Winning College Scholarships

by Sandra Jacob

Colleges look first at GPAs, class rank, SAT and ACT scores, then at student resumes.

To compete in the college money game successfully, students need to start early.

The game begins during second semester of eighth grade, when students are asked to choose their ninth grade courses, but few understand at this early stage that the wrong class scheduling could cost them the opportunity to win scholarship money for college.

The number of high school seniors applying to colleges has been steadily rising for the last few years, enabling colleges to be more selective. Students who had previously been “shoe-ins” for scholarship money are often now viewed as average applicants.

To win money students need to do more. They need to take more Advanced Placement courses, to earn higher grade point averages and class rankings and to have better college board test scores. Numbers equal money.

The perfect 4.0 grade point average of the past may now be replaced by a 5.0 system where students are awarded extra points for Advanced Placement or honors classes. These points are used to calculate class rank, and those who will wind up in the top ten percent often have more than a 4.0.

Strength of curriculum is important, and students should take advantage of academic challenges. At least four years in every academic subject is ideal. This means the usual four years of English, along with four years of social studies, math, science and the same foreign language. (Two years of French and two years of Spanish will not count as four years of a foreign language.) Students who take the first year of math or foreign language in middle school leave room for more advanced courses their senior year. Scholars who take Biology II, Calculus and Spanish 5 are appealing candidates.

The costs for private colleges have become astronomical, many topping the $40,000 a year mark. Most family incomes are too high for governmental assistance, but too low to afford such a price tag. Luckily, the big money comes from the colleges themselves, and most expect to help their students financially. Different schools have different reasons for bestowing awards, but they are all looking for outstanding students. Students may be outstanding academically; they may have exceedingly high SAT or ACT scores, excel in sports, or have a special talent in music, art or theater. Some schools are looking for leaders or students who have done research that is considerably beyond what would be expected from a high school student.

Colleges look first at G.P.A.’s, class rank, SAT & ACT scores, then at student resumes. They are impressed, not by a long list of activities, but rather by a few activities to which students have given a lot of time. Colleges want students who are involved. The kind of activity isn’t as important as the time commitment. This might mean four years in the marching band dragging the tuba to school day after day at six in the morning, or it might mean spending two Saturday afternoons of every month visiting the residents of a nursing home.

It takes planning and parental involvement for many students to stand out in some way.

Students need a four year academic plan and a four year extracurricular plan, both of which should be considered before ninth grade. Parents need to help their teenagers decide just how many advanced classes they can handle without excessive stress, and they need to provide transportation to activities. Adults need to help kids find strengths, in and out of the classroom, and to expand on them.

When senior year arrives, and it’s time to fill out college applications, students will have already done what’s necessary to compete successfully for scholarship money. In the process, they may well receive a better education and have become people who are more involved with society.