High school students are still getting the opportunity to go to college fairs this year. But, today is a little different. Alabama’s organization representing university admissions officers is hosting ten drive-thru college fairs statewide. The fairs will be held in designated parking lots at different colleges and universities. Jefferson State Community College and the University of Mobile are holding theirs today. Organizer Lauren Findley says in-person events really help with students’ college journey.
“It’s very stressful for a lot of students and they have a lot of questions, so when it’s a one-on-one personalized experience, I think it really does ease some of that tension about the stress of college and where to go, and this is what we hope to gain from this college fair cycle,” Findley said.
The idea of letting prospective students visit college and university campuses through drive-in events isn’t totally new. However, Findley says what is different in 2021 is getting schools across the state to band together for a joint drive-in event. Findley says this is the first time the organization has tried this…
“During the 2020 pandemic, some colleges and universities hosted their own drive-thru fairs for their areas, so we wanted to spread this out statewide and make it more of an organized effort for our organization,” she said.
About forty different colleges will be represented at the fairs. Participants will be required to wear masks, practice social distancing, and sign up for information electronically.