The Power of Virtual Fairs

Participating in a Virtual Fair is an excellent way to connect schools with prospective students from across the country and around the world. Please see comments below from prior participants in past Virtual Fairs. (Click HERE to scroll directly to the Student Comments.)

Comments from School Representatives

• This was our first Virtual Fair and I will admit, I was a little nervous at first just because I didn't know what to expect. However, the experience was wonderful! We were able to reach out to and speak with people from different all over the US and internationally as well. I had quite a few participants who chatted with me directly or emailed after the fair was over saying they were not considering our program, but after participating in our chat room they have now decided to apply or wanted to find out more information. This was a great platform that allowed us to target students who were specifically interested in [our programs], which is not always the case when we participate in recruitment events, etc. We would definitely participate in future events! We would like to thank [the fair host] and CareerEco for all of their coordination efforts, etc. The event was a success!!
• It seemed to be very worthwhile to speak with students whom we would not interact with in an other settings.
• I think it was very successful in reaching students we normally have no way of reaching. I thought it was nice that we could store answers as this made it easier to chat with students. I believe our goals were achieved.
• We have been very busy and we LOVE the virtual fairs! We have participated in many virtual fairs and it really helps to connect with students all across the country. If we were to meet the students on their campuses as opposed to the virtual fair, the travel cost would not allow us to meet these awesome students. The accessibility to the students and opportunity to network through the virtual fair is very effective for our programs.
• So many of the applicants ask very pertinent questions. Actually, some are in the process of applying. We already know some of them…It is such a nice, welcoming way to meet a lot of interested students at the same time. I really like the opportunity!
• I've reached quite a few prospective students - this is absolutely wonderful!! This is our first time participating and we are definitely interested in future events.
• Faculty Perspective: This is a lot easier on my schedule than a whole day of face to face interviews
• This has been very interesting, with great questions. It feels like I’m just sitting down to chat privately with one candidate, but yet answering questions that are on the minds of other candidates.
• Faculty Perspective: It was very well organized and we were able to “meet” a lot of students. Thank you for providing us with the opportunity!
• I don’t have to waste time traveling and it’s a bit more convenient to have all of my resources right here at my finger tips. I’m sure that I have been able to reach a larger, more targeted audience as well. Personally, I wish all of my fairs could be virtual!!
• The best benefit for me is being able to communicate to students and promote our program, while being in the office as well. Especially for admissions, September is a busy time and being out for a day at an event is difficult to do!
• Everything has been great so far! I’ve actually done many virtual fairs before. I like the recorded conversation aspect so I can look back over everything at the end. And also that I didn’t have to travel for it!
• The system is very user friendly, which is awesome! These fairs are great to get questions answered for the applicants. They have an opportunity to have general questions or have a private conversation if they need it.
• Faculty Perspective: I think the biggest benefit is reaching a large number of people in a small amount of time. And it doesn’t require a huge effort on my part as a faculty member, either. I can come and go into the chat room as people enter and have questions.
• As many of our students have come from a distance in the last few years, I think this is a great option for prospective candidates to explore our school and learn about the program without the added expense of travel!
• The system is user-friendly and we’ve had a lot of guests, so those are two positive points right from the start!
• It is wonderful for being able to talk with students all over the nation.
• I’ve liked that I’ve interacted with a variety of students from a variety of places.
• We love the system! We have been using it year round for about three years now. It works great.
• I like this platform because I am at my desk and I have full access to information at my fingertips. We have 18 programs here and sometimes when we go on recruitment events it is tough to answer questions about some of the smaller programs that we typically do not get a whole lot of questions asked for.
• The ease of usage and the fact that you could upload videos and stream live video. Last year one of our professors took her computer down to our simulation labs to show the participants what we had to offer, which is something that we would not be able to do on other mediums.
• I am surprised it is so easy. I did not have time to do the tutorial and the process was intuitive. The candidates have had good questions.

Comments from Prospective Students

• I LOVE IT! I am not nervous because they are not across the table from me. I actually love the fact that the selection committee are the people answering the questions.
• It really helps that I can communicate with schools without the travel. I can just open up my computer between classes. And I really like how a few of the schools have contacted me to give brief descriptions about their programs.
• It’s great and really helpful! I’m so glad I took the time to be involved with it.
• I think participating in the Virtual Fair could possibly give me an edge over applicants who do not participate. The brief encounter could be the difference in getting an interview. Since getting accepted is so competitive every little edge counts.
• It has been nice to speak with the admissions staff on a personal level. It really helps the students gain insight on what to expect and what to work on.
• I like the opportunity to speak to admission staff and teaching faculty from the schools I am interested in, it has been a great help in deciding which schools will be at the top of my list.
• I gained a good amount of knowledge from the live chat that I did and I would like to participate in a future one.
• The Virtual Fair was very helpful in being able to ask specific schools certain questions and getting a personalized answer right away as opposed to receiving an email response days later. It was also very helpful that we were able to ask specific questions about that application and process.
• I found the information very helpful and the forum set up was easy to manage.
• It was very helpful to be able to talk personally with representatives from different schools. With my busy schedule of class, work and volunteer activities, it is difficult to be able to travel to the different schools to have my questions answered. This allowed me to talk to multiple schools in a short amount of time from various parts of the U.S. and answer all of my questions about the program.
• It was a great and useful experience!
• Before the Virtual Fair I was confused on some of the prerequisites some of the schools required and this was answered during the online chat sessions.
• I live in Kansas and I loved that I could communicate to schools out-of-state that I cannot go visit at this time. It gave me the opportunities to ask the questions I needed to and get my name out there. I feel much more confident after talking to those specific schools using the Virtual Fair.
• I found the accessibility of multiple programs' admissions and other faculty very helpful, and many of them were very accommodating because the reason they participated was to encourage students to apply and help them figure out what they need to know. This is much easier than contacting schools individually.
• I really enjoyed getting a chance to ask questions to the graduate programs without having to go through e-mail. It was quick, easy, and I really enjoyed getting to see what the other students were asking. They thought of questions that I needed the answers too!
• As soon as I know about the next one, I will make sure to be prepared and to engage with faculty from other schools.
• It was very helpful and easy to participate in. I got a lot of my questions asked and got to get my name in at some of the schools at the top of my list.
• This was a great opportunity to learn about graduate schools that I otherwise would not have considered. It was also a good chance to ask any questions I had about the programs.
• This was the most productive I have ever been in a fair such as this. I feel that in a virtual fair you are not afraid to ask questions because you are behind a computer screen and as a result you get a good conversation.
• I loved chatting directly with [school representatives]. They helped clarify questions that would otherwise take weeks to be answered through email or even only answered in person
• I enjoyed finding out what would make me a stronger student in the application process.
• I thought this experience was very useful and was glad I could see questions asked by others-that I may not have thought of.
• My questions were answered it was well organized, I was able to multi-task while participating, and I found the information to be helpful and answer my questions
• I felt many great questions were asked by fellow students and myself. This gave me an opportunity to understand what is being looked for, and quell any anxieties that I may have had.
• It was very informative. Even though I am not yet applying for [graduate] school, I now have a better idea of how I should spend my years in undergrad to prepare myself for [grad school]. The virtual fair was a very convenient place to talk directly to multiple school representatives in one place.
• Participating in the Virtual Fair gave me the opportunity to ask questions to [subject matter experts] that will help me become an outstanding student in my future program. They gave me many advice and insights about what to keep in mind and how to excel in the field. I am looking forward to being part of another Virtual Fair.
• This fair was great to get actual feedback from real people who moderate [graduate] programs
• The virtual fair was very helpful for asking questions and getting information about programs Beyond the information posted on their websites. It was also good to talk with people from admissions to get tips on what each program values most in the application. I felt like I made more of a personal connection with the schools.
• I would really like to participate in future events. It was a great way to learn about graduate schools that I am unable to visit in person. I received a lot of information that couldn't be found on the schools' websites.