College Fair 2008

Another Great Success

The Embassy hosted College Fair 2008 from October 18-19 in the gymnasium of the International School of Port of Spain (ISPS) and on October 20 at the Gulf City Lowlands Mall in Tobago. The program was a resounding success and an excellent outreach tool, running 9:00 a.m. to noon and 3:00-6:00 p.m. on both days in Trinidad, and 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-4:00 p.m. in Tobago. It attracted the usual large crowd of over 2,000 visitors in Trinidad and over 200 in Tobago. 

For the first time, a workshop entitled, “Overview of U.S. Higher Education” was held before each session in the auditorium of the school on both days of the event. Students were encouraged to attend one of the sessions prior to entering the Fair so that they might be made more aware of what to expect and the relevant questions to be asked. For the participating college representatives on the first day of the fair, a presentation on two topics was offered:  the “Seamless Education Policy and the National Education System in Trinidad and Tobago” by the Directorate for Tertiary Education and Lifelong Learning of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education; and “Managing Good Alliances that Build Successful Partnerships in the Tertiary Education Sector in Trinidad and Tobago - What Do Our Local Institutions Need?” by the Director of the International Office, The University of the West Indies. The Assistant Registrar from the Caribbean Examinations Council in Barbados gave an overview of the new Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination on the second day of the Fair. 

Forty-seven American colleges and universities from a variety of geographic areas and representing many types of institutions – from liberal arts colleges to large state institutions, including institutions based in small towns, in rural areas, in big cities – participated in College Fair 2008, giving prospective students information on admissions, coursework, financial aid and campus life issues. Also at the Fair were fifteen local institutions, the Caribbean Examinations Council in Barbados, and the Organization of American States promoting the interest-free loan offerings of “The Rowe Fund,” while a Consular officer from the U.S. Embassy answered questions for two full days, and IRC staff handled the EducationUSA table.

This was the seventh college fair organized by the Embassy’s IRC since 1996, and, as in the past, it proved to be an excellent outreach program.

Just over 2,000 students, teachers, parents, academic advisors and others attended the Fair.  Representatives of participating institutions praised both the Fair’s organization and the prospective students from Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the comments taken from evaluation forms:

• "This is the very best fair...must continue this tradition”
• "Terrifically run program from start to finish”
• "I really look forward to this fair... A truly outstanding fair”
• "Extremely well organized”
• "Very well organized college fair; staff are very helpful and professional”

A four-page supplement was published by the well-respected Trinidad Guardian and a full-page advertisement appeared in the two other leading daily newspapers.

A Consular Officer and one of the college representatives appeared on a popular morning television show before the event, talking about the student visa process and benefits of a U.S. higher education. As a mechanism to showcase the quality of U.S. higher education and to dispel myths about the visa process, the program proved to be an excellent way to reach our target audience.

The Public Affairs Officer promoted the Fair on the sole television station in Tobago. The mini-fair in Tobago involved the participation of 28 U.S. and 14 local institutions, and two Consular Officers. The 200-plus visitors were very pleased at the effort made to include Tobago in the program and to advertise it widely on the island; we had hosted the event there twice before, in 1997 and 2007.  Tobagonians often feel neglected by their fellow citizens in Trinidad and others, which is due mainly to its small size and population of around only 55,000, as compared to Trinidad’s population of 1.3 million.