what does it take to get a college scholarship?

Answer 1

Many different possiblities:

1. Athletic ability in some sports will give you scholarships, depending on which college you go to
2. Demonstrable financial need (which may or may not match what you feel your situation is) factors into many scholarships
3. Belonging to a particular ethnic group (particularly one that's traditionally under-represented in higher education)
4. Coming from a specific geographic region of the country (many scholarships are for "any resident of X state with Y requirements")
5. Being the first person in your family to go to college
6. Being an under-represented demographic in the field you'd like to study, e.g. women in engineering, or men in nursing
7. Outstanding academics or scores on tests like the SAT (e.g. National Merit Scholars)
8. Being exceptional in a hobby, even if it doesn't relate to college (I've heard of scholarships for young ham radio fans, for teens who help out with various local nonprofit groups, etc.)

Your high school guidance counselor should be able to point you to local scholarships that are available - these tend to be sponsored by local civic groups like Rotary and bowling leagues, and sometimes require essays. The next step is state scholarships, and some of these are automatic for academics or minority status. Beyond that, look into organizations for things you enjoy learning about (engineering, computer science, cooking, beekeeping, whatever) and see if they offer scholarships or know any other enthusiast groups who do. Then check the colleges you're applying to - most will have a variety of scholarships for the different departments or for people from different geographic regions.

Answer 2

Athletic ability in football, baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, maybe softball, or EXCELLENT grades.

Answer 3

have a good resume