`helpful'. But for many, most notably Claudette and Sheridan Cann, and their daughter Shirlette, it is nothing short of a godsend. With thousands of universities and colleges worldwide clamouring for students, and with many of them offering similar programmes, how is the uninitiated to choose? Especially when the average person only has brochures and the experiences of others for reference. According to the Canns, the Fair is the best place to start.

Through it, they were able to decide upon a college which best met Shirlette's academic needs and which also kept her in a safe environment. "We attended the Fair about three years ago,'' said Mrs. Cann. "We knew that she was going to attend college and we wanted to get as much information as we could to help us select the best one for her. Shirlette said she attended the Fair as part of a field trip organised by her high school. She had heard of Mount Ida College from other Bermudians and wanted to find out more about it as well as the other colleges represented at the Fair. Her parents followed up on the multitudes of information that she brought home by paying a visit to the source themselves; attending the workshop held especially for parents of potential collegiates. "It's almost like going shopping, '' said Mr. Cann.

"In most cases, the more popular schools are represented but there's so many schools there with so much to offer. Some might only do the first year in a particular major, or only an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree and not continue through to a Master's. Most have a big display and even show the grounds of the campus so that you can see what it's like and what it has to offer so if you can't go there, you still have an idea of what the product is they're offering.'' Added Mrs. Cann: "And having representatives from the individual colleges there gave us a better insight. They stressed that we should go and visit the school. Even if we were not able to go with our daughter, that we should go on our own. They likened it to an investment and said that like an investment, if we were going to spend our money, then we should first go and see what we were going to be getting.'' Mr. Cann agreed: "That was one of the best suggestions they had; that we should go and see the school first. And of course, we wanted to see where we might be sending our child so that we could feel comfortable with the choice and the environment and the school itself. But they also suggested that parents be entirely objective and willing to listen to their child, especially about location and atmosphere of the college.'' Another point stressed, said Mrs. Cann, was the importance of budgeting for more than necessary as one never knew what emergency might arise. "They suggested that parents should be able to fit all the costs into their budget,'' she said. "You might know that you have say $20,000 for tuition for the first year, but if your child is academically capable and willing to do all that he or she can, make sure you are financially prepared; that you have the finances to enable them to complete their programme. "It's not enough to be able to cover obvious costs such as tuition, there's also telephone bills, spending money, airfare -- especially if your child is coming home during all the seasonal breaks such as Thanksgiving, a five day holiday, when the entire college can shut down, and emergencies. You have to consider all that. And it's a big commitment.'' Another bonus gained through attending the Fair, said the Canns, was the ability to speak directly with representatives from the various colleges. And as such, they recommended that all parents take notebook and pen with them.

"One thing about the fair is that we were able to talk with some of the officials from the various schools and investigate any queries we had further with them directly,'' said Mrs. Cann. "And I would suggest that when you go to the fair, to take a notebook. We had the opportunity to ask questions and it's also best to go with your own questions prepared so that questions relating to you and concerning you are answered. '' The Canns said that they went as a family to visit the Mount Ida campus before the final decision was made and they were all pleased with what they saw. But Shirlette said the final decision was mainly based on the interest the school took in her as a potential student. "All the colleges send so many pamphlets to you because of course they want international students because they bring the most money. I was looking at (Mount Ida's) courses and they offered what I knew would benefit me and, unlike some of the other schools I applied to, they kept sending me information so I knew they were really interested in having me as a student. But it was the Fair that got me started it really helped and I would recommend it to anyone.'' PHOTO Sheridan Cann BERMUDA COLLEGE EDC MINI SUPPLEMENT SUP