Nutley High School's Annual College Fair

On March 12th, Nutley High School held a College Fair for its students to come and learn about possible school options. Before the fair began at  7p.m, the school held an AP meeting so that the students could learn about the benefits that come with taking college level courses. The fair lasted until 8:30 p.m, giving students time half to learn about their possible college choices.

The College Fair is a way for students to network with as many schools as possible. Over 100 schools were set to attend along with representatives from the military. Students who are applying to colleges soon can go learn about other school options, and may even find one they feel passionately about.

Lauren Birnbaum, a school counselor at Nutley High School, went in depth on what the event is about. “Students should attend the fair to get more information on schools they may be interested in," Birnbaum said. "One of the wonderful aspects of attending the college and career fair is that it will also give students the chance to explore colleges that they may not know much about, possibly finding a new interest. Attending is very helpful for students who are currently planning to apply to colleges, but is also beneficial for students who are still years away from the college application process; giving them experience learning about specific colleges as well as preparing them to attend future college and career fairs.” 

She also left some tips for Nutley High Students to follow when at the fair, or just talking to a College representative in general:

- Come prepared with a few questions to ask, for example:
- What is unique about your school?
- What is the college community like?
- What academic programs are you best known for?

- Smile and speak clearly
- Gather information from each of the schools you met with, and jot down any  thoughts or answers to your questions to review later
- After the fair, reach out to the representatives of schools you are interested in to say thank you and/or ask any follow up questions

Picking colleges and applying to schools, and even just finding the ones you like, are hard without some outside help. The College Fair helped some of Nutley High’s students with that. It is a valuable learning experience for students and a way to get their names out to colleges and learn how to interact with admissions officers along with other representatives. 

The event was spearheaded by Mrs. Meredith Gerckens, Coordinator of Schools Counseling and the NHS Counseling Department.