More than 120 representatives from colleges across the country will be at the University Thursday and Friday to attend the annual Health and Graduate School Fairs.

The Health and Graduate School Fairs, sponsored by the Career Center, will begin Thursday with the Graduate School Fair and continue Friday with the Health School Fair. Over a thousand students are expected to attend this two-day event at the Illini Union.

The Career Center sends out about 700 invitations to schools nationwide to attend, said Keri Carter Pipkins, the assistant director for Health and Graduate School Information at the Career Center. However, Pipkins said several schools attend every year because they are impressed with the students at the University.

“The fair is a good way to network and make yourself more memorable during the application and interview process,” said Emily Viglielmo, senior in LAS.

Stephanie Williams, senior in LAS, co-president of the Pre-Pharmacy Club and a volunteer at the fair, decided to volunteer in order to show the school’s representatives some hospitality.

“It’s nice just to help things go smoothly since (the schools’ representatives) travel far distances,” Williams said.

Pipkins said the fair serves as a great opportunity for students of all majors. Freshman can learn about program options available while upperclassmen can learn about the application process. The fair is an ideal opportunity for students to meet the representatives that make admissions decisions for their schools, she said.

“We have several schools that come every year because of the quality of student that they are able to meet here,” Pipkins said.

She recalled a success story as a result of the fair. A student was unsure of a career path but found an ideal program at the fair he never knew existed.

“In general, it really just helps students be more informed and more proactive in planning their graduate or professional school journey,” Pipkins said.

The first day of the fair will host graduate and professional programs from various disciplines. The second day will host a variety of health professional programs.

“It offers a wide variety of programs and directions students can go into that they didn’t know existed,” said Williams.

The fair is ideal for students because various health and graduate programs from schools nationwide are conveniently located under one roof, she said.

While the graduate school fair is generally on Thursday and the health school fair is on Friday, Pipkins said that some schools choose to attend both days.

“Between Thursday and Friday, most students can find one day that works for them,” Viglielmo said.

The fair will be held in Illini Union Rooms A, B and C from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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For more information and a list of schools attending, visit: http://www.careercenter.uiuc.edu/hgfair2005/home.asp.