Checking out college is virtually free

Patrick Wheat's whirlwind spring college tour carried him to Connecticut's Trinity College and 4,500 miles away to Hawaii Pacific University.

His father is out of work right now, and any one-income family would deem a campus romp in these times taxing -- unless you're the Wheats, who did it for free through CollegeWeekLive, an online virtual college fair which also provides virtual open houses and tours.

Flights, rental cars and hotels make visiting a slate of college campuses a strenuous -- if not impossible -- goal for many families, with the average price of multiple trips ranging from $3,000-$5,000.

This interactive tour, aimed at the technologically savvy and financially prudent, gives both sides a break by complementing, or even substituting, the real walk through campuses for Web tours. Colleges pay anywhere from $3,000 to $7,000 to participate, but find making fewer recruiting trips with boxes of printed material cost effective in the midst of furloughs and budgets cuts.

The online virtual fair works like this: enter the halls of a college fair and select the booths you want to visit. From Alaska to Alabama, Yale to Dayton and everywhere in between, nearly 300 schools are a click away. Admissions counselors, financial aid officials and current students join industry experts in college preparatory testing, essay writing and more through platforms like streaming video, webinars and chats via webcams.

As teenagers interact as much electronically as they do in person, the computer approach may be less intimidating. Still, not all are willing to slump behind a screen.

"I would rather look at someone and tell them what my interests are," said Amanda Brown, a junior at Dunwoody High School.

However, with the online option, students can visit hundreds of schools, just like a traditional fair, or take a longer tour at a particular school.

"There are a lot of colleges out there, and it's really hard to get a lot of information about them all in one place," said Wheat, a junior at North Springs High who participated in CollegeWeekLive's spring fair. "The online fair was a fun and interactive way to do it."

CollegeWeekLive, formed in 2007, holds its fall fair Nov. 4-7. As families seek ways to save, the two all-encompassing spring and fall fairs -- as well as more topic-specific events throughout the year -- have become increasingly popular. Its presence in metro Atlanta has recently begun to grow. In the spring, about 1,000 local students from high schools like Miller Grove, McEachern and Centennial participated and more are expected this week.

A second Web site of this kind, EducationXpo, will hold a similar free fair on Nov. 12. It also has a host of speakers to advise students and parents on the college process. A newer and smaller offering, VirtualCollegeFair, is also available.

Georgia Tech, Clark Atlanta, Oxford College at Emory, Spelman and Clayton State are among the local schools taking part in CollegeWeekLive's fall fair this week. Georgia Tech participated for the first time in March. About 750 prospective Tech students from 42 states and countries came into the school's booth, said Rick Clark, director of undergraduate admissions. Not only did the school distribute electronic information about its programs to students, saving Tech hundreds in the costs of printed material, but it also collected valuable data that can be used to enhance Tech's recruitment efforts. This time, Clark said, Tech will have representatives from each of its six colleges on hand to chat with prospects.

"It was good interaction, in terms of being able to answer personal questions the students had," Clark said. "At a physical fair, there is a line of students waiting to talk to you and you end up answering the same questions over and over."

Traditional college fairs are held every year, including the largest in the area with 150 schools at Atlanta North Fair at North Point Mall, and one recently at Dunwoody High. Recruiters from all over the southeast stood behind tables crowded with glossy brochures as countless students waited patiently for a few minutes of their time.

Harry Slimming, a 16-year-old junior at Dunwoody, was there with his mother, Jan Slimming. He stopped by tables with Georgia, Auburn and Valdosta State representatives.

"I think these are a lot better," he said of classic fairs. "You can have real conversations and if you want to learn more, you can get their e-mail address. You can get straightforward answers. They can come flat out and be completely honest with you."

That's no different than CollegeWeekLive, chief executive officer Robert Rosenbloom said. The difference: You get more. Prospects can chat with students already on campus via webcam. There are hours and hours of live programming from admissions experts and others, such as Matt Rubinoff, an Emory graduate and executive director of the Center for Student Opportunity. In webinars, students and parents can ask direct questions on everything from financial options to testing.

Many admissions offices, like the University of Georgia's, offer similar online interaction, but this fair puts them all under one virtual roof.

"The bulk of colleges probably have their own chat service, but we're creating the efficiency," Rosenbloom said. "And we're bringing the schools leads and potential candidates not in their network."

Plus, students have the option of visiting hundreds of campuses -- free of charge. Wheat, 17, plans to make in-person local visits and will also ask plenty of questions about the more distant schools when he signs on this week. With a 14-year-old high school freshman, the Wheats could soon have two children in college. Saving now only makes sense, especially with Richard Wheat currently an emergency medical technician student while he's unemployed.

"Our finances are not what they once were," said Colleen Wheat, a paraprofessional at North Springs. "I don't see us taking a weeklong visit. I can see us going to schools in Georgia or in the region...The kids are so comfortable online. For them to look at these colleges this way is as comfortable as looking online for a pair of shoes."

To register for free and see the full agenda for the Nov. 4-7 fall fair, go to CollegeWeekLive.com.