How to get to a good college?

How hard is it to get a scholarship to a good college??

• I'm in 9th grade. I plan to become a doctor and go to medical school. Going to college is a lot of money, as well as going to medical school. I understand you can get scholarships for both college and med school but how hard is it? I know it's very competitive but what are the requirements to qualify for a merit-based scholarship or what should the requirements be for a financial aid scholarship? Where are some places I can look for scholarships for college?? or get more information? Thanks.

• Answer:

  Scholarships are very difficult to get and there are specific things they look for when selecting a recipient. The following is a list of things that you usually have to have to get a scholarship. There are not many scholarships just for your financial situation, I would say that about 90% of the scholarships out there are merit-based. You shouldn't just have 3 or 4 of these, instead you should have a combination of all of these: A Theme: They like you to focus on a theme like animals, homeless, cancer reaserch, children, etc. When you do extracurricular activities, they don't just want you to do random ones, they want you to focus on 1 or 2 main topics/themes because it shows that you care about what you are doing instead of just picking random activities so that you can put them on a scholarship application. Volunteer/community service: Volunteering and community service is one of the most IMPORTANT things that a scholarship provider looks at. That alone can determine you getting a scholarship or not. You HAVE to have volunteering on your app. You should be volunteering at least 200 hours a year, but you really should be volunteering around 300-400 hours a year if you hope to get at least a couple. Also you don't just need a lot of hours; you also need to have been doing the volunteering for a couple of years. So if this is your Senior or Junior year and you have never done any volunteering before, it would just look like you are trying to do a last minute catch up. So volunteering should be started 7th grade to Freshman year and no latter than sophomore year. Sport: They like you to also do sports on the side. It shows that you like to be active and be part of a team and that you do not quit very easily. Just another nice thing on your application, but a sport is not necessary. Leadership: You should have leadership to go along with your volunteering. Leadership is VERY important, it shows that you are willing to lead others and take action. You should ALWAYS have leadership on an app. GPA ( and a few consider transcripts): Most scholarships don't look at your GPA that much. They might set a limit, like anyone over a 3.5 GPA can apply, but just as long as you meet the requirement, they usually don't put too much focus on it. But its not a good thing if you are under a 3.75, you should be AT LEAST over 3.75 GPA. Hardships and challenges overcome: Lots of scholarships look at your hardships. Divorce and depression is one that many people use, and its such a popular one that they don't always look at those challenges. Some they might look at is the death of a mother/father, moving to the country, not speaking English, etc. Whatever it is that you have experienced, you NEED to show that you have overcome it and learned from it. They want to see that you have learned and have more experience from the situation that you were in. Financial need: Financial need is also a biggy. A lot of scholarships require you to have a financial need, and to prove it too with tax documents. Past awards and recognitions: You should usually have a list of awards that you have received. You should list at least 6. This is where you can list National Honor Society membership, honor roll, etc. A clear goal or career: Scholarships providers want you to have a clear goal and know where you are going in life. You should already have a career planned out, those who know what they want are usually more successful (that’s the way they look at it), it shows dedication. To find more info and scholarships you can visit fastweb.com Its a really helpful site.