HHS Mini-College Fair Attracts
50 Schools
About 200 current juniors and seniors attended last week’s mini-college fair in the Huntington High School cafeteria. More than four dozen institutions turned out for the 90 minute session.
A constant stream of upperclassmen circulated around the fair, which provided the teenagers with exposure to a cross-section of colleges with the convenience of never having to leave the high school building. The fair was held over the course of two morning periods.
Both periods were packed with students speaking with admission counselors and asking insightful questions. Most of the teenagers attending the session said it was a valuable opportunity to network with counselors since many of them will be the actual officials making admission decisions about Huntington High School applicants.
Fifty colleges participated in the recent fair. Huntington has a long tradition of hosting events of this nature. Another mini-fair will be held for juniors on Tuesday, March 17. Another large turnout is expected.
In an effort to meet the needs of as many students as possible, the participating colleges at last week’s fair were diverse in terms of size, selectivity, distance from Long Island and academic majors available. For many years, the fair was open to only seniors, but the Huntington guidance department recently opened it to juniors since many of them were already beginning their college search.
Participating schools included Adelphi University, Bowdoin College, Castleton State University, Cazenovia College, Centenary College, Dowling College, Endicott College, FIDM, Frank Pierce University, George Mason University, Hartwick College, Hofstra University, Indiana/Purdue-Indianapolis (IUPUI), Island Drafting & Technical Institute, Johnson & Wales University, Lasell College, LIU Post, Longwood University, Lynn University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mercy College, Michigan State University, Molloy College, Monmouth University, Mount Saint Mary’s University, New York Institute of Technology, Nova Southeastern University, Ohio State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Roanoke College and Roger Williams University.
Rowan University, Rutgers University, Sacred Heart University, Salisbury University, St. John’s University, St. Joseph’s College (Patchogue), Stevenson University, SUNY Delhi, SUNY Fredonia, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Old Westbury, SUNY Plattsburgh, SUNY Potsdam, University of Connecticut, University of Rhode Island, University of Scranton, University of Tampa and Western Connecticut State University also participated in the fair.
“Kids were engaged and asking great questions, heightening the awareness of college and career readiness expectations,” said Kitty R. Klein, district director of guidance and testing services, K-12. “The guidance department is always continuously looking for ways to improve upon our programs. Our mini-college days are the stepping stones and building blocks to effective post-secondary planning. Access and opportunity was provided to a wide range of student learners from diverse backgrounds.”