Have you ever been to an education fair? What was it like? Did you manage to get the information you need?

Regardless if you’ve been dragged by your parents to visit a mini-exhibition hosted at your school or one held in a gigantic convention centre across the state, you’ll surely be able to relate to these common and sticky (literally!) problems when attending an education fair.

#1. “There’s no place to park!”

Parking is a common issue that many of us Malaysians face, especially at highly coveted events, such as an education fair. More often than not, when it comes to attending these expositions, you’ll have to get into alert mode (after getting yelled at by mum) and look out for any tiny spaces to squeeze your car into.

And if luck is not on your side, you’ll have to park your car miles away and walk under the scorching heat or worse still — heavy rain!

#2. The halls are packed like sardines

Expect crowds, especially if it’s a highly anticipated fair.

This is because fair organisers often select the most relevant dates to have a fair — that is, right before enrolment intakes and after major exams. So expect to be sandwiched among thousands of students in the same loop and situation as you!

While it can be exciting to bump into some of your long-lost friends, you will also tire quicker as you push your way through the endless crowd while getting squished in between people. You’ll also have to be aware of your belongings to avoid being pickpocketed.

On top of that, if the hall isn’t well-installed with air conditioning, get ready to smell sweat and stink! Eww.

#3. Getting lost

Let's face it — not everyone is great with directions. Some of you may get easily lost in a maze (for possibly forever), only to realise the exit has been right beside you all along. So yes, getting lost at a fair is a real problem.

As not all education fairs are designed with the same layouts, some of them can get pretty complicated. It's easy to feel overwhelmed trying to decide which way to go first. Add this complexity to the large mass of people and you may find it difficult navigating to booths that you’re interested in or be stuck in a never-ending loop. Not fun at all, eh?

#4. The hassle of bringing documents

Who likes carrying things when they go shopping? No one!

If you're a kiasu person attending an education fair, you’ll probably bring along a folder with numerous important documents, such as your certificates and academic results slips (just in case you decide to enrol for a course).

While walking around with them isn’t too bad, it can be inconvenient to frequently bring them out, all while carrying other things such as your backpack and the bags of brochures that you will accumulate throughout the day. And with all the hustle and bustle of the fair, there’s a chance that you could accidentally leave them behind!

#5. Getting attacked by flyer handouts

Speaking of “bag full of brochures”, brace yourself for the abundance of flyers and printouts you’ll receive during the event.

Typically, you're likely to go home with more than one bag — especially when you’re faced with pushy promoters who shove flyers and bags at you as you pass by their booths, even if you ’re not interested in their courses.

While it may be fun to receive lots of stuff, they often end up in the trash or kept for years, untouched. And that’s a load of waste. Yikes!

#6. The wait

Now, this is the most dreaded part.

You’ve narrowed down the university and courses you’re interested in but still have some questions to ask the university representatives. Right as you were about to ask a question, an aunty suddenly comes out of nowhere, barges in and snatches the counsellor away! Great, you’ll have to wait again.

At this point, it’s a waiting game because there are hundreds of people wanting to do the same thing. The risk of having your place in line cut by aunties and uncles who are overly excited for their child to begin college is definitely high. Your resolution? Either stand idle and wait or leave and go home!

#7. Forgetting what the counsellors have told you

So you’ve been at the fair for more than 2 hours. You’ve been listening to various counsellors from different colleges and universities and all of them have given their pitch on why their institution is the right choice. You’ve clearly gathered enough information and so you head home to digest what you’ve been told.

But once you’re home, you can’t seem to recall the information you need to know… was it university A or university B that offered X course with a scholarship? And which college representative was it who said they could give you an early bird discount?

When this confusion happens, you may end up wishing that you had jotted down some important details after asking your questions!

All in all, attending education fairs can be an overwhelming experience especially if you don’t like crowds. After an entire day of chaos, you’ll likely end up physically, mentally and emotionally drained.

But fear not, we have something exciting that will definitely save you from all of these inconveniences — an EduAdvisor Virtual Education Fair where you can get all your information online from the comfort of your home. All you need to do is register your spot for free and have your phone or computer with you during the fair — no more hassle!