There are a lot of ways to get college scholarships. Your high school guidance counselor will have a large book of private companies that offer scholorships for various amounts, but they usually require you to do a project or essay. Very time consuming and possibly not very rewarding for the time invested. The best way is to get very good grades. The higher your GPA, the more colleges will want you to attend their school. A high GPA usually means you have good study habits and will continue to do well in thier program. Try to stick with high scool courses that are hard science (math, biology, etc.) based, or geared toward your desired career. Colleges will weight grades relevent to your planned course of study higher usually. Your state may offer scholorships based on your GPA to attend a school in that state (for instance, in FL there is the Bright Futures Scholorship that many students get to attend a FL college). Private universities usually offer their own scholorships to students.
If your family does not make much money, you may qualify for "need-based" aid. This is often hard to get, usually you need to be close to the poverty level, which is around $11,000 per year last I knew for a single person, I don't know for a family. You will have to fill out the FAFSA (federal application for student aid) when you start to apply. It is found online, and you fill it out at the beginning of every year. It is a questionaire about your living situation and income. The state and federal government will award you grants (you don't need to pay grants back) or loans with a low interest rate based on income. Private schools may also offer individual scholorships from their own budget.
It is also important to do as well as you can on your SAT (or equivalent standardized test). This usually is done your junior year of high school, so the results will be back in time for college application deadlines. TAKE THE PRACTICE TEST, any prep courses you can get into, and get a book to prepare. Colleges use these scores to predict who will do well in their program (whether this is a great predictor is debateable, a lot of people don't do well because of anxiety, so many schools put more weight on GPA. However, many schools have a minimum score required to even apply.)
Sports scholarships are offered to students who excell in a sport if the college has that sport in its program, so if you are athletic this is a possibility. Sports and any other extra-curricular activity always look great on an application. If your family does not have much money and you need to work through high school, even steady employment looks great on an application (as long as it doesn't negatively impact your grades).
Even if you do not qualify for enough scholorships to cover your tuition, do not let this stop you from going to college. You can ALWAYS get student loans. Federal loans have the best interest rates, and then banks offer private loans that you will have to shop around for the best deal. If your family does not have a high income, you will probably qualify for plenty of federal loans. If you need to pay for your education with loans, consider a state university instead of a private one since the tuition is usually much lower. Loans are not pleasant, but they are often necessary and can be manageable, even if they sound like a crazy amount of money to owe somebody. You need to research your career carefully if you are using loans. Know what degree is necessary to do what you want to do, and how much money you will earn in that profession. For instance, computer engineers may make 50 thousand dollars per year (after taxes) to start in the area that you want to live. You can become a computer engineer with a bachelor's (4yr) degree. The college that you want to go to charges 20,000 per year. You work to pay for living expenses while you are in school (meal plan, housing). Your loan payment may be about $1,000 per month for 10 years. It is a lot of money, but you will be able to support yourself with the remaining $3100 per month in your salary.
You will have many options to pay for college. Take it one step at a time and concentrate on what you can do to improve your options in the present. Take time to study, and a little to enjoy yourself, too. Good luck.
2006-12-30 07:34:43
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answer #1
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answered by lasmal 2
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I would suggest registering for fastweb.org. It can show you all types of scholarships you're elligible for. Most national and state scholarships are for academics, leadership, or community service. University scholarships can be for academics, leadership, sports, music, art, or any combination of those. Check with the university you plan to attend to see what they offer. Also, while private colleges are mosre expensive, most have a higher chance of giving a scholarship of some sort because they get more money from private sources. Scholarships aren't the only way to get money, there is also need based aid, loans, grants, etc...Check out your options.
2006-12-30 07:10:45
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answer #2
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answered by Jordan D 6
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