As many of you guys know, that are juniors in highschool, senior year is coming up fast and college is sitting just around the corner. And with college is an expensive ass price. So, anyone out there with any idea or recommendations to incoming seniors about scholarships?  

Lol just do really good in school and colleges will take note of you by throwing some money your way.  

Posted by 5hift

Lol just do really good in school and colleges will take note of you by throwing some money your way.

I've got a steady weighted gpa of 4.0! AP and honors classes and I also take college classes.  

Have you been committed to any extracurriculars for the past four years? Because you're only going to get so much out of good grades (which are still important to have).  

Posted by CM

Have you been committed to any extracurriculars for the past four years? Because you're only going to get so much out of good grades (which are still important to have).

So... You basically have to add more stress on your self by joining extracurriculars to get scholarships  

If your in the top 10% in your senior year, most colleges in the state of Texas will give you a discount on tuition. Plus no matter what your SAT or ACT score is you will get accepted into any public universities in the state of Texas. Idk what state your in but tuition isn't something to worry if you have good grades.  

Posted by Weeno

So... You basically have to add more stress on your self by joining extracurriculars to get scholarships

Extracurriculars show diversity in an application and colleges like to see them. As for the stress thing, anyone who is looking for scholarships probably doesn't care too much about adding a little bit more stress to their schedule.  

I would say ACT/SAT score is the money maker. A friend of mine got a 34 on his ACT and I believe he got a full ride. His grades were good, but nothing spectacular. There's tons of scholarships for minorities if you're a minority of any kind, even something like first in family to go to college or anything similar to that. My school used naviance.com to search for scholarships. I don't know if you need a school account to use it or if your school offers a different tool for finding scholarships, but you can check that website out and see if you can use it.

Posted by CM

Extracurriculars show diversity in an application and colleges like to see them. As for the stress thing, anyone who is looking for scholarships probably doesn't care too much about adding a little bit more stress to their schedule.

Yea, extracurriculars can even be more important than grades. Someone really involved in their school with decent grades will be viewed favorably.  

I feel pitty for you Americans having to pay ridiculous amounts of money for an education
Unfortunatly for you this post will not have any imput but will rather make you feel bad about your situation.
Best of luck though  

need to be top 10% class rank
extracurriculars (multiple is better)
2000 or higher SAT score
30 or higher ACT score

then you're likely to get something in terms of scholarships if you apply enough. It also helps if you're really passionate about a certain topic and can find related scholarships.  

I'm the top 9%.
I play badminton, do a lot of clubs (even made my own), and plan on joining swim next year.
As for SAT and ACT, I'm taking that in the next 2 weeks. I'm not so good at these, according to my P-SAT.
I'm also in California.  

If you want to get into a good school and a good scholarship, plan on getting a good GPA. Many high schools weight AP classes, so if your GPA isn't great in your junior year, I recommend boosting it before mid year grades come out. A 4.0 may not be the best GPA for your school, especially on the weighted scale. My GPA was a 4.3, but I narrowly missed the top ten percent of my class of 400 students. The valedictorian had a 4.7.

Also plan to do really well on the SAT. Get a tutor or something. I took the test without trying, got a 1300 (on a 1600 scale) and that prevented me from getting into the best engineering program in my state (I plan on changing my major to the engineering program at this school anyway, so it really doesn't matter to me, but it may to you). College admissions is getting way more competitive (at least in Northern ******ia) so I would work hard on getting a competitive SAT. It will also help with scholarships.

For paying for college, if you're in the United States, fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible. I believe everyone should fill it out because it's easy to do, and even wealthier families can get aid. Filling out the FAFSA entitled me to at least $5,000 per year at my college, which really is a relief for my family.

In terms of scholarships, do as many as possible. Not all of them require essays, and some even allow you to simply submit your resume as a qualification. I would do at least 10 scholarships for a decent chance at getting some good money.

Oh, and extra curriculars is a huge thing for many schools. You want to show commitment to the extracurriculars. For instance, I've been on the school newspaper for four years, and I've been editor for the last two. Continue whatever clubs you've been in your junior year and STAY committed.

