About 1,700 high school students from area school districts attended the 68th annual College & Career Fair at Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services on April 29th.
The conference showcased virtually every type of college or university from small liberal arts colleges to sprawling state universities to performing arts conservatories, and offered a new emphasis on technical career paths.
Students came to collect information, learn about college choices and broaden their educational horizons. Some arrived armed with a list of colleges they wanted to see, but all left with much more information about college choices than they had anticipated.
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Jeffrey Jimenez, a junior at Lakeland High School, said he was interested in learning about colleges that offer architectural majors. “I found one college that I didn’t expect that seems to offer a good program,” he said.
Hendrick Hudson High School junior Tiffani Matthieu said she liked the College and Career Fair because it allowed her to speak with representatives of several schools all in one place.
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“I want to major in early childhood education so I am looking at SUNY schools like Cobleskill and Morrisville,” she said. “The conference is good because you might not get all of your questions answered online and here you can ask questions.”
Jennifer Brown, also a junior at Hendrick Hudson, said she was gathering information about admissions requirements and tuition at schools with business management majors.
“It is so nerve wracking trying to pick a college,” Brown said. “This conference has helped me find some schools that I would like to visit.”
Kevin Swallow, the representative from Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., said he values the opportunity to meet students and parents face-to-face.
“I think the personal touch goes a long way when students are trying to choose a college,’ Swallow said. “I also think the conference is a good publicity opportunity for schools like us. We’re a small business college two hours away and many students might not be familiar with us, but we’re here right next to Ohio State so students learn about us as well.”
The conference kicked off a three-part event including College Night hosted by Fox Lane High School in Bedford, where parents had the opportunity to meet with the same representatives as well as attend workshops on the college application process; and a College Clinic on May 1 at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown for area guidance counselors to learn about the latest trends in admissions
