College Fair Tips

Before you go to your first College Fair, here are some tips from the professional staff members in the Admissions Office:

• Always wear your name tag to identify yourself.
  
  
• Dress for college fairs is professional business attire. Remember to wear comfortable shoes as you will be standing throughout the fair!
  
  
• Share anecdotes about your positive experiences at GW. Students respond better to stories, not just facts and figures.
  
  
• Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” You are not expected to know everything. You can ask the student to write down their question and a staff member will follow-up with them or give the student the GW admissions representatives business card and encourage them to call or email
  
  
• Arrive early enough to park and set-up your table.
  
  
• Park or unload materials in front of the fair location if you do not have a cart.
  
  
• Introduce yourself and get to know the neighboring college representatives at the fair.
  
  
• Bring water just in case it is not provided. You’ll be doing a lot of talking!
  
  
• Don’t talk negatively about other institutions or be overbearing.
  
  
• Encourage students to visit the campus in person or online at www.gwu.edu.
  
  
• Remain behind your table for the duration of the event. (Guidelines developed by our professional association the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC)).
  
  
•  Promotional items or any kind of “give-a-ways” are not to be distributed. This would include items such key chains, clothing, candy, or gifts of any kind (NACAC rules and regulations).
  
  
• In the event that you run out of materials provided, collect the names and addresses of interested students and assure them that information will be mailed to them.
  
  
• Contact the Office of Admissions immediately if you are unable to attend a program or if you have questions or concerns about an upcoming event.