*panicked screaming about college applications*

Ok, the long and short of it is this: I'm going to have to get my college apps in by December and I'm kind of freaking out. I don't have a college fund. Like, flat-out do NOT have a college fund. I'm going to have to get scholarships or I'm not going to college past what the TN Promise covers (which, for those of you not living in TN, is a scholarship program that pays for 2 years of state college; theres more nuance to it than that, but that's basically it). Anyway. I don't even know what colleges I want to go to!! The top picks on my list are Belmont University and North Carolina State at Raleigh, but I know I need to apply to a few more than that. It's just so overwhelming and new and scary and I'm not sure how to deal ahaha.

So, does anyone have advice on college and scholarship apps? Like, what's important that isn't talked about a lot, what's not important that people always act like it is, etc ect???

Also, I don't know if it's relevant to the thread, but I got a 32 on the ACT and have a 4 on my AP Bio exam and a 5 on my AP English and Composition one. How much bearing does that have on anything?

 

Well if you've got those kind of scores, your problem is going to be less "which schools can i get into" and more "which school do i like most and is willing to pay for me to come". It all seems scary and overwhelming but you'll get through it!

 

another option is you can do community college for 2 years and then transfer. the first 2 years are mostly general education anyway, and it is potentially waaaayy cheaper.

a 32 is really good. i don't know how relevent the score will be (also that may change depending on the college) but a 32 ACT is a very very good score.

look for scholorships targeted at your demographics. i dunno what your situation is but for ex. i applied for a couple schoolarships for queer teens.

 

I can second the community college thing. If you're too overwhelmed about college and how large a leap it is, then I'd look into it. Community college is definitely cheaper, easier to get accepted into, and will help you with knowing whether the college environment is right for you. Though from reading this, I think you'll turn out fine regardless of where you go! Just take things one step at a time if you're unsure.

I never took the ACT, but 4s and 5s are great AP scores to me (i only ever managed to get 1s and 2s ahahahh...nobody's perfect).
I never recieved scolarships and got by mostly on grants and student loans, but you're definitely more likely to recieve them if you look for them. Breathe. Before I entered college I was getting scared about it too. I graduated from community college last December and have taken a break, and am starting at a university this fall because I started to miss the environment.

You aren't alone. A lot of students are having similar concerns. I hope some of this helps! Good luck to you.

(Edit to add on: Academic advisors and financial aid offices can assist very much with sorting out any issues you have along the way. :) )

 

thank you guys so much! reading over this has really helped calm me down. I kinda forget that a bunch of people are doing the same thing I am, and that I'm definitely not on my own with this. I'll probably have a lot more perspective once I'm back in school and get to scream about all this stuff with my friends ahaha

 

College financing is a scam right now. It may get better in a few years, but right now I can't in good faith advise anyone without either wealthy parents or a full-ride scholarship to go to a four year school.

Spend a year or three picking up credits cheap at a CC. Work some, too, if you are able. Keep your debt to a minimum, which means if you can get along with your parents, take advantage of cheap/free room & board.

There are two rules of college success: 1) never skip class; and 2) keep up with the reading. If you find yourself in a situation (for any reason!) where you cannot get to class consistently and keep up with the reading, it is much better to arrange to withdraw then to "power through". I hate to be super-cynical, but your primary goal in college is not to learn cool stuff or to have an "experience". Those are secondary goals. The primary goal is to graduate with good grades and references.

Have fun, make new contacts, pass classes.

 

The one caveat I have about CC is that (especially if you're in a science program) you may have to retake classes. Especially science classes. Lots of people in my biology classes were angry all the time because it was a course that they'd basically taken, but didn't get credit for after transferring from CC to a university. I noticed you said you took AP bio, so I just wanted to mention. Also, this may vary from CC to CC and university to university. I'm not saying it's not a good idea, but just to look into stuff beforehand and make sure you'll get credit for what you've taken.

 

Yeah, make sure you double check on this. But! You have plenty of time to do this without having to freak out.

 

yes, this is true. If you don't know what you want to go to college for, or feel like you want to have a coming of age experience or anything like that, take a gap year or two, or work part time and take community college classes part time for a while. When you're ready to settle down and get a job that requires a degree, you'll be better positioned to do well academically, and you'll have perspective that most undergrads don't.

 

Make sure you do the FAFSA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, you probably should have taken the SAT too, but it may be too late for that. Schools sometimes like to have both.
Especially if your reason for not having a college fund has to do with family finances, also apply to as many aid scholarships as you can. It's totally worth it.
AP scores of 4-5 will get you credit for beginner-level classes basically everywhere. With English, it'll probably be something useful, with biology.... uhhhh............... it'll probably be for the nonmajor biology class. Look into specific schools to get a better idea of what they do and don't take.

 

If you are worried about a gap year, remember that plenty of universities allow deferrals!

 

I got a 31 on the ACT and got offered $10k a year in scholarships for that alone from most colleges I applied to (though as a note I was applying to arts schools, idk if other colleges would give more or less) but seriously, that's an amazing ACT score and you should be super proud! That will definitely bring in money

 

Your ACT score is really good, so you do have a chance for merit scholarships.

Public schools should give you credit for the AP scores, but private schools are moving away from that, just to warn all y'all.

General plug: COPLAC schools are public liberal arts colleges, which are good for people who would do better at small 4year schools but can't afford the price tag that usually carries. Some COPLAC schools don't even have an in/ out state tuition differential, so even if there's not one in your state they are worth looking into.