A College Fair is a time when a large number of colleges are invited to provide information to high school students, usually at a high school or community college. A fair may take place during the day or evening and typically lasts an hour and a half to three hours.

At the fair, each college will be assigned a table, usually in the gym. The Ambassador stands behind the Missouri S&T table and answers questions about the University. A table cover, Admissions materials, and a nametag are furnished with the materials sent for the fair. Do your best to have the Missouri S&T table look as professional as the other schools’ tables. It is expected that you will wear professional attire, and you will notice that the other college representatives do the same. Comfortable shoes are highly recommended (please avoid gym or sport shoes, however)!   

Hand out general information and give students information cards to complete. Perhaps the most important part of a fair is having prospective students fill out the information cards. Filling out a card puts a student on our database and putting a student on our database ensures the student will receive ongoing information through our direct mail program. If students just pick up one piece of literature and walk away they miss out on lots of other pertinent information. Another important reason for filling out the card is that it gives the Office of Admissions valuable information regarding the impact a particular activity has on a student’s decision to attend Missouri S&T. Without the card, we will not know if your efforts were well spent at a particular fair. Even those students who are already receiving information from Missouri S&T should be encouraged to fill out another card as their information might have changed.

After the fair ends, you may wish to leave a few pieces of literature for the counselor. Pack up the rest and send back along with the information cards and the fair evaluation form. Unless your section or city is assigned a certain number of table covers, it is important to return the table covers as soon as possible, to make sure they are available for later fairs.

Checklist for fairs:

1. In advance, check the website for college fairs in your area. Contact Cathy Tipton to sign up to attend one or more of the fairs. 
2. Review the handbook and your materials a day or two before the program.
3. Arrive around an hour (depending on if you are familiar with the location or not) prior to the program’s start. This will allow time to locate the Missouri S&T table and set up materials before the students and parents arrive.
4. Read through your materials two or three times just prior to the start time to refresh your memory.
5. Visit freely with students and parents—feel free to refer them to the Office of Admissions should you not be able to answer a question definitively. (Don't be afraid to say, "I don't know...but here is who you can call to find out.")
6. Clean your area after the fair ends. Leave one or two Viewbooks and a catalog with the counselor.
7. Send back the table cover, evaluation, and remaining materials.
8. Pat yourself on the back: these fairs are very effective recruiting tools for us!