By Yaw Wiafe-Akenten Staff writer
Eleventh graders will soon be receiving their ACT scores and right around the corner will be college admissions. Many believe that your ACT and GPA will determine where you will go for college. However, if you follow these tips and tricks you can attend your dream college.
ACT scores do matter and so does GPA. You can take the ACT two more times for free, and you can work with your teachers and counselor on raising your GPA. Yet, the problem for most students isn’t their test scores--it’s usually the tuition.
Paying for tuition out of pocket for private, ivy-league and even public schools doesn’t have to be a nightmare if you sell yourself, use your resources and plan ahead. Remember the old saying: “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.”
Selling yourself is literally your biggest ally when applying for college. Look at those long essay requirements as a chance to tell your life story and why the college would be missing out if they didn’t accept you. Be sure to include literally every organization you’ve been in and if possible explain how they positively impacted you. Look for alumni from your high school who are attending your dream college. Don’t be afraid to be different because different is what colleges want.
“Don’t be afraid to tell them who you are and let your essay reflect only you,” said senior Julius Hurst.
Using your resources is extremely vital when applying for colleges. Don’t think of the regular scholarships and scholarship websites when searching for ways to pay for school. Think outside the box and look for donations and scholarships from churches, businesses downtown or businesses local to you may want to support you attending college.
Minorities may be eligible for affirmative action scholarships. There are many hidden gem programs such as the Horatio Alger Scholarship, Community Choice Credit Union, Questbridge and many more.
“Through Questbridge I was able to attend Yale University,” said RHS alumnus and Yale student Frederic Nicholas.
Begin looking at your dream college’s tuition now. Start writing essays for college and scholarships ahead of time before they are even accepting essays. Along with essays you should begin getting recommendations from your teachers in the second semester of eleventh grade to save yourself the trouble. Fill out programs such as the Common App and Parchment during the spring of your eleventh grade to save yourself time.
“Time will be your greatest foe when applying for colleges… don’t be a slacker,” said RHS alumna, Gates Millennium recipient, and University of Michigan student Ariel Ragin
