The convention room bustled with people and chatter scampered around as I bounced to each table to speak with different sponsors and students. Different questions being asked as the students collect pamphlets in their bright green bags and head off to gain more knowledge of each college and find where they belong.

Most people want to go to a college that describes them. Big student population or small student population, large campus or small campus, etc. These are the things that students look for in a college that makes them decide whether or not they want to attend.

Senior Aidan Walsh explained why he wanted to attend his dream school that’s located in Minnesota, as he greeted me with a warm smile. “A nice environment with friendly people who work there [helps me decide] whether or not I want to attend,” Walsh said. “If the campus is small, I would really want to go because a small campus makes me feel at home.”

That’s not the only thing that students look into when they’re looking for a college. A lot of times, it depends on what the colleges offers after the students are done with college. As I approached the booth labeled “Drake University” I was greeted by a man who named David Wright who’s a sponsor for the University and he describes what it offers to its students.  

“Kids don’t only look for what colleges offer during the four years, they also look for internships,” Wright said. “It’s very hard nowadays to find internships at schools, especially in big cities like Chicago.”

As I left the table, I ran into a senior girl named Hailey Gant who’s from Kansas and knows what her plans are for college. Although she’s not set on what she wants to do with her major fully, she understands which college is best for her.

 “I want to go somewhere where I feel I can be at my full potential and where there are friendly people,” Gant said. “The people set the environment because if they’re friendly they make my deciding factor. It just depends on how open the people are.”

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