College Admission Help

College Admission Help: College Fair Provides A Learning Experience

By ROBERT SAMUELS
rsamuels@MiamiHerald.com
The economy may be shaky, but college recruiters told parents and students that college is not out of reach.
With thousands buzzing behind them, a crowd of parents and teenagers three deep swarmed Natalie Cuenca-Suñer, a Florida State University admissions officer.
In one minute, she said six times what a good SAT score would be: somewhere between 1740 and 1990. She gave the typical range for grade-point averages five times: 3.6 to 4.2.
''They're always interested in us here,'' Cuenca-Suñer said while opening her seventh box of brochures at the National College Fair, which came to the Doubletree Miami Mart on Sunday. ``We're the local school. The students can get in-state tuition. We just want them to apply.''
Miami-Dade Public Schools, which brought the touring national fair to Miami, expected as many as 10,000 students to visit the booths.
Freak-outs about admissions and financing are to be expected. But now, more than ever, the fair's hosts wanted to emphasize that the economic slump should not deter qualified students from getting a college education.
''We want people to realize they don't have to be wealthy to go to college,'' said Perla Tabares Hantman, a Miami-Dade School Board member and co-chair of the local college-fair committee. ``We want them to know about scholarships. And we have workshops about how to apply for financial aid -- in English, Spanish and Creole.''
Marlene Mitchell and her son, Christopher, attended one such session, where the speaker discussed the different federal loans and grants that a student can obtain.
''Today, I learned that some schools give financial aid, not just the government. I didn't know that. It helps me feel a little better,'' the elder Mitchell said.
The fair, coordinated by the National Association of College Admission Counseling, plans to return to South Florida in November -- this time, to Fort Lauderdale.
Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who attended the fair, called it one of the best ''one-stop shops'' to ever visit the area.
Representatives of more than 150 colleges, from St. Petersburg, Fla., to Rome, Italy, came to Miami to woo students and field their questions.
While state universities and the University of Miami received the most attention, others hoped their locations and specialized offerings would interest students such as Shannon Hemmings.
Hemmings, a junior at Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School in North Miami-Dade, is looking for a college with a good arts and musical-theater program. She carried University of Florida paraphernalia, but she and her mother were discussing other options.
''Maybe I should look at some places in California or New York,'' Hemmings told her mother, Sharon McCormack.
Then they passed the booth for Bond University, located in Queensland.
As in Australia.
Hemmings' eyes perked up at the possibility. ''How about Australia!'' she said. ``I never thought about it before, but I could study someplace international.''


College Admission Help: College Fair Provides A Learning Experience