The Canadian College Fair is coming to Burlington in April and the local high school guidance counselor recommends local students to attend. They should consider Canadian colleges, he said.

As the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver come to a close, the Canadian College Fair, scheduled for Thursday, April 1, at South Burlington High School, will offer further information on the United States’ neighboring country of Canada, this time through the educational opportunities available.

The special event, which will run from 7:00-9:00 p.m. that evening, stems from the vision of the Champlain Valley Directors of Guidance who saw a benefit in educating Vermont high school students about more college choices. “There are two real advantages to attending a Canadian university,” notes Tim Wile, SBHS Director of Guidance. “One gets the benefit of an international experience without having to go too far and, in most cases, in English. The other significant benefit is cost. Canadian universities are almost entirely government sponsored with strong curriculum, and the tuition is one-third to one-half of a U.S. school.”

In its second year, the Canadian College Fair opened last year with information available from six Canadian universities and over 200 people attending. This year, noted Mr. Wile, “we have more than three times the number of schools planning to attend.” There are schools from across Canada planning to attend from Acadia in Nova Scotia to McGill in Quebec to UBC in British Columbia.

The evening will begin with a panel made up of students, parents/ guardians, and school representatives and will also offer general information on the universities as well as details about financial aid.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Mr. Wile at twile@sbschools.net or 652- 7523.