Hello fellow Coldplayers! My name is Jackie, for those of you who don't know me.

 

Well, I'm in need of some advice. I am about to enter my junior year in high school, and probably the craziest year of my life. I'm getting ready for my ACTs and SATs, and have started looking at colleges. Being from Minnesota, my first choice is the U of M. However, I have considered schools as far away as New York and California (I love the arts).

Unfortunately, I have no college fund whatsoever. :\

 

So, is there any advice you can give me for looking at colleges (or college in general), because I'm starting to get really overwhelmed... Thanks! :)

Do the best you can in school. If you make high enough grades and do well enough on your ACT/SAT, you can get academic scholarships.

Do not overlook small schools, and don't let anything other than you and your interests influence your decision. Follow a vague outline of your interests rather than one specific thing, because what you think you want might not be what you'll want later.

 

I definitely made a few mistakes when I chose WVU, so I have insight from recent memory...:disappointed:

Thanks :nice:

Put the names of the colleges you are interested in on one of those game board spinners, and do a statistically correct analysis by spinning the spinner at least 10 times, and see which one wins. :P OR choose a university which is small enough to get personal attention in (good student to teacher ratio), but large enough to get an excellent baccalaureate degree in, or one that will provide two years of development, then go on to a larger university (pre-engineering, etc. are like that). In-state is probably your best bet, since if you go out-of-state, the tuition is quite steep, but if you want to go to a school in Wisconsin, there is I believe is a reciprocal program, so tuition may be very affordable, plus you can take out student loans if a scholarship isn't available.

I would recommend Eau Claire, because it's a beautiful comfortable campus, easily walkable, big enough to enjoy a real college atmosphere but small enough for personal attention, getting to know professors (which helps for recommendations as well for grad school), and it's got a fun party atmosphere.;):cool:

But hey, I'm biased!:P Have fun searching!!

don't discount going to a community college.. it may take you 3 yrs to transfer but you save A LOT of money!

STUDY for the exams! I got a full academic scholarship because of my test scores. I also had NO money saved up for college, which totally sucked.

 

If worse comes to worse, you can fall back on student loans but be sure you have a good plan on paying it off (a practical one).

 

I'm the kind of person who thinks you should NOT let money be the reason you don't follow what's right!

 

I know this may be jumping the gun a little, but a lot of people my age (I'm a senior in college) are SCREWED because they didn't choose a marketable major. I started as a journalism major, but when I realized that it's going to be really tough to find a decent job, I switched to chemistry and biology.

 

Don't let it overwhelm you! Just study hard, pace yourself, and have fun choosing.

Take one step at a time. Get yout studying done for the ACTs SATs' etc..

After that's been done, take a breather. Gather the strongest list of your academic goals and expectations of meeting and priorityize . Which is most important, which is least?

Unless immediate scholarships and grants can provide immediate revief, obtaining an Associates a degree is MUCH Cheaper than sprinting for the full four year school. It also give you those two years to really solidify the field or work desired all while getting the grub work out of the way.

 

Staying close and obtaining a two-year' may offer more opportunities to enter programs pr to. Meet contacts more familiar with characteristics your preferred school wants. Good luck

Thanks! This is helping so much right now. :)

Thanks! This is helping so much right now. :)

 

 

 

Please go visit with your Jr. Class Counselor as well, she will know alot of different routes you can take:)

Depending on the type of "experience" you're looking for, keep in mind other locations of major universities. For example, I went to U of Michigan, but their Flint campus instead of Ann Arbor. Still says the prestigious UofM on my diploma, but I paid a fraction of the cost, and they have smaller class sizes (more individual attention). Plus, they often offer more scholarships; and since there are fewer students than the main campus, you have a better chance of getting one.

Even better, learn a foreign language in one of the many fine schools in the U.P. of Michigan. Yooper dialect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

:laugh3:

Ya hey! An official dialect of English, OMG. :stunned:

I'm entering my junior year too. We should be buddies :heart: Haha, I'm very stressed too, and I have no idea where I want to attend college. I live in the Midwest too (Chicago) but I really want to get out of here. Haha. I would love to go to California for college.

 

Advice that I have heard from others: Put your grades and ACT prep first right now. Because if you do great on that, you will have that out of the way and be able to focus on picking the right college for you :nice: I'm doing my best to make this year count.

Definitely, study study study for the ACT and SAT. Not all schools required the SAT, but some do, especially the more prestigious ones, and if you do really really well, there could be scholarships to pay for a lot of the tuition costs. Well, you know all this, but basically that's the most important thing as Grace says, then the options will be more open.

Just try and improve, do your personal best at the tests, try and improve your own average (after taking the sample tests). Get lots of rest the night before and feel good when you're taking the tests, like a tiger on the prowl. :hat:

One thing though, if you look for undergrad schools, worry less about how high the average academic achievements are for your fellow students, more about the level of personal attention you can get; student to teacher ratios make a big difference, time the profs have to spend with you vs. research or other things pulling them away, etc. I would recommend to start out somewhere that has a comfortable setting too, a good mix of things to balance your student life (exercise facilities accessible, descent food, recreational opportunities, maybe some interests outside of the U, etc.). The field you choose too, look ahead at what job opportunities or research opportunities exist, often counselors aren't good predictors of these things, or are too busy elsewhere. Or, if you're really passionate about something and willing to devote all your time and energy into it, you will always find some place that wants those talented individuals. Sometimes following your bliss is the best choice - musicians, artists, animators, computer programmers and software experts, web designers, nutritionists, biologists, epidemiologists etc. Always teaching opportunities if you enjoy sharing your knowledge and are good at teaching others.

In general though, the fields of the future that are growing will grow further - and basic research cannot be neglected, though funding problems do exist. There's no guarantees, just better odds if you're prepared, and always something - and something to fit your personality type as well - you might enjoy sales more than research, or teaching over both of those, or combine teaching and art, any number of things are possible. Becoming part of a team is often most in demand, so being a good team person often has the greatest usefulness and provides the best rewards.

Incorporating disparate fields can be enjoyable too - often those are the missing links we need to build for a sustainable future.

*Sorry. Just realized I put U of M instead of the University of Minnesota. :|

*Sorry. Just realized I put U of M instead of the University of Minnesota. :|

:laugh3: U of Mich, U of Minn, U of Mass, U of Maine, U of Missouri, U of Montana...

I had the same problem communicating with my cousins out in Washington state. I kept saying UW, which here is U of Wisc, there it's U of Wash, no biggie.

But Minnesota has some great schools too - I've visited the U of M Saint Paul campus, pretty nice, saw a great lecture on microbiology there.

Have fun picking a U!! :laugh3: