2020
Buffalo National College Fair
March 18-19 • Buffalo Niagara Convention Center

About the BNCF

NACACThis site is the official site of the Local Arrangements Committee which helps plan and organize NACAC's National College fair in Buffalo, NY. We are now planning for our 14th Annual College fair. The National College Fair is a free and open event. This event continues to attract over 200 colleges and universities from across the country, Canada, and even a few foreign universities. Our committee works to arrange for over 80 high schools to bus their juniors and seniors in to one of our two day sessions from Erie, Niagara, Wyoming, Orleans, Genesee, Chautaqua, Cattaraugus and Allegheny Counties. Our evening session on Wednesday night has brought in thousands of parents and students to take advantage not only of the fair, but of the numerous informational workshops offered at that session.

Who Will Be There?

Check out a list of the exhibitors and high schools that will be in attendance (check back as this will be updated)

Participating High Schools

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  • Leonardo DaVinci High School
  • Academy School @ 44
  • Akron High School
  • Alden High School
  • Alexander High School
  • Amherst Central High School
  • Archbishop Walsh High School
  • Barker Central School
  • Batavia High School
  • Bennett High School
  • Bishop Timon - St. Jude High School
  • Buffalo Academy for Visual & Performing Arts
  • Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart
  • Burgard Vocational High
  • Canisius High School
  • Cardinal O'Hara High School
  • Cattaraugus-Little Valley High School
  • Charter School for Appied Technologies
  • Cheektowaga Central High School
  • City Honors School
  • Clarence Senior High School
  • Cleveland Hill High School
  • Clymer Central High School
  • Depew High School
  • East Aurora High School
  • East High School
  • Eden Senior High School
  • Elba High School
  • Ellicottville Central High School
  • Emerson High School
  • Forestville Central High School
  • Franklinville High School
  • Frederick Law Olmsted School
  • Fredonia High School
  • Fredonia Upward Bound Program
  • Frewsburg Central High School
  • Frontier High School
  • Global Concepts Charter School
  • Gowanda Central High School
  • Grand Island High School
  • Hamburg Senior High School
  • Health Sciences Charter School
  • Holland Central School
  • Hutchinson Tech High School
  • Iroquois High School
  • Jamestown High School
  • John F. Kennedy High School
  • Kenmore East High School
  • Kenmore West Senior High School
  • Lackawanna Senior High School
  • Lafayette High School
  • Lake Shore Central High School
  • Lewiston-Porter High School
  • Maritime Charter School
  • Maryvale Senior High School
  • Math Science Tech Prep School at Seneca
  • McKinley High School
  • Medina Central High School
  • Mt. Mercy Academy
  • Nardin Academy *
  • Newcomer Academy
  • Newfane Central High School
  • Niagara Falls High School
  • Niagara Wheatfield
  • North Collins Senior High School
  • Oracle Charter School
  • Orchard Park High School
  • Panama Central School
  • Pembroke High School
  • Pine Valley High School
  • Pioneer Central High School
  • Riverside Institute of Technology
  • Royalton Hartland High School
  • Silver Creek High School
  • South Park High School
  • St. Francis High School
  • St. Marys of Lancaster
  • Stanley G. Falk School
  • Starpoint High School
  • Sweet Home High School
  • Tapestry Charter School
  • The International Preparatory School @ Grover
  • Tonawanda High School
  • West Seneca East Senior High School
  • West Seneca West Senior High School
  • Williamsville North High School
  • Williamsville South High School
* Evening

Sessions

  • Session 1 Wednesday 03/18/20
  • Day 9:00am to 12:00pm
  • Evening 6:00pm to 8:30pm
  • Workshops Session 1 Wednesday 03/18/20
  • Evening 6:30pm to 6:50pm
  • Workshops Session 2 Wednesday 03/18/20
  • Evening 7:00pm to 7:30pm
  • Workshop Session 3 Wednesday 03/18/20
  • Evening 7:40pm to 8:10pm
  • Session 2 Thursday 03/19/20
  • Day 9:00am to 12:00pm

Parking for the evening session on Wednesday night is available at both the Augspurger and Fernbach Ramps. You will have to pay the posted rate.

