FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 27, 2000 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DRAKE TO JOIN ONLINE COLLEGE FAIR WEDNESDAY Drake University will host its own multimedia chat room on Wednesday, Nov. 29, as part of an Online College Fair program that's new this fall. Drake's chat room will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at www.OnlineCollegeFair.com. The national debut of the Online College Fair on Oct. 19 was hampered by technical problems that prevented many prospective students from communicating with college representatives. The National Association for College Admission Counseling, which sponsors the online fair in conjunction with Interaction Software Inc., has assured participating colleges and universities that the glitches have been fixed. "It was understandable that there were some problems because it was the first time there's been a national online college fair," said Amy Nichols, associate director of admission at Drake. "The problems were caused by the high volume of traffic to the Web site. It was as though 7,000 students all tried to enter a high school auditorium at the same time through a single door. "The initial problems with traffic control show that there's a lot of interest in this new program, and that's good," Nichols added. "The Online College Fair is a great way for students to have meaningful, personal contact with admission staff and other key campus officials they may not otherwise be able to meet during their college search." By logging onto www.OnlineCollegeFair.com, prospective students can chat live with school representatives, view campuses and learn what each institution has to offer in a "virtual Q&A." Students can also join chat sessions on topics such as financial aid and scholarships, test preparation and college counseling that will be moderated by admission experts.