Bemidji State Education Fair returns, hosting nearly 900 students

Sep. 29—BEMIDJI — The opportunity for an in-person education fair after two years of virtual fairs couldn't come soon enough for Patty Hartshorn, an admissions representative for

Northwest Technical College.

"There's a very kinetic ability to connect in person versus the online fairs. Certainly, we tried (virtual fairs) and we were able to connect with some people, and that was great," Hartshorn said, "but it's missing this kind of energy."

As it turns out, 2022 was the year for this return as nearly 900 high school students were considering their post-graduation options at

Bemidji State's

Education Fair — sponsored by the

Minnesota Association for College Admission Counseling

— on Tuesday in the Beaux Arts Ballroom.

Kim Fisher, interim associate director of admissions at BSU, echoed Hartshorn's sentiments regarding virtual fairs — held over Zoom or other video conferencing software — and the lower student engagement that came along with them.

"The virtual fairs just weren't as effective. It was difficult to engage with students online and even the traffic was much lower in a virtual fair than it is at in-person college fairs," Fisher detailed. "It's so much more effective to meet with students in person, for them to physically see all these different schools represented."

Reigning from 13 high schools across the region, students could visit with representatives of 57 public and private colleges, universities, community colleges, technical colleges and specialty schools in a format crucial for student recruitment.

"The opportunity to get a wide sampling of the types of educational opportunities out there is definitely much more accessible and visible in this format," Hartshorn added. "They get to look at four-year institutions, get to look at in-state, out-of-state schools, private and public. And they can all do it in the space of an hour."

While a majority of booths represented schools from the Midwest, Melissa Cunningham kept busy recruiting on behalf of the

University of Strathclyde-Glasgow

in Scotland.

Marking the university's first time at an education fair in Minnesota, Cunningham wanted to highlight study abroad opportunities for students.

"We've done a few virtual events over the pandemic, so we wanted to be here in person because we're seeing more and more interest from students in the Midwest in overseas study," Cunningham said.

Glasgow has had a presence at other fairs in California, Illinois and Texas. In doing so, Cunningham hopes to emphasize the accessibility of higher education abroad.

"I think sometimes that students and parents might think that the cost is a huge barrier," Cunningham added. "Our tuition fees are quite often akin to out-of-state tuition fees and it's a four-year degree program like in the U.S., as well."

No matter which path a student pursues, Hartshorn wants them to know that they have time to pick what's right for them.

"We have students who traditionally go to college when they finish high school. We have students go into the military, those who take gap years," Hartshorn detailed. "Maybe they didn't choose to attend college and decided later in life that they had a different career trajectory they wanted to pick, and then they pursue those opportunities."

Fisher wants students to understand their options that extend beyond attending a four-year college or even earning an associate's degree and offered a piece of advice.

"As long as they do something," Fisher left off. "Think about what your plans are after high school and start getting yourself set up for that."