Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Telephone (251) 937-7176 or

928-0860/943-5061 ext. 2222

FAX (251) 937-7285

Amanda Outlaw

Regional Extension Agent, Urban

June 15, 2010

Welcome to College Planning 101

There are many reasons for going to college besides the social life and the football games, which are important parts of college life. By going to college you will gain information and skills that you can use for the rest of your life. In college you will expand your knowledge base and increase your skills. You can learn to express your thoughts in speech and learn to write more clearly. During college classes you are networking with other students from around the state and world and you will hear different opinions, concepts and theories that will increase your knowledge and help you discern what is important and true. College increases your understanding of the world and your community. Attending college also has helped some young people to mature in many ways so that they can make choices and decisions. Many of the decisions and choices you make will affect you for the rest of your life.  

Planning for college can start at anytime especially for parents who may have saving plans they started at the birth of their child. Many students start planning for college during their senior year of high school. But guess what, you can start planning in middle school. As we work as county agents throughout the county we have found that many students have not thought about college or what they will do after high school. But it is never too early to start and become more strategic in your planning.  What classes are you taking now that really get you excited and you want to learn more about the subject? Do you know people who have interesting careers that you would like to know more about? Job shadowing them on their job can give you real insight into what is required for that particular career and you can ask them how they feel about their job and what college courses were more related to their job now.

Do a college search to see what colleges in your state or surrounding states offer the majors that you are interested in. Also these colleges might offer summer internships or special summer programs for rising juniors and senior high school students.

Paying for college should not be an obstacle to getting into college if you start planning your strategy now. Research scholarships at scholarships.com to get an idea of what scholarships are out there now.  Apply for financial aid, which is available to all students by completing the FAFSA (free application for financial aid) by the deadline for your college admissions.

Finding a scholarship is not difficult but the process of applying can seem rather intimidating particularly if it is the first time you have begun to explore your options.  First, applying for a scholarship is a lot of work so is preparing to complete an application and an essay as part of the application process. This of course, is repeated for each scholarship you apply for and it may take months before you know if you received the award. This is not to discourage you from applying, but to approach it realistically. Many people do not apply for scholarships they qualify for simply because the process seems too daunting and long.  Determine your strategy. Many people rush to apply for the major scholarships and dismiss the smaller ones. This means the competition is greater for the larger dollar scholarships and less competitive for the smaller ones. Free money is free money and receiving several smaller scholarships is just as good as receiving one single award according to www.starreviews.com. So turn your attention to local minority scholarships in your area and apply to those.

Apply to several scholarships that you qualify for because this increases your chance of receiving more than one, which in turn pays for your college. Apply to those that are renewable, that way as long as you continue to make the grades and remain in school, the scholarship fund renews automatically for you and that secures the next semester or college year.

Stay organized. It is easy to get confused by which scholarships you have applied to so making a list of the scholarship name and the date you applied is a good way to ensure you don’t waste time applying to the same organization twice.

Expand your extracurricular activities especially during vacation and summer days and weeks. Summer jobs and volunteer opportunities are experiences that you can add to your resume.

Schedule your college admission exams ACT or SAT and put those dates on your calendar now. Study for those exams by going to the library or buying books about the exams. Don’t wait until the night before the test date, because you have to be on time for the test and you want to be well rested. The PSAT (preliminary standardized achievement test) shows your strengths and weaknesses in different subject areas.

Most colleges prefer four years of math, science, english, history, and foreign language. Don’t cheat yourself by taking all easy courses in high school but challenge yourself by taking challenging courses. Remember you are preparing yourself for a future of making a living on your own and taking care of yourself as a contributing member of society.

A lot of college fairs are held in the fall months by different organizations and by some colleges go to them. Visit college campuses with your church or groups from other social organizations to view campus life, visit admission and financial aid offices.

Stay focused while you are in school now and spend real time doing homework and studying. It will pay off with higher wages and more job choices in the future.

Email address: aoutlaw@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5061, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.