The 2018 Probe College Tour kicks off September 4, and students all over Georgia will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from colleges and universities across the nation.

College representatives will be canvasing the state and setting up displays in local  communities to meet students and their families and answer questions. With 63 fairs and three counselor workshops over the course of 11 weeks this year, there will be a fair for every region of Georgia – and the fairs are absolutely free for students and parents to attend.

This year, fairs are being held in high schools, community centers, and universities rather than shopping malls as in years past.

The Probe College Tour will be at Bainbridge High School on Tuesday, Sept. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Executive Director Clint Hobbs realizes that this generation of upcoming college students isn’t embracing malls: “Malls no longer have the same place in American life as before, so the board decided to bring the tour back into the community.”

The tour is an opportunity for students to have their questions answered face-to-face by college representatives. Representatives also share information about the campus, the admissions process, and pass out material for students to take home and review. Plus, many colleges consider attending a fair as “demonstrated interest,” which can become a weighing factor in the admissions process.

Colleges from 25 different states – as well as Rome, Italy and Manchester, UK – will be represented during the tour. Over 200 colleges will visit the state between September and November, while more than 400 guidance counselors will attend workshops. The annual tour is a rite of passage for many high school students, as this represents the first direct contact they have with colleges.

The tour again will be automated using a barcode and scanner program. Students register online, create a profile, and print their barcode. “Students are encouraged to pre-register for a Probe barcode, allowing them to quickly transmit their information to colleges they’re interested in,” says Hobbs.

Students may pre-register by visiting, register.gotocollegefairs.com.

At the fair, students present their printed barcode to the colleges of their choice, who can quickly collect student information with a scanning device. This time saver allows for more interaction between the student and college representative.

While a number of online alternatives exist for learning about colleges,  including virtual fairs and social media, Hobbs notes there are certain  fundamentals that are timeless.

“Some things never change,” says Hobbs, “Students shopping around to different tables, getting to talk to college representatives, and going home with materials from schools they liked remain important components of the college search process.” The Probe College Tour is all about connecting people with people – giving students and their families the ability to put names and faces to institutions and helping them to consider the educational choices ahead of them.