College Applications...

[Axel]

the only thing that i can think of that it would really help would be if you were applying for journalism scholarships. but there are so many general scholarships/fafsa financial aid, that you don't really have to do those.

but she should do them anyway. I mean, extra money can't hurt, even if it's just a couple hundred bucks. You never know, she might be the only one applying for the scholarship.

I know I applied for every scholarship I could think of (including fafsa and all that jazz) and I only got one of them. The more you apply for, the better your chances of getting one.

Not everybody is in your financial situation, Shelby. I didn't get any need based aid because I fall into this wonderful bracket of people who, on paper can afford college on my own, but in reality it just isn't plausible. My mom's income (she's my only working parent, my dad's retired) is based on the money her clients have. When the market goes down, the amount of money her clients have goes down, and the amount she makes goes down. Since FAFSA is generally done with the prior year's tax returns (which was a good year for my mom, her company had money, she wasn't being sued for 3.5 million) it seems like we had more money than we actually do. So my little $1000 scholarship helps-- not a lot, but it's textbook money. Especially with my college expenses adding up to nearly $24k a year.

 

[Sparx]

but she should do them anyway. I mean, extra money can't hurt, even if it's just a couple hundred bucks. You never know, she might be the only one applying for the scholarship.

I know I applied for every scholarship I could think of (including fafsa and all that jazz) and I only got one of them. The more you apply for, the better your chances of getting one.

Not everybody is in your financial situation, Shelby. I didn't get any need based aid because I fall into this wonderful bracket of people who, on paper can afford college on my own, but in reality it just isn't plausible. My mom's income (she's my only working parent, my dad's retired) is based on the money her clients have. When the market goes down, the amount of money her clients have goes down, and the amount she makes goes down. Since FAFSA is generally done with the prior year's tax returns (which was a good year for my mom, her company had money, she wasn't being sued for 3.5 million) it seems like we had more money than we actually do. So my little $1000 scholarship helps-- not a lot, but it's textbook money. Especially with my college expenses adding up to nearly $24k a year.

i only meant that she couldn't do the high school journalism scholarships, and i said there were a lot of other scholarships available.

i applied for more than 50 scholarships, and yes, i got quite a few of them. and a whole lot of the money that i receive comes from scholarships that aren't need based.

 

[Axel]

i only meant that she couldn't do the high school journalism scholarships, and i said there were a lot of other scholarships available.

i applied for more than 50 scholarships, and yes, i got quite a few of them. and a whole lot of the money that i receive comes from scholarships that aren't need based.

sorry. guess I misread your post. it's late. long day.

 

[princess.chell]

I have to have a portfolio to get into Theatre Design.. which is the major reason I don't think I'd get in. I have a ton of play experience, building sets, helping design sets, but nothing to prove it.

ahhh portfolios...i dont even wanna think about mine. but unfort i do. that's the biggest stresser, pulling it all together. ugh...

oh and fafsa and scholorship. double ugh. Axel, I'm in the same place you are. It looks like my family would make enough to cover my college expenses, but when there are old medical bills to pay off guess where the money goes? not my college education or putting money back into my college fund. I'm just happy all of my hard work in high school and my abnormal ACT score is helping me. So all you underclassmen, my biggest advice is work hard, a high GPA is helpful for scholorships! hahaha

 

[Sparx]

ahhh portfolios...i dont even wanna think about mine. but unfort i do. that's the biggest stresser, pulling it all together. ugh...

oh and fafsa and scholorship. double ugh. Axel, I'm in the same place you are. It looks like my family would make enough to cover my college expenses, but when there are old medical bills to pay off guess where the money goes? not my college education or putting money back into my college fund. I'm just happy all of my hard work in college and my abnormal ACT score is helping me. So all you underclassmen, my biggest advice is work hard, a high GPA is helpful for scholorships! hahaha

most colleges (around here) give scholarships automatically based on your act scores. (i think the scholarships start at 26 or 28 composite)

 

[princess.chell]

most colleges (around here) give scholarships automatically based on your act scores. (i think the scholarships start at 26 or 28 composite)

Yah that combined with my GPA is where I'm getting most of my scholarship money from, hopefully. All though my GPA isn't as high as it should be to line up with my ACT score...I'm a horrible test taker, but standardized tests I can rock.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

My projected ACT is pretty high.. I'm taking it in the Spring I think, but I may do it before.

And I can't decide whether to take the SAT. My PSAT's are pretty good, but if I'm already taking the ACT, I don't know why I should, most of my schools take either one.

 

[Sparx]

Yah that combined with my GPA is where I'm getting most of my scholarship money from, hopefully. All though my GPA isn't as high as it should be to line up with my ACT score...I'm a horrible test taker, but standardized tests I can rock.

most of the applications that i did, didn't hang solely on the gpa unless it was 4.0+, and those were usually just for the top 10% of the class/valedictorian scholarships. i had 11 valedictorians in my graduating class, and all of them received a scholarship to this one school, but the value wasn't enough for most of them to go there (based off what they got from other schools)

 

[Sparx]

My projected ACT is pretty high.. I'm taking it in the Spring I think, but I may do it before.

And I can't decide whether to take the SAT. My PSAT's are pretty good, but if I'm already taking the ACT, I don't know why I should, most of my schools take either one.

i only took the act, and all the scholarship/college applications had a blank for both of them. so if you don't want to take it, you don't really have to.

 

[AliceinHalloweentown]

Good to know. I'm sure it wouldn't be a huge deal, but its easier for me just to take the ACT.

 

[princess.chell]

My projected ACT is pretty high.. I'm taking it in the Spring I think, but I may do it before.

And I can't decide whether to take the SAT. My PSAT's are pretty good, but if I'm already taking the ACT, I don't know why I should, most of my schools take either one.

