The North Penn gym was turned into a bustling hub of opportunities last Thursday for the Montgomery County College Fair.
Around 1000 students from across the county attended this year. It is the 16th year this event has been running and the 11th year it’s been hosted in the NPHS gym. North Penn looks to continue hosting for another four to five years before renovations begin on the gym.
The event is now organized by PACAC, which runs eight or nine fairs every fall; this one is the largest they put together. 186 college representatives attended this year, providing a great occasion for students looking to branch out.
“It’s a great opportunity because it’s here in our building so people don’t have to travel far, It’s good to go meeting people, looking around and see what colleges are looking for, what they have to offer you, find out what colleges are out there besides Penn State, Pitt, and Temple,” Patrick Brett, College and Career Counselor at North Penn, said. “Understanding what colleges are offering around here but also what colleges are offering in the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, all the way down to Florida, there are colleges all over the country coming.”
The event also opens a window for colleges to connect with students and introduce them to what they offer.
“I’m just trying to make sure students know about McDaniel, considering we’re in Pennsylvania a lot of students aren’t aware of us, so I’m just trying to make sure people know who we are and spread the word,” Mackenzie Albin, McDaniel College representative stated.
Students attended with the intent of getting to know a little bit more about the next stage of their education and lives.
“I’m just seeing how college life will treat me, where I can further my education, just see what schools can offer me,” Gavin Rice, Junior at North Penn, shared. “Events like this will help students know what’s going on [at colleges], and look out for their future and help them develop a solid base.”
A ton of work goes into putting together an event on the scale of this one, and it could not have been possible without the collaboration of a multitude of people.
“I don’t want to take all the credit, it’s a collaboration across the board; I am a volunteer on the college side but I also have a few folks here with me who are volunteering from the high school side. Again, it’s a collaboration also with PACAC, who puts all this together money-wise,” Dana Gowder, Assistant Director of Regional Recruitment at PACAC, noted. “North Penn does a lot of the heavy lifting, they provide the facility, they provide the tables and chairs, and volunteers that helped set everything up.”
The benefits of attending an event like this are countless, an d that was understood across the board. Make sure to attend next year to get all the info you can on where you can take your future education.
“These are really good for high school students just because there are so many colleges, so being able to touch a lot of different schools, it’s just a really beneficial thing to talk to your admissions counselor in your home territory,” Albin said.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for students not just here at North Penn but for students around Montgomery County to come out and connect with college representatives from all over. Outside of an event like this, you won’t get that in-person connection with that person and that institution. Depending on the size of that college you could be waiting on hold, calling a general number, or emailing a general email account,” Gowder added.