Resources

Useful information to help you prepare for the fair.

Workshops

  • How to Get the Most Out of the College Fair
  • Date Workshops Session 1 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 5:45pm to 6:00pm
  • Room106A
  • PresenterDavid Coates, Private Consultant, and Harry Gong, University Registrar, Niagara University

How to Get the Most Out of the College Fair

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  • Date Workshops Session 1 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 5:45pm to 6:00pm
  • Room106A
  • PresenterDavid Coates, Private Consultant, and Harry Gong, University Registrar, Niagara University
  • Pre-Session

Selective Admissions - What Really Counts

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  • Date Workshops Session 1 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 6:30pm to 6:50pm
  • Room106A
  • PresenterJane Mathias, Director of Guidance, Nardin Academy
  • Are you a highly motivated student, sporting a strong record that includes something distinctive on top? From the standpoint of highly selective colleges, what factors are considered paramount in the admissions process?

  • Students Seeking Accessibility Resources
  • Date Workshops Session 1 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 6:30pm to 6:50pm
  • Room106B
  • PresenterKristin Harte, Senior Associate Director of Accessibility Resources, University at Buffalo, SUNY

Students Seeking Accessibility Resources

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  • Date Workshops Session 1 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 6:30pm to 6:50pm
  • Room106B
  • PresenterKristin Harte, Senior Associate Director of Accessibility Resources, University at Buffalo, SUNY
  • Learn how to request accommodations at the college level (including testing, note-taking). What should be in the IEP or 504 Plan to aid your transition? How to document the disability and need for accommodations. Who should you contact; when in the application process should you contact; what accommodations are available at the college level.
  • SAT/ACT
  • Date Workshops Session 2 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:00pm to 7:30pm
  • Room106A
  • PresenterSharon Bertucci, School Counselor, City Honors

SAT/ACT

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  • Date Workshops Session 2 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:00pm to 7:30pm
  • Room106A
  • PresenterSharon Bertucci, School Counselor, City Honors
  • An overview of both tests will be presented. Tips and advice on how to best prepare for the tests will be provided as well as how results are used for college admission decisions.
  • Financial Aid 101
  • Date Workshops Session 2 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:00pm to 7:30pm
  • Room106B
  • PresenterKatie Kocsis, Director of Financial Aid, Niagara University

Financial Aid 101

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  • Date Workshops Session 2 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:00pm to 7:30pm
  • Room106B
  • PresenterKatie Kocsis, Director of Financial Aid, Niagara University
  • You can never have enough information on financial aid. This workshop is designed to help answer questions that students and parents may have about the process of determining financial need and upwarding aid.
  • College Athletics
  • Date Workshops Session 2 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:00pm to 7:30pm
  • Room103
  • PresenterKelly Cruttenden, Staff Member/Associate Athletic Director, University at Buffalo, SUNY

College Athletics

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  • Date Workshops Session 2 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:00pm to 7:30pm
  • Room103
  • PresenterKelly Cruttenden, Staff Member/Associate Athletic Director, University at Buffalo, SUNY
  • Important information for prospective student athletes will be explored. Topics include recruitment rules, academic eligibility, letters of intent, and registration with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
  • The Right College
  • Date Workshop Session 3 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:40pm to 8:10pm
  • Room103
  • PresenterDean Reinhart, PhD., Associate Director of Admissions, SUNY Buffalo State College

The Right College

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  • Date Workshop Session 3 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:40pm to 8:10pm
  • Room103
  • PresenterDean Reinhart, PhD., Associate Director of Admissions, SUNY Buffalo State College
  • How do you find the college that is right for you? This workshop will help students and parents examine the important factors to consider when making a decision on where to go to college.
  • The College Essay
  • Date Workshop Session 3 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:40pm to 8:10pm
  • Room106A
  • PresenterAustin Brass, Director of Admissions, Daemen College

