Tips for getting into a good college/getting scholarships?

Hey, I'm a high school freshmen who really doesn't want to fuck up basically.
I'm wondering if any of you good folks know of any particular clubs and stuff that I should join in high school that look good to colleges. Also, what kind of grades do I need to make to be considered for an academic scholarship? What other types of scholarships are out there ( I know there's loads of em). I already know what I want to major in, history. You can have a major and then have a minor too, right? I want to major in history and minor in either philosophy, political science, or religious studies.

 

generally any club is good. The more the better (and still keep up grades) Honor societies especially. Just work hard and keep up good grades and you should be ok

 

yah keep up your grades...a's and b's look good...nice sat's and act's are good, i took the sat's multiple times, and as for clubs; not sure what your school offers but i did fbla,deca,key club, lacrosse and national honor society..most of em you just pays dues and thats it...im not even sure if colleges check as to whether or not you were even in the clubs though

 

I'm a senior who's applied to some of the most competetive schools in the country.. Not blowing my own horn, but that's just to show that my advice is reliable.

Don't worry as much about your grades as the levels of your classes. Take the highest level classes you can get into. Getting B's in Honors and AP classes is better than getting A's in lower-level classes. ANY college representative will tell you this; it shows that you challenge yourself. I've gotten lots of B's in my high school career, but I've taken 21 Honors/AP level classes.. this has worked to my advantage. (Of course, don't do this if it's going to result in D's and F's.. those are major drawbacks even if they are in upper-level classes.)

Also, make sure you show VARIETY. I personally do band, AND I play sports, AND I dance.. this shows that I'm involved in acedmia, the arts, and athletics. This is a good span to have. Also make sure you have lots of community service. Basically, just get involved as much as possible.

All the factors that I've already mentioned are your best bets at getting scholarships. Personally, I've been offered a full scholarship by the state of MA at any state school, just because of my academic record, and a $9K by the University of New Hampshire Honors Program for the same reasons, without having to do a thing except apply. I'm most likely not going to accept either of these offers (they're for safety schools, after all), but I just wanted to illustrate that the best thing you can do for yourself financially is get good grades. If you're a good enough student, colleges will literally try to buy you into the school, because YOU'LL make THEM look good if you go there; that's often priceless to them.

Also, stay open to other majors and minors. When I was your age, I felt very solid in wanting a major in history and a minor in secondary education.. now, as I've gone through high school and realized what I'm capable of, and in what areas, the only 'right' choice for me is very obviously a major in English, concentration in Creative Writing, and a minor in Philosophy. So basically.. take a good look at what you're good at throughout high school before jumping to conclusions. Your skills will develop in ways you can't yet foresee.

Being a freshman in high school and thinking about this already is a good sign. Do your research and keep up your work. Stay in touch with your guidance counselor, too.. they're your best resource!! Good to see that you're so interested in your future, though. Have fun researching colleges and whatnot. It's an exciting thing.

 

do clubs that interest you. do them because you want to do them, not just to make your college application better. do a variety of things. take a wide span of classes, and if your school offers advanced or AP classes, challenge yourself with them.

my high school only had 1 real advanced course and it was advanced chemistry, so i took that, along with 3 years of french. i was the captain of the soccer team for 3 years, chess team, baseball team. plus i did things out side of school that looked well too. like community service or holding a part time job...

and keep an open mind on your major. your only a freshmen in high school. i'm a junior in college and i'm thinking of changing my major, because well, i just dont' know if i want to be an economics major anymore...so keep an open mind about that...

 

thanks everyone for the good advice

 

the main reason i'm asking is because i'd like to go somewhere in colorado or california and my folks aren't going to pay extra tutition to go out of state...so going for a scholarship...otherwise, i'll be stuck in alabama for college.

 

Joining clubs simply to "look good" for colleges is beyond lame.

 

I'm not sure how much you know about need-based financial aid, but colleges (as well as the federal government) will review your financial situation, whatever it may be, and give you the money that you need accordingly. So if you're really unable to pay for school, various sources will help you out. Doesn't necessarily have to be a scholarship. Truth be told, few people end up paying the cover price for college.. most get some sort of help.

 

I have no problem with being "beyond lame" if it cheapens up the college costs.

 

I understand your position though. I'm not calling you lame.

I thank my dearly departed rich great-grandfather every day for my college fund.

