You have to do all these things to get into college and get scholarships. Where's the right place to start?
When looking for scholarships, I would suggest starting at school and/or church because they might have opportunities you may have been unaware of. Likewise, other students may not apply for them, giving you a chance to stand out! Additionally, I would use Scholly or Fastweb! They have great scholarship opportunities, sometimes no essay ones!
How many colleges should you apply to? Is it better to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks? Or just pinpoint a few schools and apply to those?
I applied to around 30 schools and I don't necessarily recommend it. I think it would be safe to apply to about 15. I don't recommend applying to a lot of schools because you have lots of financial aid letters coming in (which isn't a bad thing, but it's extremely time consuming), lots of personal connections to keep up with, lots of emails to reply to, and lots of schools to reject.
How do you correctly judge a college when it's telling you what it can offer? How do you know what's real? How do you know how to evaluate the claims?
When it comes to judging a college, if you know students who go there, ask them about their honest experience. Judging a college is sometimes tricky, but I would recommend taking a tour if possible, looking up reviews from former students, and writing down a pros and cons list.
Were the essays for the applications hard or easy?
I believe the entrance essays were easy, but they had their challenges. For example, it was easy to introduce myself and my story, but I had to dig deeper when thinking about why I actually wanted to attend a particular school.
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ESSAY WRITING FOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND SCHOLARSHIPS
- How to write a personal essay
- How to build a scholarship plan (where to find scholarships and what to write about in other essays)
- How to request letters of recommendation
- Interview skills
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SESSION I: June 7 - July 1 | MWTh | 9 am - 10:15 am
OR
SESSION II: July 6 - August 3 | MWTh | 9 am - 10:15 am
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| To register, call (713) 553-6557 or email [email protected]. |
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How personal should you get in your personal essay?
In your essay, I think you should definitely be honest about who you are, your story, your attributes, your goals, but don't tell them every detail of your life. They're accepting you into college, not reading an autobiography.
How long should you wait for a response from the admissions office?
I would give admissions about 2-3 weeks to respond, maybe 4 depending on the application rate.
What was it like if you got denied by a college that you wanted to go to?
I applied to Tulane University, was rejected, felt unqualified, but I remembered that everything happens for a reason! A setback isn't a failure!
Were new criteria established for college admission since the COVID-19 pandemic?
My school didn't look at SAT and ACT scores for entry; many schools have stopped requiring standardized test scores because kids were academically displaced throughout the school year.
What were your expectations of your first year of college? What has been the reality?
Before entering college, I thought I would have to be perfect, but I realized everyone makes mistakes and needs help along the way.
What guidance would you provide to a tenth grader to help them be successful in high school and competitively prepared for college?
Some advice I would give is focus on your goals, but don't stress yourself out. College is a big deal for some, yes, but it's important to practice self-care. Self-care, however, isn't the absence of productivity. Also, do your best: your future self will thank you. Start branding yourself or developing and practicing communication skills because having connections can take you a long way!
