Students, colleges try to hook up

Jennifer Lamb, a senior at Lewis and Clark High School, just wants an answer.

Her college applications are out. She’s hoping to be admitted to her first choice, the University of Washington.

“I just want to get it out of the way,” Lamb said.

Lamb was one of nearly 5,000 high school students who attended an annual college fair at the Spokane Convention Center on Monday.

She got some time with the UW director of admissions, Phillip Ballinger.

“He told me there are no guarantees,” Lamb said.

More than 100 college recruiters from around the country set up booths in the Convention Center. Many also had been at a Seattle college fair Friday.

Recruiters for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point were set up next to the booth for the Art Institute of Seattle. Schools in Indiana, Pennsylvania and New York competed with popular state schools Eastern Washington University and Washington State University.

Three Canadian colleges also saw heavy traffic.

D. Josh Keller, director of public relations for the University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops, British Columbia, showed off stacks of student requests for more information.

“There seems to be a new level of interest in Canada,” Keller said. “Some have been very clear their interest is related to the (presidential) election.”

Some students just want a change.

Hannah Palmer, a senior at Lewis and Clark, plans to apply to the University of Victoria, home to a renowned physics program.

“I always thought it’d be more expensive to go to Canada,” she said.

But with the favorable exchange rate, the price is similar to out-of-state fees in the United States, according to Canadian recruiters.

Also drawing lines were SAT counselors who were being asked about the March debut of the new Scholastic Assessment Test, which includes an essay. They suggested high school juniors wait to take the new SAT or risk having to take the test twice.