Guidelines and Resources
College Fair Guidelines
College fairs provide high school students with the opportunity to gather information and speak to representatives from many colleges and universities. Each year, the Office of Admission is invited to participate in numerous fairs and based upon location, student interest, applicant history, and other institutional factors. When a member of the Admission staff is unable to attend a college fair, we rely on our Alumni Admission Ambassadors to represent the College in various programs across the country. Typically, these fairs are held at local high schools or event centers and require a two to four hour time commitment.
When an Alumni Ambassador volunteers for a fair, they are acknowledging and agreeing to the follow:
- I do not have a student actively going through the college admission process (i.e. a senior applying or transfer student applying).
- I will direct any prospective student to the website or their admission counselor if I do not know an answer to a particular question.
- I will follow the Best Practices as outlined in the Guidelines for Alumni Admission Ambassadors.
General Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards
Providence College adheres to the Best Practices for Alumni Admission Programs that are outlined by the IVY+ Group and through the affiliation with Northeastern Coordinators of Alumni Admission Programs (NECAAP). These Best Practices correspond directly with the Guidelines set forth by the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
All training materials for the Providence College Alumni Admission Ambassador program are in compliance with these ethical guidelines and professional standards. As always, we stress the importance of review all training materials, information, brochures, and confirmation emails.
Before the College Fair
Explore the PC website to view a list of campus resources, academic information, and news. The Student Profile also provides helpful statistics and information about the College and the students we select. All volunteers must also review the College Fair Training presentation.
You will be mailed a box of publications and supplies prior to the college fair you are scheduled to attend. Please be sure to review the materials mailed to you. In addition to an information packet, the box of materials will include:
- Providence College Banner (to display on college fair table) *
- Information Cards
- “Providence” brochures
- “How to Afford Providence College: A Guide to Financial Assistance” brochures
- Return Address Information and Envelope*
- AAA College Fair Evaluation*
*Items should be mailed to the office in the enclosed envelope ASAP to address below
Day of the College Fair
Important: In the event of an emergency on the day of the fair and you are unable to attend the College Fair, please e-mail pca3@providence.edu and call the Office of Admission at (401) 865-2535. Ask to speak with Rhonda Gemma to let us know that you will not be able to attend.
- Business attire is appropriate for a college fair.
- Please plan to arrive approximately a half hour before the fair is scheduled to begin to find and set up the table where Providence College is assigned.
- Set up your table with the PC banner and the information that we have provided for you.
- Some fairs will provide dinner or light refreshments prior to the fair for college representatives. If the event you are attending offers refreshments, details can be found in the confirmation materials.
During the College Fair
- Engage in conversation with any prospective student, parent, guidance, or college counselor that visits your table. Ask where the student goes to high school, if the student has an intended major, if the student has visited the PC campus, etc. Try to engage the student with questions and introduce yourself as an alumnus / alumnae.
- Encourage prospective students to complete an inquiry card and look through our literature. Also, encourage the student to visit our website at www.providence.edu and contact the counselor responsible for reading their application.
- Do not feel bad if you don’t know the answer to something – the campus is constantly evolving! If asked a question that you are not able to accurately answer (I.e., you are not completely confident in the answer and would need to guess), encourage the student, parent, or individual to visit the Providence College website or email the counselor responsible for that school’s area. Misrepresentation of the institution will lead to evaluation for continued participation in the Alumni Admission Ambassador program.
After the College Fair
Return completed inquiry cards, the completed College Fair Evaluation Form, and the college banner to the address below. Please do this in as timely a manner as possible, as we will need to send the banner to other volunteers.
Ms. Elizabeth Ward
Providence College Office of Admission
Harkins Hall 203
One Cunningham Square
Providence, RI 02918
