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Continue reading5 Misconceptions About How To Get Into College
1. I have to do community service.
Doing community service is a fine choice for extracurricular activity, if you enjoy it. It can be a satisfying and selfless way to contribute to society. But it is not necessary to have community service listed as an activity on your college application. You should put your extracurricular focus on areas you enjoy, where you are eager to make a difference. It is the impact of your efforts that will be looked upon positively by college admissions officers, not necessarily community service specifically.
2. I have to go to summer school.
What you need to do is excel as much as you are able in classes that are challenging. That is how you demonstrate to college admissions officers that you are able to handle the rigors of college academic life. Summer school by itself is a fine way to show academic talent. It is a great way to get ahead in your academic career. But is it necessary? No.
3. My grades are not that important.
Your grades are of utmost importance. College life is academic life. There are many aspects of college life outside of the classroom, but you are there to learn. In order for a college to want to accept you, you must demonstrate the ability to learn, to self-motivate, and to succeed in their academic environment. The only way to prove this to colleges is to get good grades.
4. I’ll get a scholarship.
Scholarships are reserved for the strongest performers who are applying to college programs. The chances of you getting a scholarship depends on your performance relative to the college to which you are applying. If you apply to several schools, then your chances of receiving a scholarship to any one of those colleges is entirely dependent on your strength as an applicant relative to each college.
5. I’ll pay for it somehow.
College tuition is more expensive than ever before, and student loan debt is a huge issue in the U.S., which affects many adults for years and even decades after their college days are over. You need to look at your future college education as a cost/benefit equation. Choose colleges and programs that you and your family can afford, and take advantage of any scholarships available in order to help you pay for your college education, and to protect your future.
Are there any other misconceptions you may have about getting into college? Let the experts at Great College Advice help you navigate the complicated and sometimes confusing world of college applications. We have several tiers of services we can provide that can fit any budget, and with our expertise in the areas of scholarships and other methods of financing your college education, your investment in Great College Advice could end up saving you money in your overall college education costs. Go to greatcollegeadvice.com to learn how we can help you.
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Continue readingWhat’s the Easiest Way to Get a College Scholarship?
Get Good Grades.
It’s true. In the realm of college admissions, it’s the geeks who get the biggest scholarships.
But wait. Don’t the jocks get the biggest scholarships? Well, sometimes that’s true. If you play hoops well enough to be recruited by the Georgetown Hoyas, then you’ve got a ticket to ride. Or if you can run really fast, you might get a full-ride scholarship to run track at an NCAA Division 1 university. But there are many athletes in many sports that get very small scholarships, and the vast majority of high school students who aim for an athletic scholarship never get a dime. If you want to learn more about how to get an athletic scholarship, you might want to check out our information here.
While some athletes do pull down some of the sweetest scholarships in American higher education, the geeks still get a lot more money overall. In fact, perhaps 90% or more of the scholarships colleges offer are for the academically talented students—rather than the athletically talented ones.
How does it work?
Colleges are in competition with one another for the top students in the country. Every professor at every college wants to teach the most talented, serious, and interested students. And the more talented students a school is able to attract, then the higher it’s ranking among universities will climb over time. So every university has an interest in attracting top academic talent.
So how do they attract top talent? By offering discounts off the price of tuition for students who have the best grades and the highest scores on their standardized tests.
If getting a scholarship is important to you, then consider these tips.
- Don’t scrimp and save on the tutoring for the ACT or SAT. Many colleges and universities tie their scholarships to these scores. So a point or two extra can mean saving thousands of dollars.
- There are few more efficient ways to reduce the cost of your higher education than to get solid grades throughout high school. Think of every A you get as money in the bank.
- Don’t lull yourself into thinking that a B in an honors or AP course is the same as getting an A in a “regular course” (see our post about weighted grades here).
We work with many families for whom the costs of higher education are a driving consideration in choosing the right colleges to which to apply. We like nothing more than to earn our fee—many times over—by helping students win generous scholarships at high quality colleges and universities. If you need help identifying the right schools at the right price, give us a call today.
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What’s the easiest and most fun way to avoid student debt and college loans then you can’t pay tuition for a dream school? Check out this upcoming movie.
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Continue readingEducational Consultant on Scholarship Strategies
Expert admissions counselor Mark Montgomery goes to the University of Miami to talk about one student’s unusual path to a full-ride scholarship. And even an admission offer from an Ivy League school. An inspiring story for anyone trying to find the perfect college.
I’m on the campus today of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, just south of Miami. Beautiful campus, you can see behind me this nice lake. Most of the buildings are centered around this lake, and there’s another big quad not too far from here. Delightful campus, about 10,000 students.
Unorthodox Strategies
I had a great tour with a tour guide from Florida. From not too far away, and sort of thinking about admissions. This is a top ranked university in the United States. And some kids can do well by taking strategies for admission that are a little bit, shall we say, unorthodox. So I don’t think he did this on purpose. But it got me thinking, he is a dual major in music and economics. But when he decided to come to the University of Miami to apply, he applied as a music major. Because they have a music school and he’s a violist, and very interested in music.
Full-Tutition Scholarship
So he decided that he would apply for music so he did an audition. He did very well, and ended up getting a full-ride, full-tuition scholarship to the University of Miami. They have financial aid but a full-tuition scholarship? That’s pretty amazing. And obviously, he was quite smart too. He graduated valedictorian of his class. But he used that academic as well as the extracurricular activity talent that he had. He put them together to make for a really sweet package. He presented himself in a way that certainly the University of Miami saw was fantastic.
They really wanted him. So they gave him the incentive to come to this university over the University of Chicago and Cornell University, Ivy League. So he got a sweet deal. And he knows that if he wants to go to graduate school. All that money he would have spent at Cornell, he can use that for his graduate education. And yes, if he got into the Ivy League once he probably can get in the Ivy League again.
So very good strategy for not only his undergraduate education at a cheap price, but thinking of his education as a long-term objective. That he can use that money and save it for a very expensive graduate school in business. Or I think he’s interested in law, for which there really is no scholarship. He saved that money. He can pay for his undergraduate free, and he can pay for law school with the money that he saved. So sometimes it pays to think strategically about how you want your entire education to fall out. And to make decisions accordingly.
This kid made a great choice. He’s very happy here. He was smiling the entire time during his tour, he’s just really happy with his decisions. So think about that as you’re trying to decide what is the right strategy for you as you think of your long-term educational future.
