Huntington’s Fall College Fair Attracts 50 Schools
Months of planning culminated in colleges from near and far descending upon Huntington High School for a fall mini-college fair. Seniors and their parents were able to visit 50 colleges without ever leaving the community. Participants enjoyed the convenience of the gathering
Huntington High School college counselor Bernadette Walsh and the College Center staff helped organize the event. The mini-college fair is a popular recruiting tool for colleges and the institutions typically signal their participation months in advance.
Mrs. Walsh is coordinating fall and spring college fairs through 2009 for the North Shore Consortium, a group of 12 high schools including Huntington, Kings Park, Commack, John H. Glenn, Central Islip, Northport, Half Hollow Hills East, Half Hollow Hills West, Smithtown High School West, Smithtown High School East, Harborfields, and Hauppauge. Admissions representatives from each of the colleges travel to each high school over the course of a week, meeting with students, parents and counselors.
The annual fall fair is open only to seniors while the spring one is set aside for juniors. Huntington’s spring fair is scheduled for April 1. The gatherings are held in the school’s large cafeteria. Tables are erected and college reps arrange promotional and informational materials, along with banners and giveaway items.
“The seniors walked away with their arms full of college applications and view books and were excited to begin research on some of the colleges they previewed,” Mrs. Walsh said. “The SUNY schools were represented and, of course, their tables were crowded with anxious seniors. It really is a fantastic opportunity for our students to visit with admission representatives from across the country, from California to New York, and several in between!”
Huntington prides itself on the high percentage of graduates who go on to college study each year. The school also has a large number of seniors who are annually accepted into top tier schools. Those results take a combination of hard work and planning and Mrs. Walsh wants to see it continue.
Seniors had an opportunity to ask the admission reps about specific admission requirements, majors and special programs on campus, audition deadlines and campus life in general. The event also allowed the students to meet with counselors from colleges that are not easily accessible by car.
The participating colleges included Adelphi Univ., Univ. of Bridgeport, Cazenovia College, Concordia College, Dowling College, Drew Univ., Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Five Towns College, George Washington Univ., Hartwick College, High Point Univ., Island Drafting & Technical Institute, Johnson & Wales Univ., King’s College, Laboratory Institute of Merchandising, LIU/C.W. Post College, Lynchburg Univ., Lynn University, Manhattan College, Mount St. Mary College, Nassau Community College, New Hampshire Institute of Art, Univ. of New Haven, Niagara Univ., Nichols College, Nova Southeastern Univ., Old Dominion Univ., Univ. of Rhode Island, Rider Univ., Roanoke College, Sacred Heart Univ., St. Joseph’s College, St. John’s Univ., St. Leo Univ., Salisbury Univ., Univ. of Scranton, Suffolk Community College, SUNY Albany, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY Oneonta, SUNY Plattsburgh, SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Stony Brook-Southampton, Univ. of Tampa, Towson State Univ. and Wagner College.
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