The College Essay

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  • Date Workshop Session 3 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:40pm to 8:10pm
  • Room106A
  • PresenterAustin Brass, Director of Admissions, Daemen College
  • This session gives you the opportunity to learn about what colleges are looking for when reading college essays. You will leave this session with confidence in writing your college essay. Some of the questions that will be addressed are: How do I decided on a topic? What are the skills needed to start writing your college essay? How do I know if this is the right essay to submit?
  • Applying for Scholarships
  • Date Workshop Session 3 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:40pm to 8:10pm
  • Room106B
  • PresenterCheryl Goldstone, School Counselor, Williamsville South HS

Applying for Scholarships

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  • Date Workshop Session 3 - Wednesday 03/18/20 • 7:40pm to 8:10pm
  • Room106B
  • PresenterCheryl Goldstone, School Counselor, Williamsville South HS
  • This presentation offers a brief overview on private scholarships and tips for completing scholarship applications. Learn how to conduct scholarship searches using the internet and receive advice on searching for scholarships, letters of recommendation, and writing essays for the scholarship application. The Excelsior Scholarship will also be discussed

Students

Be Prepared

The great thing and major difference between the National College Fair and local fairs is its sheer size. Over 200 colleges and universities from all over the world can be there, so it's a bit daunting. If you stroll up and down the aisles without a plan you may run out of time. That is why time management is so important. Each booth has a number which corresponds to the map in the locator which you will be given as you walk in. As soon as possible, we will begin posting a list of attending colleges and where they are to be located at the fair so that you can begin planning.

Lead Retrieval

The BNCF is one of NACAC's Lead Retrieval sites. You can pre-register for the fair at any time. By registering ahead of time, you will save time at the fair. After you register online, you will be able to print out a bar-coded sheet that you will bring with you to the fair. Many colleges and universities at the fair will be able to quickly scan this sheet and get your information automatically - without you having to fill out any cards. You can use this time to talk to those college reps and get all your important questions answered. The data collected in this process is confidential and will not be used or released to anyone except those colleges that you allow to scan your sheet. If you forget your sheet, there will be printing kiosks available at the fair.

Sponsors

The Role of Sponsors

Each year we seek both local and national sponsors to help make our fair successful. Because of the generous giving of the following sponsors our fair is able to promote this free event to the public, provide necessary services to students at the fair to assist in their search, provide superior hospitality to the exhibitors in attendance at our fair to make them want to come back each year, and most importantly... allow our local arrangements committee the ability to assist schools and districts in need to send students to the fair each year.

Why Be a Sponsor?

As a sponsor (and there are varying levels), we can offer a combination or all of the following: signage at the fair, placement on our website, placement on our fair shirts, presence at the fair in the resource center - if appropriate, logo placement in the fair locator, etc...

Exhibitors

Registration Details

Registration for colleges and universities to exhibit at the fair is done through NACAC itself. Members of NACAC, in addition to all the great resources and information available to them, receive a discounted rate on all National College Fairs. Registration for the fairs is ongoing and can even be accomplished on-site the day of the fair, however early registration allows for proper acknowledgement and printing on the fair maps and in the locator.

Lead Retrieval

Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, New York and several other fairs this year have been selected as pilot fairs for NACAC's Lead Retrieval service. Through lead retrieval colleges will be provided with a device they can use to scan student UPC's. This data will then be forwarded to the college automatically in a comma delimited file. Each year Buffalo is a leader among students pre-registered for the fair.

Why Buffalo?

Our local arrangements committee works hard to assure you a good turnout. We plan year round and have made it our goal to get any student or school that wants to attend to the fair. We have raised funds to achieve the goal of making the fair available to all and also to market our evening session to the community. We have had traffic of 8,000 or greater at all of our past seven fairs.

Counselors

Counselor 5 for 50 Challenge

Returning to this year's 2020 fair! We are excited to offer school counselors a chance to enhance their experience at our fair by encouraging local counselors to reach out and meet college representatives from colleges and universities outside of our area in attendance, while at the same time be entered for a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to either Premier or Wegmans.

Contact

If you have any questions about the national college fair please fill out the following form and we will get back to you shortly, or you can call for information at (716) 286-8716.