First annual Central Oregon College Fair set

Representatives from over 80 institutions of higher learning will be on hand Tuesday, October 8 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond at the first annual Central Oregon College Fair.

The fair will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and is free to the public.

Parents and students are invited to visit representatives from colleges throughout the Northwest and from across the country.

Juniors and seniors from Sisters High School are slated to attend from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Students are required to sign up and turn in a permission slip in advance in the high school office.

Students will be transported by school bus, thanks to a grant from Western Communications. Organizers of the fair want to minimize traffic and parking problems at the fairgrounds, so Sisters High School students are required to ride the bus if they intend to participate. Parents are welcome to meet their students at the fairgrounds.

Fair organizers are expecting more than 2,000 students from throughout Central and Eastern Oregon to attend. The fair will feature more than 80 college representatives from institutions of higher education throughout the Pacific Northwest and across the country. Colleges from upstate New York to Alaska, from Southern California to North Carolina have pre- registered.

Public and private, two- and four-year colleges as well as art and technical institutes will be represented at the fair. In addition, fair attendees can meet with representatives and attend free workshops on choosing a college, financing a college education, testing and other aspects of preparing for and applying to college.

"The response from students, parents and high school counselors has been incredible," said fair co-chair Carolyn Platt, of Bend. "Plus, the colleges are very eager to meet our students. We have a critical mass of qualified college candidates here."

For more information, contact [email protected]