For more than 10 years, College Possible has joined the annual Twin Cities Partnership (TCP) College Fair. This event invites students from independent schools and community-based college access organizations (CBOs) to meet with admission representatives from more than 100 invited colleges and universities to learn more about campus programs and the admission process.
This year’s event took place on September 22 at Breck School in Golden Valley, Minnesota. Students from The Blake School, Breck School, Minnehaha Academy, Mounds Park Academy, St. Paul Academy, and Shattuck – St. Mary’s School joined 40 students from College Possible Minnesota, as well as students from Breakthrough Twin Cities, and LearningWorks.
Distinctive to the TCP Fair, College Possible students and the participating CBO students have a special early-access hour. This private access time allows College Possible students to participate in the fair with a smaller cohort of students, rather than with all 600 attendees. It also allows college representatives to focus their conversations on topics most top-of-mind for College Possible students, such as financial aid, equity and inclusion resources, and first-generation programs.
This event is unique in College Possible Minnesota’s offerings because students can learn about and connect with many colleges in a short amount of time. Attendees can form connections with several different colleges and learn about options they might not have previously considered. “The representatives from all the different institutions were filled with information” says a junior student from Champlain High School. “There was nothing they couldn’t answer or direct you. And they were fabulous people.”
Additionally, the majority of schools at the fair are located outside of Minnesota, which gives students interested in out-of-state schools a chance to explore those options. “I like how out of state colleges are here too, it gives students the opportunity to meet a new college” says a senior at Humboldt High School. College Possible also offers a short welcome program, where students receive college fair tips and ideas for questions to ask representatives. During this program, College Possible students also hear from admissions representatives from colleges on their advice for approaching the fair. “I loved this fair because of how the college representatives explained the college essays” says a senior from Como Park Senior High School.
