AACC hosted 44 colleges on Feb. 20 at a fair designed to help students decide which four-year schools they wish to apply to.

Students walked through the cafeteria to talk to representatives from colleges from all over Maryland, and some from out of state, to learn about their courses and degrees as well as other services they offer.

“It gives students an option to pick from,” Braxton Johnson, a second-year visual arts and graphic design student, said of the Transfer Fair. ”It gives them an idea of what colleges are looking for and I think it’s a good way to start.”

The Transfer Fair allows students to meet people from the colleges they’re interested in so they will have contact information, ask questions about the college and to learn the requirements for getting in.

“So I just wanted to make sure that students had access to the information that they needed, versus just trying to figure it out on their own,” Khadijat Richmond, AACC director of transfer advising, said.

This event also gave colleges the chance to promote themselves to students and meet those wishing to get the degrees they might offer.

“This is my first time being here but it’s great to see how much energy the students have,” Molly Kennedy, an admissions counselor at Mount St. Mary’s University, said. “And everyone’s been coming to me with great questions. So it’s also someplace that I feel welcomed enough [that] I want to come back for other fairs.”

Colleges also took the opportunity to build relationships with AACC.

“As part of the University System of Maryland, all public schools, including  [the University of Maryland], do support our local community colleges and attend as many transfer events as possible that have that good relationship with our community colleges,” Colin Crow, an admissions counselor for the University of Maryland.