Where and how do i start to search for scholarship opportunities and colleges to go to?
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It's good that you are starting to look already. Your counselor's office is often a good place to start. Since you already know the degree you want, pick up a US News College Ranking Report from the local bookstore. It ranks most colleges, and has info on different degree programs. Talk to your parents about what the funding situation is. Can you afford a private school, or are you going to have to go to a public school in your state? Do you want to go to a large university, or a small one? Do you want to live in the city, or do you like a rural environment, or something in between? Do you want to stay close to home, or are you trying to get as far away from your parents as possible? This should help narrow down your choices for which colleges to go to. I have a science degree, so a strong science program was important to me.
Once you narrow down your choices for colleges based on academics, then you can get started on the "feel" of the campus. What are sports like? I love sports, especially football, so a strong athletics program was important to me as well. Are there many clubs and organizations to join? Do I want to be involved in community service? Greek life? What's the "attitude" of the campus? These are best found out by actually visiting the campus, but you don't have to do this until your junior year.
As far as scholarship opportunities go, you will want to register for the FAFSA at the end of your junior year, so that you can possibly recieve federal financial aid. You will need to register for this in order to receive grants. Fastweb.com is a good place to look for scholarships. It will help you narrow down the scholarships, so that you only look at the ones that actually apply to you.
But honestly, your parents and HS counselor know you best, and will be able to help you find the right school and right funding package for YOU.
start with your school counselor.
There is a website called Fastweb.com it lists tons of scholarships, financial aid and colleges. It can help you compare colleges and search for scholarships that you may be eligible for! I used this throughout high school and it helped a lot. Even if you don't get a scholarship there are a lot of opportunities for student loans. The website is www.fastweb.com! Good Luck!!
One place is to start with your high school counselor. Then you can also check online. Just go to google and type in college and university search. Then you can do the same thing for college scholarships.
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