SMC Spring College Fair
A student advertises Tacos on campus for his booth during the Santa Monica College (SMC) College Fair. April 23, 2019. (Pablo Eden Garcia/ The Corsair)
On Tuesday, April 23 Santa Monica College (SMC) hosted yet another College Fair, bringing out colleges from across the nation to speak to students. Over 150 schools present, ranging from UCs and CSUs to private universities and international schools. All of them were ready to tell students about their amazing programs and fantastic opportunities they could provide.
The event took place on the Main Campus quad, allowing students to check in on their top choices between classes or walk around and find something new and interesting. Edwin Recinos Jr. is an SMC student who came to the event to double check with some of his top choices. “I wanted to double check a couple of facts with two or three of the colleges I wanted to apply to… because it seems like from one year to the next the requirements change,” stated Recinos.
Maria Martinez, advisor of the ADELANTE Program, serves tacos at their booth during the Santa Monica College (SMC) College Fair. April 23, 2019. (Pablo Eden Garcia/ The Corsair)
Brennan Burnett, a representative from UCLA, explained why events like these are important to the admission process, “I think it helps them make more of a personal connection with the university and with the institution and know that there are people here that are committed to helping them through the process.” Students were able to ask about any and every detail of the admissions process, programs, or even just general campus life.
Students of Santa Monica College line up for the Universities of California (UC) booths. April 23, 2019. (Pablo Eden Garcia/ The Corsair)
Yet even with 150 schools present there was an unequal distribution of interest. There were large lines surrounding the big names like UC Santa Cruz and UCLA and much smaller groups around the small privates or generally unknown schools. Additionally, some students felt there was a lack of representation from certain schools. “It would be great if we had more representation of STEM… like engineering for this school and bio for this school… just to let people know that there’s a high population in SMC that is focused on that,” stated Recinos.
Even though there seemed to be a slight lack of representation, there was still an array of options for students to look into. The College Fair allows students to not only interact with schools of their choice but also find new schools they might not have heard about or considered. Events like these allow SMC students an opportunity to really connect with the university of their choice.