By Grant Gierhahn ‘20

As expected, the annual Brother Rice/Mother McAuley College Fair extended its track record of success on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. Typically, between 180 and 200 college representatives attend the event, which enables students to interactively assess a plethora of schools for their individual wants and needs.

The fair itself takes place in various areas on both the Brother Rice and Mother McAuley campuses. In past years, Br. Rice has had both the north and south gyms, along with the cafeteria, at their disposal to accommodate representatives. However, the Br. Rice Counseling Department was limited to solely the gym spaces in 2019, which originally put Director of Counseling Patrick Creed on edge prior to the fair. But the limited domain was manipulated to perfection, and the fair didn’t miss a beat in terms of productivity.

“The college fair was a tremendous success. The counseling department was a little nervous going into it because of only using the North and South Gyms, but that turned out to be tremendous,” Creed said. “We were thrilled by the attendance. We are always proudest when college representatives talk about how engaged and knowledgeable our students are.”

What stuck out to the college representatives, in particular, was the cordial nature and attentiveness of the Crusader and Mighty Mac students.

Brother Rice’s Mary Beth Jantz couldn’t agree more.

“Yesterday’s college fair was another successful event for both Brother Rice and Mother McAuley.   So many college representatives commented that our students are polite, respectful, and are prepared with great questions,” Mrs. Jantz said.

During the often chaotic college admissions process, Mrs. Jantz emphasized how vital this event is for students and their parents to both gauge different collegiate options and connect firsthand with representatives.

“We encourage our students to attend the fair because not only is it a great time to explore college and university options, but it is also beneficial to meet the admission representatives face to face,” Mrs. Jantz said. “Through this interaction, the reps are available to introduce them to various majors and programs, scholarship opportunities, and answer any questions the students may have.”

As a 13-year veteran of the counseling department, Mrs. Jantz also alluded to the professional friendships and coordination efforts behind the fair that help it thrive, year in and year out.

“The college fair is a lot of work, but something I enjoy organizing every year.  I’ve known some of these reps. for over ten years now and it is always great to see them,” said Mrs. Jantz. “The reps continue to thank us and always say that our event is one of their favorite fairs to attend.”

From the students’ perspectives, they seemed to greatly appreciate the hard work put forth by the counseling department- exploiting the personalized interactions and advantageous resources made available to them at the fair.

Senior Michael Nelligan said, “The college fair is a wonderful opportunity for students to interact with college representatives and is a fantastic place to start the college application journey.”

With roughly 180 college admissions officials at this year’s fair, Senior Liam McElligott highlighted the need for students to apply to institutions that genuinely reflect their academic and social priorities.

“It’s really important to pick which college is right for you, one you truly feel a connection with,” he said.

Undoubtedly, the Br. Rice/Mother McAuley College Fair will continue to serve as a staple of the admissions process on 99th Street for many years to come.