Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
Hosting a College Day/Night Program Checklist
- Invitations
- Who to invite as participants to your fair
- Required: All MACRAO and MACAC member institutions
- Site discretion: Military representatives and proprietary schools
- Letters of invitation should include
- Description of program including day, date, length of fair, and the facilities available
- Map of the local area identifying the program site
- List of recommended local hotels and restaurants with addresses and phone numbers
- Provide information on the availability of audiovisual equipment and any pertinent facilities information
- Reply deadline date
- Who to invite as guests to your fair
- High school sophomores, juniors and seniors from within your geographic area defined as all schools within a minimum radius of 30 miles (professional discretion regarding the radius is appropriate for heavily- or densely-populated areas) from the host institution
- All students from area community colleges
- School administrators, teachers and counselors
- Parents
- Publicity Work with other existing programs in the same geographic area in promoting all college fairs in the region. You may use any of the examples listed below to publicize your fair, but please do not feel limited to these suggestions:
- High school/community college bulletin boards
- Local, regional and school newspapers
- Press releases
- Local cable, television, and radio stations
- Web announcements and email alerts
- Posters or Brochures
- Postcards or letters to area students announcing the fair
- Attendance Policy Host institutions must report which colleges and universities attend the fair, as well as those who failed to attend. It is recommended that you do the following:
- Check in representatives as they enter site; Excel spreadsheet would be best method.
- Circulate the room during the fair to ensure accurate lists.
- After fair, send the institution attendance list and evaluations to Committee Chair.
- College Day/Night Fair Evaluation Evaluation sheets should be distributed to all representatives in attendance. The following is suggested:
- Place evaluation sheet on each representative’s table prior to the start of the fair.
- Collect completed evaluations after the fair (the number of evaluations collected must be equal to 75% or more of the institutions in attendance).
- Evaluations must be submitted to the Committee Chair within two weeks of the college fair.
- Success Tips
- Pre-Fair Tips
- Follow up with college representatives who have not responded by the deadline.
- Create a printed program. In your printed program include the location, date, time, schedule of events, alphabetical list of all participating institutions, and a building map, if needed.
- Publicize your fair using as many forms of media as possible.
- Day-of-Fair Tips
- We strongly encourage host sites to assign tables to each college, in alphabetical order. Printed signs on each table are helpful for representatives to find their table quickly.
- Please do not permit entry to the event until the official published start time of the program. When the start time is honored, representatives have time to setup their tables so that they can then give their full attention to the students and their parents.
- Provide water for college representatives.
- Print and distribute the College Day/Night evaluation sheet for the representatives. Place the evaluation on each representative’s table.
- Print and distribute the admissions officer participation guidelines. Place a copy of the guidelines on each representative’s table.
- Record the institutions in attendance, and make note of any college representatives who did not attend the fair.
- Collect evaluations from representatives and if applicable, student and parent evaluation sheets.
- Evaluate your program. Encourage feedback from students, parents and colleges about the event.
- After-Fair Tips
- Follow up with the college representatives who did not attend the fair.
- Review the evaluations collected from the representatives and if applicable, student and parent evaluations.
- Send all representative evaluations and institution attendance lists to the Chair of the College Day/Night Committee.