Tips for getting into a good college/getting scholarships?

just don't do what i did
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oh well

 

And I'm someone who just graduated undergrad with $30K in debt -- that 100% of demonstrated need figure is not entirely (or necessarily even mostly) in grant/scholarship form.

That depends on the level of school you're interested in. Do the research. State schools in many places are cheaper and may be less competitive (not always of course), which means you should be able to get scholarships with good but not stellar grades. On the other hand, you have to consider the state economy -- University of Cali schools are going to hell right now. On the other hand, you'll have to basically have no life through high school to get into some excessively competitive private school like harvard. And, from what I hear, get a substandard education -- they say the hardest part of getting a degree from harvard or yale is just getting in. Massive grade inflation to keep their stats looking good...

Talk to you guidance counsellor about where to look for scholarships. There are tons of search engines out there that do scholarship searches -- beware, tho, some are scams. If they ask for money to see the results, don't do it. Try checking http://www.salliemae.com/plan/freemoney/index.html -- I think that's where I found the scholarship search I used as an undergrad.

Keep an open mind. You may miss a lot (and look less appealling to universities) if you stay too focused. They want to know that you've considered all of the options, not just latched on to the first thing that caught your eye (whether or not you'd say that's the case, that's how it will look if you don't diversify a bit in high school).

 

You can paint your skin black "well it did work in the movie" or vice versa.

 

Do well in school. Stay consistent. Friends of mine slacked off in the later years of high school, and it cost them when it came to colleges. If your school offers AP, honors, or IB classes, take a few and if you can handle it, more than a few. If not, though, don't freak out- colleges have school profiles and take the oppurtunities presented to you in consideration when looking at your transcript.

Get involved in some clubs. Don't spread yourself too thin, though. Focus and consistence, and being actually interested in clubs, are generally better than joining all the clubs you have and doing nothing in them. Honestly, I had some great times in the activities I was in, so pick them with having fun and learning in mind, not just college.

Actually, do that for a lot of things in high school. Have some fun. You're only a freshman. College is what you make of it anyways.

Back on topic: A lot of independent scholarships are not necessarily based on grades. You may need a certain GPA to qualify, but be prepared to write essays and more essays. And those common app essays are oodles of fun. And supplement essays. Be ready to do some good writing for applications.

One last bit of advice about selecting a college/university: do the research, visit the schools, do overnights, and don't rule something out just because it's in an uncool spot or it's not in the top 5 rankings of US News and World Report. I found a little liberal arts school in Iowa called Grinnell College to be a real gem (I'm going there next year), and there are a bunch of places like that dotting the countryside, waiting for you to find them.

Oh, and talk to lots of people, get some perspectives. Good luck, though you have a bit of time left before things really get fun.

 

honos/ap's classes
class president
acadeca team or two varsity sports
good sat's
4.2 gpa +
community service in a program related to your major
job
minority
outside school activitied in academic areas
if you want to waste your youth doing all that bullshit go for it
you'll get into harvard fo sho
oh and be an "interesting" person or make something like a robot.

as for me i have a 4.0 and 2100 sat scores and a lot of comm. service and couple clubs and just got rejected from ucla....so yea...i think i'm just going to humboldt

 

aha

 

Variety is good in clubs, but try to have some things that you're really interested in. Try a few clubs because you're curious about something, and try a few more because you have a strong interest in things. When you're a junior or a senior, be an officer in a club.

Keep your grades up. Don't spend *too* much time on clubs. Take advanced classes. A "B" in an advanced placement class or high level class might not hurt you so much, and it might be more impressive than an "A" in an easy class.

Obviously, you want the colleges to think you are reasonably bright. It also helps to be an interesting--and interested--person.

At some schools, being from Alabama can be a plus. I'm thinking of some of the liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, but a school in California or Colorado could be that way too, especially if it's not a state university.

 

Keep in mind that colleges don't really care if you're in a million clubs. They're looking for leadership. I coach youth soccer in my town, am an EMT...that kind of stuff looks really good. Also, being a founder or captain of a club sounds good, too. just being in a club isn't really all that impressive to a college. Sports teams look good; ESPECIALLY being captain.