College Fairs

Represent Dickinson Well

It is important to represent Dickinson as it exists today, not as it was yesterday. Stay current with Dickinson information by visiting the Dickinson web site for news, About Dickinson and Quick Facts. Refer often to the AVN Reference page for instructions and updates. Dress professionally—business casual is always appropriate. Do not compare colleges. Our role is to represent Dickinson to the best of our abilities and information about other colleges should be left to their representatives. 

Arrival and Setup

Arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the fair, register upon arrival, have your table ready at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the program and stay until the stated end time. Refer to the guidelines provided by AVN for how to setup the college-fair table.

Greeting Students

Greet students warmly when they approach the table. Our National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) policy stipulates that representatives must stay behind the table and prohibits giveaways. But, feel free to provide brochures, invite students to complete inquiry cards and answer questions as you're able. Interactions at college fairs are often brief but they can have a tremendous impact on the student. Fairs provide an opportunity for visibility for the college and a foundation for future enrollment success. 

Encourage Completion of Inquiry Cards 

Please encourage interested students to complete inquiry cards but avoid high-pressure tactics. (It’s not the number of inquiry cards that you gather that’s important, it’s good conversations with students about their fit with Dickinson that inspires them to want to learn more!) Ask students to print legibly. Ideally, the student will complete the entire card but it is critical that we gather name, mailing address, email address, high school and graduation year in order to create a record for the student in our system.  

Answering Questions

It is absolutely fine if you don’t know an answer to a student’s question. When in doubt, note the question at the top of the student’s inquiry card and the regional counselor will follow up with the student. You may also direct the student to contact the regional counselor or visit our web site. 

Financial Aid Questions

Here,too, simply make a note on the inquiry card that the student needs additional information on financial aid and we will direct the question to the admissions counselor or financial aid counselor for that student. 

Likelihood of Admission

So many factors go into a decision that it’s impossible to predict a student’s chance of admission. Again, you may also direct the student to contact their admissions counselor or add a note to the inquiry card asking that the admissions counselor reach out to that student. 

Encourage Visits (or Revisits)

Ultimately, we hope that all interested students will spend time on campus, seeing for themselves the opportunities they would have at Dickinson and the warmth of the community!

Mail Fair Supplies Back 

Within three days, please mail all fair supplies back in the original box using the included postage paid return label. The students you met will be eager to receive information and we want to get back to them as soon as possible.

Let AVN Know

Let AVN know immediately if you will not be able to attend so we can notify the fair coordinator.