TOWAMENCIN – When walking into the gymnasium Tuesday night, the first thing heard amidst the commotion was questions such as “what colleges are you looking for,” “what are you thinking about majoring in,” and “where do I start?” Students and parents roamed around, checking out different colleges and universities, asking college representatives and North Penn alumni about different colleges and careers, and getting a lot of information they need to make their decision about what they are going to do when they graduate high school.

That’s what the college fair is all about- getting information that could really help students narrow down their choices and calm their nerves about college. North Penn High School guidance counselor William Travers appreciates the fair because of all the information it offers for all students.

“I think it’s getting information. To me that’s all this is about. And also I think that if you can get the young kids involved, it gets them thinking, and I don’t think it’s any pressure for ninth and tenth graders. The younger kids get it- no pressure- you get a lot of information. There are a lot of kids and families that can’t get to certain schools. So what we feel is we’re bringing the schools here so you get to talk to them, and then hopefully you can make a connection and you’re going to want to go and visit that school.”

And information is what the students got. By the end of the night, students and parents alike had acquired stacks of pamphlets and flyers from a large array of colleges and universities, ranging from military schools to the big schools for North Penn students, like Penn State, Temple, West Chester, and Drexel, and all schools in between. Even if a student was completely overwhelmed by the idea of college itself, the representatives present did their best to help calm their nerves.

“It is a bit overwhelming. Like, I went up to a stand, and when they asked me if I had any questions, I didn’t even know what to ask. I told them that, and they started asking me about what majors I’m thinking about and what I’m looking for in my colleges. It was really nice, and it helped me,” junior Natalie McCollum said.

A new addition to the college fair was a row of tables run by North Penn alumni about different careers so students could see if a desired career is right for them.

“Now this is the start of something [regarding the career tables], bringing the alumni in. because what we’re going to ultimately try to evolve into a separate career fair. It was Mr. [Robert] Gillmer’s idea. He said, here’s what we’re going to do: we’re going to make it part of our fair, we’re going to funnel people over and get them to do some registration, and you’d be surprised- a lot of parents went here,” Travers explained.

All in all, the college fair is a great opportunity for students to come out and get information that will make thinking about their future a little less frightening.