College Fair

The North Campus of St. Andrew's Episcopal School was the site of a major higher-education rendezvous. 70 colleges and universities converged on the school's Ridgeland campus for the College Fair, an annual occurrence for more than thirty years. Students from several area high schools and an association of homeschooled students also attended the fair.

"Our fair is ultimately a tangible embodiment of the comprehensive college planning we do at St. Andrew's, which begins before students even enter the Upper School," says Colin Dunnigan, the school's director of college counseling. "The buzz on campus on the day of the fair is evident to all. Some college admission officers tell us that it is the best fair they attend all year, anywhere."

"The College Fair is definitely helpful because it brings colleges to us that we could not otherwise visit," says St. Andrew's senior and National Merit Semifinalist Drew Friedrich. "I spent most of my day talking with the United States Military Academy at West Point. I would love to get into the military academies, but I'm also looking at state schools and small liberal arts schools."

"The senior class comes to the college fair at St. Andrew's every year, thanks to our guidance counselor," says Lauren Jones, a senior at Sacred Heart High school in Hattiesburg. "There are many universities here that I haven't even thought about going to, but now because I'm here talking to them, I am really interested. High Point and Mississippi College really stood out to me today. Before I didn't even think about these two schools, but they are both smaller campuses. I come from a small high school, so I am not looking to go to anywhere really large."

Kudaisha Carter, a junior at Piney Woods School, agrees, "I'm going to check out some colleges I didn't think about until I came here. I really enjoyed getting information about Xavier University in Louisiana."

"We are proud to host this event for a number of reasons," said Scott Albert Johnson, associate director of college counseling and the fair's organizer. "We want students to be exposed to a wide range of schools from diverse areas of the country. We have a number of the most selective schools in the country that make a point of visiting our fair each year. We also have a strong presence from in-state public and private institutions."

"The college fair is so helpful because it'd be very hard for students in Jackson, MS to meet one-on-one with a lot of the colleges that are represented here without it," says St. Andrew's senior Jaclyn McDonald. "It would be hard for me to say, 'Hey can I come meet with you' to a representative from NYU."

The day began with a Senior Breakfast, where soon-to-be-graduates had an opportunity to break bread with admissions or alumni representatives from colleges of their choice. The breakfast was followed by two 30-minute seminars on a range of college admissions topics, including essay writing, scholarship hunting, and making the transition to college life.

Students then spent 90 minutes browsing different colleges, with tables set up in the McRae Science Center and the Walker Resource Center. Two 30-minute in-depth presentations by colleges follow the browsing session, and the day concludes with a luncheon for college representatives and St. Andrew's faculty in the lobby of the Center for Performing Arts.

"Last year we had 2 or 3 students who came from St. Andrew's, one of whom was because of the college fair, and she was one of our top scholars. We are super excited to be back," says Emily Tisdale from the Mississippi College office of admissions. "At many fairs, you don't get to do a personal presentation, which I think is a great added bonus for students who have in-depth questions they don't get to ask at the table. A lot of times you are at college fairs where it is just mass chaos where students are grabbing brochures and not able to ask questions. This fair gives the process a more intimate feeling."

The St. Andrew's College Fair has been an annual tradition since about 45 colleges attended the first fair in 1985, when it was organized by St. Andrew's longtime director of college counseling Mimi Bradley.

Today, with over seventy admissions officers and alumni representatives, as well as all St. Andrew's students in grades 10 through 12, and students from other area high schools and homeschools, the numbers make for interesting logistical situations. Classrooms are full as students talk with representatives, while others plan out their routes to see all the places they are interested in.

"It's most gratifying to hear parents and students afterwards as they talk about colleges they may have known nothing about, or presentations that made them take a closer look at smaller schools or schools in locations they had not previously considered," says Dunnigan.

"I love the way they brought in other high schools and I love the way they set it up," says Rebekah Arant from the Delta State University office of admissions. "It is very organized and it wasn't overwhelming for any of the students or their families. They could focus on a few things at one time and enjoy the sessions where we could actually meet with the students who were most interested."

"I am really proud to be a caretaker of this St. Andrew's tradition," says Johnson. "It's a means by which we can help our students and families get a stronger grip on the college admissions process, and it also is a way that we can put a positive image of St. Andrew's into the minds of admissions representatives. They get to meet our amazing students, and maybe they will remember them when it comes time to make admissions decisions."