Keeping the College Fair open to the public is the right choice

Each year, Benjamin hosts a college fair where students have the chance to speak directly with admissions officers, explore schools they may not have considered, and practice forming connections in an unfamiliar, sometimes uncomfortable setting. It’s an important event, and it’s always been open to the general public.

Sure, that makes the event more crowded. But that is not a reason to shut others out – it’s precisely the reason to keep it open.

Allowing students from Palm Beach County to attend certainly improves the quality of the College Fair. Colleges will be more likely to send representatives if they know they’ll be meeting a wide variety of students, not just those from one private school. That means more schools, more connections, and more opportunities for everyone.

Colleges are also looking for diversity when creating a freshman class each year. Not just geographic diversity, but socioeconomic and educational diversity too. So when the crowd includes students from different types of schools and different backgrounds, it naturally creates a more dynamic environment, the exact environment colleges want to emulate on their campuses. The fair becomes more appealing to them, benefiting all students who attend.

On top of increasing the number of colleges that attend, opening the fair could increase their perception of our school. It shows that Benjamin is not an exclusive bubble, but a place that shares its resources and opportunities. It sends the message that Benjamin students are confident enough to engage with students outside of their own circles. In fact, colleges might already expect that a school like Benjamin would open its doors to others, and we shouldn’t give them a reason to think otherwise.

Still, some people argue that letting other students increase the competition may decrease their time with a college rep. That’s true, but so what? If students are worried that others might outshine them at the college fair, then they are not ready for what they will soon experience. College and the real world are full of competition. There won’t be any barriers keeping others out then, so why should there be now?

Additionally, what’s the point of a Benjamin education if it’s only valuable when others aren’t around? The goal of our school isn’t to give students a head start by limiting the competition – it’s to prepare them to win and thrive no matter who’s in the room. Benjamin students should want to prove that they can succeed anywhere, against anyone, without needing any advantages.

And this is exactly why the college fair must stay open to the public. It’s not just a logistical decision or marketing for the school, it’s a reflection of confidence and strength for students. It proves that a Benjamin education really does prepare you, not just to apply and succeed in college but to confidently and calmly stand shoulder to shoulder with anyone when it matters.

The College Fair should be exclusively open to the Benjamin community

The annual Linda Twitchell College Fair: an exciting and informative networking event, specifically created for Benjamin students. This event is supposed to foster new relationships with college representatives, allow for questions, and introduce students to new colleges. Unfortunately, these baseline purposes have been diminished due to the event becoming open to the public, not just the Benjamin community. For this reason, the fair should no longer be open to the public.

While allowing students from high schools all over Palm Beach County to attend our college fair may seem like the considerate and neighborly thing to do, it does create various problems that are extremely noticeable. Since my freshman year, I have noticed that the college fair has increasingly become more crowded, causing the ratio of potential students to college representatives to diverge. This has led to a feeling that one-on-one conversation time has diminished and waits have increased; our fair is starting to feel less personal.

Not only does the overcrowding cause increased stress for some, but it also takes away from the quality of interactions the college representatives get. When so many students from so many schools come to talk to them, admission officers may be more likely to forget standout students and conversations. This could weaken the value of having a college fair, as students may not be able to form the personal connections that they feel could help get them into college. If this is the case, what is the value of being a Benjamin student at the college fair?

Having an open college fair may also cloud representatives’ perceptions of what makes Benjamin second-to-none. Blurring the lines between Benjamin and non-Benjamin attendees may leave admissions counselors less sure of what defines our excellence.

Safety can also become a large issue when allowing the general public into a school event. While our safety and security team is top-notch, large crowds always present special challenges. If some sort of incident were to happen, college representatives could be put off by Benjamin, even if the issue is due to non-Benjamin attendees. With all of this being said, it is much less risky to have a closed college fair in terms of safety.

Having a closed college fair, specifically for Benjamin students, may seem like we are adding just another layer to our “bubble.” Having seen Wicked, I learned that bubbles take you places. The special opportunities that come with attending Benjamin are essential to students’ appreciation of our community.

Having an open college fair seems to create more negatives than positives. The reputation of Benjamin and the students that attend is what draws college representatives to the fair, and allowing others to take away from these resources and opportunities is unfair to actual Benjamin students. The more people and chaos caused, the more overstimulated and passive college representatives are likely to be. If Benjamin students are not allowed to ask all of their questions or show their full personality to these schools, then they are not getting the full benefits of the experience. When it comes to the Twitchell College Fair, exclusivity and efficacy go hand-in-hand.