PUHI — For the first time, the Hawaii Association for College Admission Counseling (HACAC) has added Kauai to its spring college fair circuit.
“Since many families cannot afford to travel to the Mainland to visit colleges, these fairs are a crucial opportunity for students to learn more about post high school options firsthand from an admissions representative who can answer specific questions from the student or parent,” said Patti Pears, certified educational planner and independent college consultant.
The 2018 Kauai HACAC Spring College Fair will be held at Island School on Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. This evening fair will allow students and parents an opportunity to talk with college representatives together.
“Students are unusually bussed in during the school day, but we’ve had a lot of requests from families of younger students for an evening fair when it was a more convenient time for them to visit,” said Joan Shaw, event planner and college counselor for Island School. “It’s a step in the process of getting ready to apply for college.”
More than 60 colleges and universities will be represented, including two from Japan and 20 schools that were unable to attend last fall’s college fair. Anyone interested in exploring the possibilities of higher education are encouraged to attend.
“It exposes them to a wide variety of different schools they may not have considered,” said Shaw. “Students can register online, get a little bar code on their phone and simply show that to each college rep to scan and have all that student’s information to communicate with them after the fair.”
Prior to the fair, from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m., a discussion will be held in Island School’s Main Hall.
“We have a panel discussion of college representatives from five very different colleges who will present information about admissions, financial aid, merit scholarships, and take questions,” Shaw said.
Topics of discussion with include an overview of the college admissions process, factors in choosing the right school, guidance on financial aid, plus a question-and-answer session. High school students and their parents are encouraged to attend the session.
“It is very helpful if the student spends some time visiting the websites for some of the schools who will be attending the fair to get an idea of which colleges have the major they are interested in and to help them come up with a list of schools they want learn more about,” Pears said.
All are welcome to attend both of these free events sponsored by Hawaii Association for College Admissions Counseling and Island School at the Wilcox Gymnasium.
“It’s been a pleasure working with students at this stage in their lives,” said Shaw, who is retiring after 40 years in education. “I am completely committed to helping students on Kauai continue on to college. I’m sure I’ll stay in the game as a volunteer long after I retire.”
The fall Kauai HACAC College Fair will be held on Oct.19. The fall fair will be held during the school day.
