College Fair 2022

Riya Kapoor

Students visit admissions representatives at the 2019 college fair

As we arrive at one of the most stressful times of the year for highschool seniors, it is important to reflect on the opportunities Lake Forest Academy students are given. Among many other traditions, the college fair held at LFA is a great way for students, especially seniors, to ask questions and explore schools before their application cycle. The 2022 college fair was held for the first time since 2019 due to COVID-19, and therefore, many students wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Not only were there LFA students and family from all four grades, but also parents, faculty, and students from other schools. While having this exposure to colleges is extremely beneficial, many upperclassmen were not able to talk to the college representatives they wanted to due to incredibly long lines.  Since there were so many people eager to talk to the more prestigious schools like Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and University of Southern California, the lines at those tables stacked up. To put it in perspective, the line for Northwestern ranged from the start of the library to the middle of the Garden Room. As a result, many seniors did not get to speak to the representatives they wanted to because of the numerous amounts of underclassmen in line. Seniors are in their application cycle and should be prioritized over underclassmen when having an opportunity to explore colleges. During the college fair, there were many instances where a senior would wait in line for a lengthy time and still not be able to ask the questions they needed because freshman and sophomores were taking up the line. While it is still encouraged that freshmen and sophomores attend for exposure, it is important they be courteous of upperclassmen. Additionally, underclassmen have another two to three years to consider applications and colleges, but for seniors, this was their last chance to interact with representatives before submitting their applications. In the future, a designated time for seniors to speak to representatives, maybe an hour before the doors open to others, would allow for them to get the College Fair experience they need within their application cycle. All in all, while underclassmen are encouraged to attend both the Q & A sessions and the College Fair, in the future, it is important for them to be respectful and cognisant of the upperclassmen, specifically seniors, waiting to ask questions and get what could potentially be their last contact with their admissions representatives before submitting their applications. In the future, possibly implementing time solely for upperclassmen could help solve this problem.