REDMOND – Neither the financial nor the admissions requirements of an undergraduate degree are going to sneak up on Monty Wallace.

The 16-year-old Mountain View High School junior arrived Tuesday at the Central Oregon College Fair with a plan already laid out to cut costs and gain acceptance at the school he chooses.

”I’m going to go to COCC (Central Oregon Community College) for a year, get some English classes out of the way and work and save some money,” Wallace said. Hoping to earn a doctorate in biology or a related field, he’s already researched Oregon State, Colorado State and Humboldt State universities.

But for many of the roughly 3,000 students who attended the event, held at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, the logistics of completing a four-year degree are still somewhat hazy.

And it was those people who Carolyn Platt, a co-organizer of the fair hoped to help most.

”We wanted to raise awareness that college is possible for Central and Eastern Oregon kids,” said Platt, who also serves as an independent college consultant for area high school students. ”And we wanted to showcase our students for the colleges who came to the fair.”

Tuesday was the first time the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling selected a Central Oregon site to host a college fair.

In addition to the opportunity to speak with representatives from roughly 86 colleges and universities represented at the fairgrounds, teenagers and parents could attend workshops on choosing a college, financing an education and taking the ACT. Organizers also offered those workshops in Spanish.

Lynn Launer, who toured the rows of college tables with her 17-year-old son, Wes Brown, gained encouragement from the financial aid workshop. Her son is a senior at Redmond High School.

”We learned we don’t have to automatically rule out the private, expensive colleges,” she said. ”Often those are the ones that have larger resources to offer scholarships and assistance. We’re keeping our options open.”

That’s a lesson that Laurie Neil and Jane Reynolds, of COCC’s financial aid office, emphasized throughout the day.

”Don’t let the high price of some schools scare you,” Reynolds said. ”You could get a great deal.”

But Neil still advised students to approach college as Wallace has – expecting to ”contribute a good chunk of money to their education costs.”

Getting a job, saving money and applying now for scholarships is the smartest strategy, Neil and Reynolds said.

Some students, such as Jenna Norton, a 17-year-old senior at Redmond High School, already has the message.

”I’ve been looking at the possibility of getting a cheerleading scholarship at one of the state schools,” she said. ”I already know I want to major in business.”

Others, such as the three members of the Seigman family from Bend, are focusing more on what schools offer the best programs for their interests.

”We will look for scholarships,” said Ann Seigman, 44, who homeschools her 16-year-old son, Jason, and 15-year-old daughter, Karen. ”But most important is to get the best training.”

Jason is looking at studying engineering or life sciences while Karen is thinking about veterinary sciences.

Several school admissions officers praised the quality of the questions asked by the students.

”Especially for the first fair of the season,” said Jan Williams, senior assistant dean of admissions for Portland’s Reed College.

And many students, such as 16-year-old Isaac Newby, returned the compliment.

The Redmond High School junior is considering studying music production or the culinary arts.

He spoke with officials from the Seattle-based Cornish College of the Arts and Salem’s Western Baptist College.

”They were really helpful,” he said. ”They gave me some great information.”

Mike Cronin can be reached at 541-617-7836 or mcronin@bendbulletin.com