I didn't take the SAT. Most colleges I was looking at didn't need SAT but nearly all needed ACT. My guidance even told me to not worry about. But go talk to your guidance about it. They will know about exact schools you are looking into and that stuff.
Oh and my ACT score was 3 slash 4 points higher than my projected. But I know people that scored lower than projected. They are more used a benchmark.

most of the applications that i did, didn't hang solely on the gpa unless it was 4.0+, and those were usually just for the top 10% of the class/valedictorian scholarships. i had 11 valedictorians in my graduating class, and all of them received a scholarship to this one school, but the value wasn't enough for most of them to go there (based off what they got from other schools)

Yah, I'm no where near top 10 or valedictorians (ultra competitive top school as in the one of the top public schools in my area if not the state) but my ACT score looks like I should be. Which is making some things hard. Like theres one scholarship I am wayy above the ACT standard, but just make the GPA standard. But hopefully, I'll figure it out.
ps...what year are you?

 

[Sparx]

I didn't take the SAT. Most colleges I was looking at didn't need SAT but nearly all needed ACT. My guidance even told me to not worry about. But go talk to your guidance about it. They will know about exact schools you are looking into and that stuff.
Oh and my ACT score was 3 slash 4 points higher than my projected. But I know people that scored lower than projected. They are more used a benchmark.


Yah, I'm no where near top 10 or valedictorians (ultra competitive top school as in the one of the top public schools in my area if not the state) but my ACT score looks like I should be. Which is making some things hard. Like theres one scholarship I am wayy above the ACT standard, but just make the GPA standard. But hopefully, I'll figure it out.
ps...what year are you?

i graduated high school in may, so i just finished doing all the college stuff.

 

[princess.chell]

i graduated high school in may, so i just finished doing all the college stuff.

Awesome! I thank you much for any help you give us. I'm the oldest, as are most of my friends, and my parents didn't go through this stuff when they went to college so its pretty much the blind leading the blind here. hahah. =)
You start soon I assume?

 

[DramaQueen]

don't double major. major and minor.

i'm double majoring and not having any problems with it.

applying to post secondary is really different in canada & america, so i don't have much advice for you. and i applied like, 3 yrs ago so i don't remember the process too well -- just that it was stressful! especially with the auditions i had to do for theatre!

you guys seem to have TONS of scholarships!!!!
i got a 'scholarship' at my graduation, it was for excelling in both french and english....it was for $350! didn't even cover my books for one year!!! eep.

good luck to everyone with their applications!!

 

[My Wild Love]

What subjects do the ACT test on?

I took the SATs because most of the colleges I'm looking at prefer SATs. I pretty much bombed the SATs but I have a 4.0 GPA and I'm in the top 5% in my class. I'm hoping that will make up for my poor scores.

 

[BabyPiglet]

I'm with Shelby, I would not double major! And if you're going to do it, I'd do it in two fields that were related, at least. I'd just major/minor.

My Wild Love, did you know there are some schools that don't require SAT/ACT scores? Granted, a lot of them are private and expensive, but I do believe there a few state schools.

And yeah, I didn't get any fafsa either. They said we'd have to pay something like $27k a year before we'd get any kind of help. Well, uhm, my tuition isn't even anywhere near that a year, so it's kind of null and void. I got one scholarship through my mom's office though, but it's kind of small and doesn't really help.

OP, good luck on your college applications! I'm already in college too, so if you ever want to talk. :

 

[Sparx]

caitlin, there are thousands and thousands of scholarships (and i feel like i applied for every one of them. ) i get 4000k refunded back every semester, after all my bills are paid. about half of what i receive are from the fed. government and are "need based" and then one 4k one is academic, and then a 5k with a 1k book allowance was based off an essay i wrote. i didn't take out any loans.

but even if i had, there are a lot of regulations on student loans here that keep them from running you out of house and home.

act tests on reading, math, english and science. i made a 24 on it.

 

[princess.chell]

What subjects do the ACT test on?

I took the SATs because most of the colleges I'm looking at prefer SATs. I pretty much bombed the SATs but I have a 4.0 GPA and I'm in the top 5% in my class. I'm hoping that will make up for my poor scores.

the ACT has a math, reading, English/grammer, and a science section. IMO, its "easier" than the SAT. Some schools will take your ACT score and AP scores in place of the SAT. Check out all your options and make the one that will benefit you the most.
ps...we are in the opposite situation. I killed my ACT (nearly perfect) but have a high middle range GPA (like right between a high and a middle GPA) and am in the top 20% of my class (I think, we don't rank anymore).

 

[hollisterluva92]

Hi all! I'm a Senior this year!!! CLASS OF 2010!!!! So anyways....i'm really torn right now on my choices for college....I applied at Maplewoods College in Kansas City, Missouri and I got accepted, which is amazing! I am definantly going there because my grandparents offered for me to live with them and they are very well off! But--I get stuck after that.....I want to do the Disney College Program asap....so I don't know if I should do two years at Maplewoods and get my undergraduate stuff done, or if I should do a year, then do the Disney college program...I know for a fact that I'm going to move down to Orlando and ultimatley that is where I want to live--what do you all think?? I don't have any idea....help me....

 

[m!ssemmx0]

I'm only a sophomore this year, but I'm already thinking a little about majors and whatnot. I'm thinking about majoring in library science and minoring in creative writing. They're offering the SATs for grades 10-12 if we want to take it, and I might, just to see where I stand. As for specific schools, that's the least of my concerns right now, since I still have some time...I'm thinking maybe Dowling, Hofstra, or Adelphi, since they're all less than an hour from where I live. And if I'm really lucky, maybe even NYU.