On Sept. 19, the upperclassmen students had the choice to opt out of the first three periods of the day to browse the college fair which took place in the gym. 

Thirty-three colleges and universities from around the East Coast sent representatives to discuss their programs and majors with the students in our schools. States like Virginia and West Virginia were heavily represented but others like New York and Tennessee also made an appearance. Private and public alike, representatives handed out brochures, displayed diagrams, collected student contact information, and discussed post-graduation plans with students.

This college fair was made possible by Ms. Lisa vanRavenswaay, an administrative assistant for the counseling department.

“The College Fair is organized and sponsored by VACRAO (Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Counselors) and RCHS serves as a location for them,” said vanRavenswaay.

VACRAO wanted to provide an opportunity for students to ask questions and expand their horizons to find a school that works best for them.

“We hope that juniors and seniors take the opportunity to speak with college representatives in person; to learn about programs offered at particular schools; class sizes; cost of attendance, etc,” said vanRavenswaay. “It’s always nice for admission reps to have a face to go with a name when an application is submitted.”

Representatives often have the opportunity to waive application fees for students who they meet, chipping away at the little costs of admission that add up. 

Students like Senior Jake Cline were exposed to colleges and universities that they may not have discovered on their own. Talking about the financial opportunities and admission to these schools added options to his list.

“I applied to a college I never thought I would apply to, East Tennessee State University, and I’m going to tour it soon,” said Cline.

The college fair was just one aspect of the exposure to post-graduate opportunities that the school provides upperclassmen. Although the fair focused mainly on four-year colleges and universities, the counseling office is planning a CTE fair in the future to expose students to even more.