“Ugh, I’m so ready to graduate,” says every high schooler at least once in his or her life. But do you know what you’ll do once you graduate? Perhaps start working right away, but many people will still go to college.

A great opportunity to find out about different colleges and their requirements was the National   College Fair Miami that took place on Sunday, February 26^th at the Miami Airport Convention Center. The event was open to high schoolers, so Miami High set up a field trip and took 60 juniors there.

“My favorite school was Barry University because you don’t need a resume or any essay to apply and the application is free, said junior Rossel Meraz. “I also liked Florida Gulf Coast because you don’t need to be the perfect student to get in.”

Ana Pedraja recalls FIU and UF as her favorites because of their psychology programs.

The purpose of the trip was for students to get a head start on finding colleges they want to apply to. “The fact that students were able to see different types of schools, not just from Florida, but from all over the United States and abroad, was the key benefit of the fair,” said English teacher Ms. Puentes who planned the entire trip. “Many students might have an idea on what school to go to because of a popular football team, but the college fair allows students to really get information on other schools.”

Students had their own reasons for attending.  “I was interested in learning about the requirements to get into certain schools and see the variety of universities in Florida,” said junior Maria Narvaez.

Other students attended to get a taste of what colleges were like. Elmo Useda said, “I wanted to see the different options I have and what the colleges can offer me.”

Even the chaperones had their reasons for accompanying the students. Chemistry teacher Dr. Hueck   wanted to learn about new universities as well as any opportunities available for his students.

Many had expectations about what the fair would be like. Maria Narvaez did not expect it to be so crowded.

Jose Alvarez thought the fair was mostly going to be conferences, but was surprised to find instead that it was more of an open-roam building with stations.

Overall, the event was a great experience to get information about college. Rossel Meraz said, “I would recommend others to attend because it gives you the opportunity to raise your standards and motivate you to get into a good college.”

Biology teacher Ms. Gutierrez says, “Between the booths and mini-conferences, there is a wealth of information to be had.”

Junior Alexa Melgar says, “I knew that I wanted to go to college from the beginning, but speaking to these colleges made me believe I can go out of state.”