EducationUSA
2018 College Fair
By Fatima Musa Lawan and Anjolaoluwa Akinmade
A cross section of the participants of the Fair at the MUSON Center
I
t was the culmination of
considerable dialogue and produced
a wealth of information. It was the
much-awaited 19th EducationUSA
Annual College Fair, and it was
the most successful so far. The fair
was held from the 24th – 27th of
September, 2018 at the MUSON Centre
and the Supreme Education Foundation
in Lagos for two days, then moved to
Abuja for two days at the Sheraton
Hotel and two high schools: Loyola
Jesuit College and International High
School.
Forty three U.S. college admissions
representatives from a wide range
of two and four year colleges were
present, including many first timers
such as Monroe College, the University
of South Alabama, Drew University
and Bucks County Community
College. Students and teachers came
representing public and private
Nigerian secondary schools such as
14
- EducationUSA Lagos Interns
Some of the EducationUSA Volunteers who helped make the fair a success
Queen’s College, Louisville Girls High
School, Corona Secondary School, Kings
College, Loyola Jesuit College and many
others. This year, for the first time,
Lagos also held a graduate fair due to
the demand from this demographic for
credible information about studying in
the U.S.
The four day College Fair presented a
wonderful opportunity for students,
teachers, and counselors to learn more
about the application process and
criteria for admission into U.S. higher
education institutions. Admissions
officers shared information on the
financial aid offered by their respective
universities and the uniqueness of
each of their campuses. Students also
learnt about the career benefits a U.S.
education could offer.
Each day’s fair began with a general
session where the attendees were
introduced to the benefits of a U.S.
CROSSROADS | December 2018/January 2019
education. A panel of notable U.S.
college alumni and admissions officers
delivered insightful speeches on the
importance of a tertiary education and
the prestige and generosity generally
associated with American universities.
The plenary session then broke into
smaller sessions on The Five Steps
to U.S. Study and U.S. student visa
applications. After these breakout
sessions, admissions officers had an
opportunity to continue to interact
with the over 4,000 prospective
undergraduate and graduate students
who attended in both locations.
The amount of effort that goes into
planning an event as grand as the
EducationUSA Nigeria College Fair is
tremendous but very worthwhile. All
of the individuals who attended left
the Fair grateful for EducationUSA’s
efforts to promote greater access to
information about the opportunities
that abound in U.S. higher education.