Alumni Recruiting Network

College Fair Guide

A college fair is a gathering of many colleges and universities, creating an opportunity for students and parents to meet with college representatives.

Oberlin receives invitations to over 600 fairs annually. Admissions office staff members attend some fairs when they travel, but there are too many fairs for us to attend ourselves. We need alumni volunteers to cover the majority of fairs and to give more students an idea of Oberlin’s stories.

What to Do for a Fair?

Approximately two weeks before the fair, the ARN Administrative Assistant, Jennifer Harris, will mail you a packet of materials to use. It contains:

  • Informational pieces to distribute to the students (i.e. travel pieces)
  • Information request cards
  • A table banner
  • A college fair evaluation form

We have more materials in our mailroom that we will mail students, including pieces on financial aid and the conservatory. Please encourage the students to complete the information request cards completely so that we can mail them all of the material that they want to receive.

If you do not have the materials one week before the fair, please call us at (800) 622-6243.

The College Fair Guide  is a useful document for you to examine in advance of the college fair. It has information on things like the application process, financial aid, athletics, winter term, ExCo, and study-abroad opportunities. Alumni who have used this handbook in the past say that it has made their job much easier.

We encourage you to arrive about 30 minutes before the start of the fair to set up your table. There is no “correct” way to do this; just make it appealing to the eye.

If students seem interested in Oberlin, encourage them to complete an information request card. Without a card, we won’t be able to get in touch with them later.

Don’t be pushy, but let students know that the information you have is a good way to start learning about Oberlin and what it has to offer.

Once the fair is over, please take the completed information request cards, the banner, and the fair evaluation form that you have filled out, place them in the return envelope provided for you in the box of materials, and drop it in a mailbox. Please do not return the unused materials.