Also, after mid year grades have been submitted, please stay focused and don't let your grades slip. If the college you're applying to is competitive, there's a high chance they'll rescind your application if it drops below two letter grades. Trust me, I know a few people.

Lastly, make sure you do your college applications over the summer to get a head start on them. I made the mistake of writing my essays at the last minute, so I was cramming over Christmas break to get them done. Fortunately, I was still able to get into 3 out of the 4 schools I applied to so this didn't really affect me. Also apply early action to some of your schools if your junior year grades are good. Finally, do not apply to only one or two schools. You'll regret it if you don't get into either program.

Posted by Khai

I'm the top 9%.
I play badminton, do a lot of clubs (even made my own), and plan on joining swim next year.
As for SAT and ACT, I'm taking that in the next 2 weeks. I'm not so good at these, according to my P-SAT.
I'm also in California.

What was your PSAT score?  

Posted by The Doctor

If you want to get into a good school and a good scholarship, plan on getting a good GPA. Many high schools weight AP classes, so if your GPA isn't great in your junior year, I recommend boosting it before mid year grades come out. A 4.0 may not be the best GPA for your school, especially on the weighted scale. My GPA was a 4.3, but I narrowly missed the top ten percent of my class of 400 students. The valedictorian had a 4.7.

Also plan to do really well on the SAT. Get a tutor or something. I took the test without trying, got a 1300 (on a 1600 scale) and that prevented me from getting into the best engineering program in my state (I plan on changing my major to the engineering program at this school anyway, so it really doesn't matter to me, but it may to you). College admissions is getting way more competitive (at least in Northern ******ia) so I would work hard on getting a competitive SAT. It will also help with scholarships.

For paying for college, if you're in the United States, fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible. I believe everyone should fill it out because it's easy to do, and even wealthier families can get aid. Filling out the FAFSA entitled me to at least $5,000 per year at my college, which really is a relief for my family.

In terms of scholarships, do as many as possible. Not all of them require essays, and some even allow you to simply submit your resume as a qualification. I would do at least 10 scholarships for a decent chance at getting some good money.

Oh, and extra curriculars is a huge thing for many schools. You want to show commitment to the extracurriculars. For instance, I've been on the school newspaper for four years, and I've been editor for the last two. Continue whatever clubs you've been in your junior year and STAY committed.

Also, after mid year grades have been submitted, please stay focused and don't let your grades slip. If the college you're applying to is competitive, there's a high chance they'll rescind your application if it drops below two letter grades. Trust me, I know a few people.

Lastly, make sure you do your college applications over the summer to get a head start on them. I made the mistake of writing my essays at the last minute, so I was cramming over Christmas break to get them done. Fortunately, I was still able to get into 3 out of the 4 schools I applied to so this didn't really affect me. Also apply early action to some of your schools if your junior year grades are good. Finally, do not apply to only one or two schools. You'll regret it if you don't get into either program.



What was your PSAT score?

Thanks for the advice!
1030  

Posted by Khai

Thanks for the advice!
1030

Definitely think about getting a tutor to raise your score, you won't regret it. Right now, you're just above average, but I can guarantee you'll do better the second time around. I would shoot for a 1300 or 1400.

Also, take the ACT. It may just be your cup of tea.

You should also look at your score breakdown (English and Math) so you know what you need to focus on.

What math are you taking next year? Taking Calculus may improve your score on the SAT because you use a lot of Algebra in that class.  

Posted by The Doctor

Definitely think about getting a tutor to raise your score, you won't regret it. Right now, you're just above average, but I can guarantee you'll do better the second time around. I would shoot for a 1300 or 1400.

Also, take the ACT. It may just be your cup of tea.

You should also look at your score breakdown (English and Math) so you know what you need to focus on.

What math are you taking next year? Taking Calculus may improve your score on the SAT because you use a lot of Algebra in that class.

I am taking the SAT and math is the part where it brings down my score. My first PSAT was around 800 then my second 1030.

Next year I'm taking Calculus and Stats.