It's that time of year again. Yep, it's time get on that horse and ride towards college. There are a few things you should be working on right now to get on the right path, but before I get to heavy into that, let me take some time to introduce myself...
My name is Ted Doty. I'll be working for WyCAC at Rawlins High School, as well as assisting transfer students at Casper College. I graduated in May from the University of Wyoming with a Bachelor's degree in marketing. I am a proud alumnus of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, and I also hold the (at least somewhat made-up) title of Mr. Wyoming. I enjoy everything outdoors from hiking to biking. In addition to all of these things, many of my friends call me Tedward, and every time I type my last name on the computer, the spell check squiggly red line comes up underneath it. But I digress. Let's get back to what you all came here to read...
As I mentioned before, there are several things that seniors should be working on to prepare them to take a big step towards college. Applying for admission, creating and/or updating resumes, and checking out scholarships are all important things to at least start doing. I'll focus on applying for admission and checking out scholarships in this post.
Let's tackle applying for admission part first. Ideally, you already have an idea of which colleges you want to apply to for admission. If not, here a a few things to consider:
Location: Think about what kind of environment you might want to study in. If you don't like the clutter of the big city, NYU probably isn't for you. Likewise, if you aren't the biggest fan of sub-zero winter temps, you might want to steer clear of Montana.
Programs of Study: Make sure all of the schools you apply to have a few different things that you might want to study. You don't want to get hung out to dry if you realize biology isn't your thing and there isn't anything else you want to study on campus.
COST: College isn't cheap. Some are less expensive than others though. Check to see what you can expect to pay for a year in terms of tuition and fees, room and board, books, and other expenses. Remember, there are personal expenses and other things that you need to take into account beyond traditional expenses. Also, check for financial aid offerings. I'll touch on this with a bit more depth in a bit.
Once you have taken these things into consideration, start on the applications. It's a good idea to apply to at least three different schools. One of these is a reach school that you might get into, but is far from a lock. The next should be one you feel you have a pretty good shot at getting into, based on admission requirements. Last, apply to a safety school. This is one you know you will get into. It may not be your preferred place, but you'll still be getting and education.
Most applications these days can be filled out on line. These are fairly easy to fill out, as they guide you step by step through the process. Make sure to read and fill out carefully. You don't want to not get in because of a silly error! These applications should allow for you to save what you have filled out so far and come back later. Pay close attention to whether or not you need to write an admissions essay or get one or more recommendation letters. These allow you to set yourself apart from the rest of the herd of students applying. Finally, pay the application fee. Many college require an application fee, which is generally used to fund the processing of the application. These fees often fall between $30 and & $70.
While you're online filling out applications, go ahead and check out some scholarships. It's way better than wasting time on Facebook! Scholarships are really easy to find online. There are numerous websites that help make the search easier like fastweb.com and studentscholarships.org. In addition to these and other sites, feel free to head on over to Google and search for scholarships. There are thousands of scholarships out there. You can be rewarded money for college for almost anything, from you ethnicity and background to your hair color (check it out redheads!). You can even get scholarship money for being left-handed!
As I said earlier, while checking out schools, see what kind of financial aid and scholarships they offer. Most schools offer some form of financial aid to help students pay for school. Some are based on grades and test scores. Others are based on need. Some schools even have financial aid available for specific programs of study or even students from specific states.
Make sure to look carefully at all forms of financial aid. There is no reason why you should pay more for college than is necessary.
That's all I have for y'all today. Until next time, I bid you adieu.
Ted Doty
WyCAC, Rawlins High School
