Picking a College, or, Lifeplanning.

I know if you're anything like me you probably have had that moment where you feel a mad wave of anxiety come over you and you realize: "I AM GOING TO COLLEGE IN (X) YEARS AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN!" What you probably haven't heard among the strife and turmoil of your peers is, you don't need to know. It's ok! Finding a college and a respective scholarship is a long, arduous process, but it is an organic process. Oftentimes, it happens without you even really paying attention. Oftentimes, people are waiting to give money to you if you just contact them. So, here's my guide to finding the college (or scholarship) of your dreams.

First. DO NOT FORGET THE VALUE OF INSTATE SCHOLARSHIPS. Scholarships like National Merit, Flinn, and even university scholarships like the President's or Wildcat Excellence are extremely valuable and can often pay most, if not all, of your undergraduate expenses. And just think, you can use all that money you were going to get your undergrad at Princeton with to get your Graduate degree, and make millions more over your lifetime just because you have another degree!
To get these scholarships, you have to remember:
1. Do well on the PSAT (for National Merit) and SAT (for others). If you are shooting for National Merit, DO NOT FORGET TO DO WELL YOUR JUNIOR YEAR. That is the only year the PSAT matters.
2. Maintain a high class rank. You can do this by taking AP classes, taking 0 hour, and keeping a good GPA.
3. Get a leadership position your Junior or Senior year of high school that is substantial. (ex. club officer). This is really important for applications.
4. Do community service in something you are interested and passionate about.
5. DEVELOP YOUR OWN INTERESTS. I can't stress enough how important this is to being successful not only in scholarships, but in high school. Make sure you do what you love, or you can forget what you love--which makes choosing a college difficult.

If in-state scholarships aren't for you, and you want to go out of state for college, the path is a little more arduous, but not impossible. You need to prepare the following:
1. Visit college campuses. The best time to visit is during the school year, because you can see how people actually interact on campus and how the school functions. I visited UC Berkeley in October, and it was the perfect time to visit because I could see how the school felt when you were walking around like a student.
2. Start searching for scholarships via fastweb.com, fill out the FAFSA on time, and make sure you have a candid discussion with your parents about how you're going to pay for college. Also, don't disregard those letters from schools you apply to out of state about Alumni and other private scholarships. You are going to need all the help you can get to pay for out of state, even if you get a school merit scholarship, you are still going to pay a sizable sum.
3. Find colleges specific to your major. For example, an english major at MIT might be rare, but you would probably enjoy studying a liberal arts major at a school like NYU or a small private university like Reed College.
4. Consider small, liberal arts colleges. Especially if you are interested in getting a well-rounded, liberal arts education.

But most of all, consider what you really want your college experience to be like. Do you want a tight knit community? Do you want a large school that is highly competitive? Do you want to go to grad school? These are all important to consider when making a decision.

Essentially, make college searches a fun, natural process. Don't force yourself to research colleges, or you will start to hate it. College is going to be the greatest experience of your life, take time to discover where you will go! But most of all, don't worry.

-Kellie