On Thursday, April 20, Hinsdale Central will host their annual college fair for current juniors. Schools from around the country, Canada and Europe will descend on Central to talk with students about what their campus has to offer. As the admissions process heats up, current juniors are excited at the prospect of learning more about their potential future homes.

“I’m definitely going to attend the fair because it’s a great way to talk to some colleges, especially the ones I’m thinking about attending,” said Jake Cook, junior. “I want to show some of my possible schools that I’m interested in them and try to get to know their representative and make a good impression.”

Schools attending include College of DuPage, Indiana University, Miami University, Michigan State University, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin will be attending the college fair. All of these schools are some of the most popular for Central students, and oftentimes the college fair is the first step to deciding where a student will attend the next four years.

Huffington Post writer and college admissions consultant Marjorie Hansen Shavitz gave prospective students some advice when at a college fair in her article titled “Let’s go to a (College) Fair!”

“When you walk in, come in with a smile and confident demeanor… When talking to a College admissions rep, look them directly in the eye and ask specific questions about the programs the school offers. Some of the questions that shouldn’t be asked are ones regarding the school’s status as a ‘party school’, or questions if a university is regarded as a ‘good’ school or not.” Cultkur said.

Although students may be worried or stressed out about the college fair experience, it is not the be-all-end-all experience of one’s college search.

“Out of all of the schools I visited and talked to at the college fair, I only applied to one,” said Danny Ahern, senior “I found the college I wanted to go to through other ways, like visits and talking with my counselor and parents about the perfect kind of school for me.”

A full list of schools visiting Central can be found here.