**Admissions**
    Here's how I look at it: each applicant is a little mousie and each admissions office is a big mean cat. (just because they sound so nice on the phone doesn't mean jack) Colleges want money to support all the stuff they do and guess where they get most of it from? YOU, the little mouse. What they want is those nice fat checks from your bank account. Money is, in fact, a part of the admissions process. I think that each college has to accept people from all sorts of money backgrounds. But really, don't worry about that so much. Just GET GOOD GRADES.
    Alright. So a bunch of different colleges offer you scholarships. DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME THAT THE ONE THAT OFFERS YOU THE MOST IS THE BEST. Compare the total cost of the college minus the scholarship they offer. You might find that the one that gave you the higher scholarship actually costs more as it is and another college that gave you a lesser scholarship is still actually cheaper because the tuition is less. Get it? Of course you do!! You're a college bound student!! :) See, I was offered slightly more money from SUNY at Albany than I did at Pitt but it's still cheaper to go to Pitt. It's still expensive, tho. :O
    So..number 2. Actually, these are in no particular order. Sorry. :) PAY ATTENTION TO THE DEADLINES. This is very important. I firmly believe that the sooner you turn in your application, the better chance you have at being accepted. Especially if your college does "rolling admissions." That means that applications are accepted year-round and there really is no deadline. But of course it's better to turn in your app. early. And if you're applying for financial aid, it is critical that you fill out the FAFSA and whatever forms the school you're applying to supply you with VERY carefully.
    Another thing is that scholarships outside of what a school offers are very important. You can try Fast Web for like a million scholarships. That way even if you don't get a lot of money from the college of your dreams, you still have money coming from those other scholarships. That could make the decision on where you'll be going in the fall. Of course, check into the scholarships your school offers. Luckily, my college automatically gives you money if you have a certain SAT score or higher. So that came in handy.
    Another important thing is to visit the campus. You're going to be living there for at least a year (depending if you decide to transfer or not) so you might as well pick somewhere that you can enjoy. Right? The environment in which you live in is very important for studying and such. If you want to do well, then stay away from party schools. If you like to party, well..either stay at home and don't go to college or, go to a party school and waste you and your parents' money. If you don't like cities, go somewhere more suburban. Sometimes you might not be sure of what you like anymore, so just pick a place. I wasn't sure if I liked cities but I picked a college that's smack dab in a city. That was a BIG adjustment. It's really all up to you. Personally, I needed a change. And guess what, that change made me realize what I REALLY do like...suburban areas and not metropolitan areas.
    What if you really hate it while you're there? Transferring cross your mind? First off, I definitely suggest you stick it out the year (or at least the first semester!!) unless you absolutely are not having any good times at all. Allow yourself an adjustment period. But if you do want to transfer, then I suggest you look into it carefully. Restrictions on transferring for a lot of colleges are pretty tough. Don't expect all of your credits to transfer. In some ways, it's easier to be admitted if you're applying as a transfer. Some colleges do have an amount of spots just for transfer students-they are limited, tho. But trust me...if you totally hate your college and haven't had any good experiences..it's better to look around at other colleges. We all make mistakes. College is supposed to be fun, too. Don't waste 4 years of your life hating it, ok? :)

    Well, that's about all I have to say. ;) If you have a specific question or would like to see something else added, please fill out the form or email me. Thanx for visiting! I hope it was somewhat of a helpful time for you! :)

College Info 101