 

Hey, think of it this way.. it may be 'lame' at the time, but if it allows you to get into a better school, then it'll mean that you'll be able to do better things for the world, later on. It's for the greater good, man.

 

I doubt it. The cuts in the education budget at both the state and federal level have combined to both increase the costs and to reduce the money avaliable for scholarships and loans.

 

Believe it or not, it's true. Most people get 100% of demonstrated need. I wouldn't argue with you, except I'm a senior in high school and I've been researching these things for two years now. You're right that the government isn't cooperating as much as it could be.. but the schools themselves know that if they want quality students, they'll pay the price for them. They do give a lot of need-based aid.

 

Well..good luck. I work at a university and a lot of the students have serious money problems. Most of them are going to have a huge student loan to pay off. The best students can find a full ride, but "best" is getting to be a smaller percentage.

Good grades, SAT, and ACT scores are the best way to get into school and to get scholarships, but high school counselors would know the relative importance of clubs, student government, sports teams, etc.

 

I too applied and got into some of the most competitive schools in the country. Even with a bit substandard SAT and ACT scores (1920 and 28), I still managed to get into some great schools.

I got into Brandeis University (where I plan to go) on early decision with a $30,000 a year scholarship. I also got into both Tulane and NYU with a 20K scholarship from Tulane. I haven't gotten an NYU financial aid packet yet.

Really, don't take slacker classes. Those don't go into your GPA and unless you plan on majoring in the subject area, it just looks bad. Like, don't take weight training. Also, take AT LEAST 4 years of a foreign language, more if at all possible. Also, multiple languages look good. I fully believe that I got into those schools simply because I am in Spanish 7 (AP Spanish lit) now and also took up to French 2. I would have taken more French had an opportunity to get into the IB philosophy class not come up.

Do clubs, but you have to be involved in them. If you just are a member of say STEP club and do nothing with it, then colleges will completely disregard it. Also, NHS isn't as impressive anymore because many schools have low standards for it. My school requires 7 out of 9 service projects and maintaining a 3.85 GPA, yet many schools only require a 3.5 or so. My Spanish teacher's sister who is a college admissions counselor said that clubs are worthless unless you show in your resume that you put forth a considerable effort for it.

Any awards or summer program you can squeeze out are good too. Keep a record of all that you do so you can make a resume to send with your transcript. Also, cultivate a really good essay. Write about something unique. I started writing practice essays my freshman year so I got really good at it, but that's a bit extreme and definitely not necessary.

I'm just about the college application guru now, so any questions and I'll be happy to answer them.

 

Sorry Happiness First, but i am actually in college and have applied for the finanacial aid...and i am not getting ANY. Someone i know applied for it and he is a single father who works full time and goes to school, and he didn't qualify, but he said if he was married he would have...how much sense does that make...Yeah all these school blow bs like "97% get financial aid" but that's not really true.

Also, don't be so anal about getting into college...it's supposed to be something AFTER high school, don't base your high school career on getting into college. Yeah, work to get good grades in hs, but don't join clubs you don't want to be in just cuz it looks good (i don't think they even care about that stuff that much). I'm going to tell you a secret about scholarships...the most important thing is what you tell them in your pain in the ass essay you have to write. Also, another possibly disappointing thing is that they don't really give away scholarships just for good grades...You have to play to what the people who are giving the scholarship want to hear...A typical scholarship topic is writing on how you displayed leadership skills in your community...stupid things like that. So start looking at scholarships soon so you know what to either work on, or just bs about.

But yeah...don't worry so much about college. I don't know anyone who really tried to get into a certain colleges and then didn't get into any of the colleges they wanted to go to...

Also, depending on your state, don't write off your state schools. Some state schools are quite good and cost about 1/5 or less of out of state or private tuition. I attend one of the public schools named a "Public Ivy", and it's nice getting a great education for a relatively reasonable price.

 

The scholarship money is in the private schools, not public. Public may be cheaper first off but generally give significantly less scholarship money due to lower endowments.

High tier private schools get a TON of money. Some high tier public schools do as well (like William and Mary, UVA, and UNC Chapel Hill) but most don't have near the amount of money that private schools do.

 

Actually, I was offered one $9k scholarship, and one full scholarship, just for getting good grades.

 

Also, you are a female...Girls get more consideration than males...I'm a white male, probably another reason i don't get financial aid.