You have to do all these things to get into college and get scholarships. Where's the right place to start?
Since I didn't plan on going to school out of state, I started with submitting my application to Apply Texas; it's a website that will send your application to all the colleges you wish to attend as long as they're in Texas.
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 as many colleges as possible. You never know what schools are willing to offer if you don't go out and look!
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 judging a college, it definitely should be based on personal discretion. After filling out your FAFSA, I wouldn't take any loans with a gigantic interest rate. If you're offered any scholarships, accept while they're offering even if you're not sure about going there. You can always tell the school you changed your mind later.
Were the essays for the applications hard or easy?
The essays weren't necessarily difficult. Once I had a few good essays they were usable for most, if not all, other scholarships and college essays.
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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 jdledwith@scholaready.com. |
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How personal should you get in your personal essay?
The more personal you get in your essays the better. The people looking over your application will get a better sense of your true self and why it's important for you to go to this school or get this scholarship.
How long should you wait for a response from the admissions office?
No college wait time is exactly the same, for some schools could take a few weeks; others, a few months. But I can say, if you do the early admissions application you will know rather quickly.
What was it like if you got denied by a college that you wanted to go to?
I didn't get denied to any college that I applied to, but I can only imagine how hard it would've been.
Were new criteria established for college admission since the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes, during the time I was applying, the ACT and SAT scores weren't required for my application or entry into the college.
What guidance would you provide to a tenth grader to help them be successful in high school and competitively prepared for college?
My main advice would be don't give up when the applications start to seem like "too much work." If you begin to feel overwhelmed take a break, but then get right back to work. It's so rewarding after you've accomplished everything after your senior year.
