How can parents participate?
Parents are welcome to attend the Thursday evening College Prep Presentations. The content of these presentations will include topics like Financial Aid, Stamdardized Testing (SAT/ACT), and Writing Personal Statements, as well as Panels on University of California & California State Universities, Private Universities, Community Colleges, Arts Colleges and Conservatories
Why is parent participation limited this year?
In response to the feedback we received after last year's College Fair, we are focusing on providing quality face time for our juniors and seniors with the college representatives at the booth fair, panels, workshops and master classes. It is our hope that this will result in meaningful connections between our students and the representatives of the colleges that interest them. Parents are invited and encouraged to attend the Thursday evening College Prep Presentations, because much of the information discussed in that format pertains to helping your child navigate the college application process.
How can I prepare my child for the College Fair to ensure they have a meaningful experience?
One of the most important things you can do is to help your child create a list of colleges that he or she can focus on at the booth fair. It can be overwhelming to see over a hundred college reps at their tables, and it can result in students wandering aimlessly rather than targeting those schools that are the best fit for him or her. Help your student review the list of colleges planning to attend, which will be posted in late August, and highlight those of interest. That way when the detailed map of college booth locations becomes available, your child can map out a plan and make the most of his or her time at the booth fair.
Secondly, for parents of juniors and seniors, review with your child the numerous options of panels, workshops and master classes being offered on both Thursday and Friday. Students are allowed to attend more than one break-out session, but will have to be thoughtful about creating a schedule for themselves by choosing those sessions they find most interesting, keeping in mind that some of them may be offered at the same time. Your input could be helpful in this process.
Of course it's also important for parents to remind their child that they will be meeting representatives of colleges and universities, who are often on the admissions staff, and are involved in the process of reading and evaluating applications for enrollment at their school. Making a good impression on these representatives is very important. However, students should also be aware that the admissions reps are on their side. They are coming to OCSA to answer questions and provide information about their college or university that will be helpful to the students here. So remind your child to take advantage of this opportunity to introduce themselves to the admissions representatives as well as others representing the schools they are interested in. Face time with students is important for college reps and we want our visitors to get to know our amazing OCSA students.
If I have connections to a university and would like to offer a suggestion for a potential participant, what is the process?
We welcome your input. The preliminary list of colleges planning to attend the College Fair will be posted on the College Fair page of the OCSA website in late August. If ,after you check the list, you have a suggestion about an additional college that you'd like to see participate in the fair, please contact Leanne Beck in Student Services. We wil be happy to reach out to them and invite them to our College Fair.