I am a rising senior in high school and I am currently looking at and applying to schools.
I'm the first person of this generation in my family to go to college (no older cousins, siblings, etc on both sides) and all eyes are on me.
What are some tips for narrowing down my college choices? Any hints for scholarships or financial aid? My "dream" school is pushing $112,000 over 4 years and my parents just don't want to deal with that (although they'd love for me to go to the school.)
Basically, just give me any college related advice... this is the most important year of my life so far! I don't want to mess it up...
PS: My "dream" school has a VB retailer on campus... talk about perfect!!!
I'm starting college this fall (SO EXCITED!!!), so hopefully I can help you. I'm one of those people who's afraid of missing out on something for lack of knowledge, so to pick my colleges, I borrowed this book from the library that contained a summary of every college in the United States and read it. If you've got a lot of time and patience, I'd almost recommend it, but be sure to have a basic idea of what you want. For example, my criteria:
- Must be in a state that has snow and leaves change color (I'm a New Englander)
- Must have under 6,000 students and more than 1,000 students
- Must have a wide range of majors, including English and Math (my main interests)
- Must not be religiously affiliated
I ended up with a fairly extensive list, which I then narrowed by checking on princetonreview.com for any ranking they have (if it's a jock school, a drinking school, anything I didn't want) and their percentage of students who returned after freshman year. If that percentage was low, I knocked it off my list; clearly, the students weren't happy if they were leaving! Next, I visited the school website: Hhow easy is it to navigate? How does the campus look? Double-check the majors they offer. How much is tuition? I ended up including the caveat that it must not be more than 8 hours from home, to avoid needing to fly home for holidays.
VISIT the campus!! No matter how nice it looks on the website or catalogs, keep in mind that schools deliberately show themselves at their best; you want to see EVERYTHING. Talk to students on campus; ask them if they have trouble getting classes they want, if the food stinks, anything they dislike about the school. But, also ask them what they love, what they do for fun - see if you're similar! Also, I'd recommend using wikipedia or something similar to learn a bit "extra" about the school; for example, I learned that my second choice school (after applying and being accepted) has several "welcome/orientation" traditions that read like hazing to me, such as throwing things at first years during a parade. Be aware of what you're getting into!
Be realistic when you apply. I applied to 12 schools (yes, very excessive), some of which I knew I stood no chance of getting into. Play it smart! Know your strengths and weaknesses, and don't apply to an outrageous number of "reach" schools. Out of the 12 I applied to, I was accepted to 2, waitlisted at 2, and rejected by 8. Those eight cost a good chunk of change to apply to; that's money down the drain for me.
If you can, do an interview! Yes, it might be stressful, but it's totally worth it. Prepare a resume, dress nice, and be professional! I decided from two of my interviews that I had no desire to attend the school in question, and I honestly believe that my scholarship money (see next paragraph) at my school is a direct result of my fabulous interview. (If you have any resume questions, message me, I'd be glad to help.) If a school offers you an interview, take it! Even if you've decided along the way that it's a safety school, or even if you no longer want to attend, use it as practice. Research commonly-asked questions before you go; I've got a list of these if you want them. Be sure to have questions to ask your interviewer, such as how they personally thought the school prepared them for their career, or how much they feel the school listens to the students. Most importantly, be yourself! I was extraordinarily uncomfortable at my first interview because my friend put makeup on me before I went (which I never wear), and I felt the need to make a big impression (it was an Ivy League school). Just relax. My friend's interviewer commented on her shoes, and they had a lovely ten minute chat about high heels; one interviewer of mine absolutely adored my Med White Amy. Smile, laugh, and have a good time.
Apply for financial aid, scholarships, anything and everything you can find! My college (Mount Holyoke College <3) gave me over $20,000 in scholarships and grants; my second choice gave me about $5,000 more. However, keep in mind: however important the money is (and don't mistake me, it's crucial!), go where you'll be happy. Remember, my second choice had some hazing-ish things I wasn't comfortable with; I wasn't about to risk my dignity and happiness for $5,000 - in my mind, it wasn't worth it. Fastwebs.com is a great place to find scholarships, but be wary of some internet scholarships: if it looks like a scam, it probably is. It should not cost money to apply for a scholarship; they shouldn't need any private information like your social security number; again, play it smart!
Don't apply, or heaven forbid, attend, a college just because of your parents or your friends. If it's not the fit for you, just say no! It's going to be four years and you want to make the most of it for YOU, not for someone else.
I know, that was terribly long, but if you're still reading, here are the key points that I wish I'd known:
- Start your applications early! (Especially the essays!!) If you have a school that you will attend, without a doubt, apply Early Decision. If you can, apply Early Action. The difference? Early Decision means that if you're accepted, you are legally contracted to attend. Early Action just means that you'll know in say, January, if you are accepted, instead of waiting until April to hear back.
- If your school has a great guidance department, utilize it. If it doesn't, don't worry! It's not near as scary as you're imagining it might be. Thousands of kids do this themselves (I did!), so you can do it, too.
- Try not to let money be your deciding factor. Sure, if one school offers you nothing and the other offers full tuition, barring anything god-awful about school #2, I'd take it! But if it comes down to say, $5000 (as it did for me), there were a few factors that led me to turn that down, and I don't regret it for a second.
- Don't apply to an outrageous amount of schools. Eight, MAXIMUM, and I wouldn't even recommend that many. Be realistic in your choices, but don't be afraid to apply for a reach school or two.
- Regarding the interview: while you shouldn't tell a bold-faced lie (i.e. saying you knit blankets for shelters when you can't even knit a scarf), I think it's okay to slightly alter things. For example, I got Ds in AP Chemistry. Not only was I terrible at the subject, but I hated it and felt like I was tricked into taking it by the teacher, so I didn't really try. There was no way to hide that I got Ds. However, I did say that I went for tutoring regularly (actually, only a couple of times), that I really tried (not so much), and that I was intensely proud of my final grade of a C (more like stunned that I passed). Interviewers do NOT receive your application, or your grades, before they interview you; I know for a fact that at least one of my interviewers was impressed with my honesty regarding the low grade.
- If the school offers an overnight visit, TAKE IT. Sit in on classes, eat their food, walk around, explore buildings. How do they treat you? Walk into the office of a professor of a subject you're interested, and strike up a conversation. Is he/she knowledge, friendly, helpful?
- DURING YOUR SENIOR YEAR, don't let your studies slip, even after you've been accepted. This is your last shot to show schools that yes, you are a good student and that you would be an excellent addition to them. Don't take fluffy courses and "take it easy" - schools want to see serious commitment! That being said, don't overstress yourself; even if the school really wants to see AP Calculus, but you find algebra challenging and you're not majoring in math/science, don't take it! Instead, if you want to be a History major, load up on history courses; show them that this is what you want to do!
If you have any further questions now or throughout the year, please don't hesitate to contact me! Hope this has been helpful for you, and good luck!!!!
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vera!! 
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