A record 128 colleges filled the Mount Carmel main gym during this year’s college fair on March 12, giving students a chance to speak directly with representatives from schools across the country. For many juniors, the event gave them a chance to ask direct questions and compare colleges in a way that is different from just searching online.
This year’s fair was larger than previous years, with schools from different states and different types of programs represented in one space. Students were able to find everything from local colleges to large universities, which gave them more choices to look through during the event. Counselor Mrs. Vanessa Miguez, who organized the fair, said attendance has continued growing because more colleges have become interested in attending each year.
“Final count we had was 128,” Mrs. Miguez said. “It’s definitely the most we’ve had in history.”
It was an MC College Fair record, even though not every school that signed up was able to make it. Some colleges had already registered but were unable to attend because of travel problems. Even with those changes, the gym still ended up almost full during the fair.
Because the event keeps getting bigger, there is not much room left to expand inside the gym. Keeping everything in one area helps students see more schools without losing time walking between different parts of the building.
“We have the capacity to host about 140 in the main gym,” Mrs. Miguez said. “We don’t really want to have it in separate areas.”
Several students said one of the biggest strengths of the fair was being able to compare schools that normally would not be seen together. Junior Aaron Hyler said the event made it easier for students to compare schools side by side.
“College fair was actually really good,” he said. “There were a lot of colleges there.”
The number of schools made it easier to compare different programs in one visit.
That variety gave students a better understanding of how broad their options are after high school. Some students said seeing schools side by side helped them think beyond the colleges they originally planned to research. Junior Nolan Esquivel said one of the biggest benefits was discovering colleges that students may not have considered before attending.
“The college fair is a great way to get your name out there and get some information on other colleges that you may not have considered,” he said.
Other students focused more on the conversations themselves and how much information could come from asking stronger questions directly to representatives. Junior Derrick Rucker said the fair becomes more useful when students ask detailed questions instead of only collecting brochures.
“The tougher the question, the more insightful it can be,” he said.
For some students, the event also helped because representatives explained things students did not think to ask before walking up to a table. Junior Gabriel Valerio said some of the most useful information came from unexpected parts of those conversations.
“What really helped me was them answering the questions that I didn’t even know to ask,” he said.
Ms. Miguez said the biggest goal is not only helping students collect facts, but also getting them comfortable with in-person conversations that matter for life after high school. Students often know famous school names already, but events like this help them discover schools they would otherwise overlook.
“Seeing colleges you’ve never heard of is really important,” she said.
Mrs. Miguez said those conversations are part of why the fair remains important each year, because students gain practice speaking directly with adults in situations that prepare them for future interviews and decisions after high school.
“There will be those times, job interviews, things like that, where you guys do have to interact with people and know how to keep a conversation and make eye contact,” she said.
