Applying To An American College
Applying to college can be an extremely hard time for students.

This is the time when your classmates find out their rank in your class, where a lot of people notice how poorly they did the first three years of high school and where that horrid question is raised: what do you want to do for the rest of your life?

Its no wonder many seniors suffer from huge stress related problems. However, for all fo your problems, there are solutions.

Many people think that class rank is really important. To some it is, but to most its just a number. If you are in the top 25% or so of your class, work hard to keep your grades up there. The higher your grades the better the chance of getting merit scholarships (scholarships based on grades and achievements). If you aren't up that high, its still okay, don't lose hope. There are tons of scholarships out there in the states and so many go unclaimed because people don't think they will qualify or people don't find them. There are great scholarship search engines on the internet, including www.fastweb.com. And even better, they're free! You fill out a little information about you and they find you scholarships you might be able to win.

Another thing with class rank is the misconception that only smart kids are accepted to colleges. Grade-wise, smart students are accepted to college, but so are other students. Anyone who wants to go to college and has the desire to suceed can. Colleges today, even some of the top schools in America, want diversity. It used to be that American universities were made up primarily of upper class white males, today its another story. Schools want different races, genders, social classes and religions. They also don't only want the top 10% of the academic world. Again, diversity: its a great thing! College would be boring if only the valedictorians of high school went to college, there wouldn't be anything exciting. Everyone has something to offer, so just because you got B's, C's and D's in high school doesn't mena the valedictorian couldn't learn something from you.

But I barely finished high school...

>Not to worry. Again, anyone who wants to go to college and has the desire to suceed can. Just because you didn't get wonderful grades in high school doesn't mean you won't be accepted to college. If you really messed up in high school and and didn't go, but still want to better your chances of finding a good job; start at a community college. They are often cheaper and closer to home, but still offer great education. Community colleges work better around work schedules, home schedules such as children and can work with you on your strengths and weaknesses to get you more prepared for the working worl or a four-year university.

A lot of schools want personal essays with an application. This is the best part of the application. Imagine reading applications all day that said the same thing: grades A,B A-,D, GPA - 3.4, activities - Band, track and football. This would be boring and wouldn't give much insight into the student. Imagine now reading an essay, "Why I would make a good match with Ohio Northern University." This would tell you why this student wants to attend your school and give you a personal look at things which are important to them.
Your job with this essay is to sell yourself. Remember; you are the perfect person for this school. If you want to apply to University of Florida because of their great marine biology program, tell them about the first time you went whale watching and knew you wanted to do that for a living. If you lived in Port Jefferson, Ohio and want to attend New York University because you think the exposure to the city will open more doors for you, tell them that. Make this interesting, tell them what they want. If they want to know why you would be a good match or why you want to attend their school, look through their brochure and see what things they're proud of. Never lie, (if its seroius and they find out, you could get thrown out of school), but tell them what they want to hear while still being truthful.

How do I decide what to major in?

This is the stupidest thing about college. How do the admission counsel expect a 17 or 18 year old to know what they want to do for the rest of their life? Some do, but most have no idea and that's fine. If you really don't know, declare yourself undeclared. This won't affect your admittance to the school, unless it specifically says so on the application. They are starting to understand that its hard to decide what you want to do forever when you're so young.

If you know you like science, take a general major. If you liked biology in high school, declare yourself biology major. Its not hard to change and most people do it several times before graduation anyway. If you declare yourself biology major through your freshman year, then decide in sophomore year you want to be a creative writing major, this may be harder because they don't have many similar classes. If you've taken any biology classes, they'll transfer you over, but you'll have to take your sophomore year and freshman writing classes. This can still be done though.

I've been accepted. Now what?

After being accepoted, the hard part is out of the way. Now you just need to decide how to come up with the money. In the states, you should fill out Free Application For Student Aid (FAFSA - get the form after Jan 1st of your senior year in your high school guidance office) and send it in. The earlier you send it, the better. Try and have it in before the middle of February of your senior year. Every year you will have to fill a new one of these out.
Your school of choice will get a copy of this and the information will tell them how much they think your family can pay for your tuition. This is known as your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Whatever your EFC doesn't cover of tuition, the school will find grants to fill. Whatever your EFC and grants won't cover, they will find student loans you can opt for. If you have scholarships, they will take the place of some of this; your loans or possibly your EFC. Student loans are nice because you don't have to start paying them back until after you finish school.

This is just a quick overview of the financial aid process; after you've been accepted to a school, contact their financial aid office and make an appointment to talk to them to sort out any problems and answer any questions.

With all of that said, you know a little more of waht to expect. Everything won't be so new to you and it won't seem so hard. Good luck and remember: anyone who wants to go to college and has the desire to succeed can!