

205-William Peace University

206-Wingate University

207-Winthrop University

208-Wittenberg University

209-Wofford College

210-Xavier University

211-Xavier University of Louisiana

212-Young Harris College