College Help? Want a head start!

Question

I am in 7th grade and am very excited for college even though its kind of a long way away. That is actually my first priority, to get ready for college. My grades are ALWAYS above average and i have never in my life received a grade lower than an A. The only problem is that i don't know what college i want to go to or what i want to major in. I've tried looking into a few colleges but i still can't decide.What college/major do you think i should look into? I know I have plenty of time to look into it but I want to have my mind made up or at least have an idea of what i want to do.

Another problem is that im not sure if i can afford college. Do you have a list of financial aids i can look into? Do you think i should start saving up while in high school and college to pay it off?

I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS IN ADVANCE FOR ALL YOUR HELP!!!

Answer 1

I disagree with "Banana..." re the SATs.  If you want to challenge yourself, find out whether your school participates in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program.  [You can go to the JH website and get more info.]  For that, you take the SAT in 8th grade, as an "eligibility" exam.   They offer programs for kids who score high enough.

Taking the SAT is a great way to prepare for the test when you need to take it "for real".  You get to choose which score you want to report to your prospective colleges, so it won't matter if you don't do well the first time out.

When you get to high school, take at least a couple of AP exams and score well.  This will look good on your application [schools look at how many APs you took compared to how many are offered at your school] and can earn college credit or at least exemption from pre-requisite courses or required gen-ed courses [e.g. "Freshman Writing"].

Also, look into any summer programs offered by colleges in your community or at a school you might be interested in attending.  Many colleges have summer programs for various interests.  This can help you decide which areas you might want to pursue in college and it also looks good on your application.

Colleges offer both merit scholarships [based on grades or aptitude for a particular area of study] and need-based scholarships.  These will be offered when the colleges offer admission.  There are other scholarships out there based on various criteria, say your parents' employer, awards from various community service organizations, etc.  There are books at the library that detail some of these.  

To save on tuition, you would want to look at state schools in your own state.  Out-of-state tuition at a state school in another state will be higher than that [if you can get in].  Private schools will be the most expensive of all.  One way to save some money is to do the first two years in a community college, where you can take all of the "general education" courses [2 science/math, 2 humanities, etc].  Some CCs have programs that guarantee admission to four-year colleges they are associated with.  Transferring, however, may affect scholarship opportunities, however.

It's great that you're thinking so far ahead.  Don't worry about deciding too soon about what you want to do for a career - you'll most likely figure it out somewhere along the way.  Good luck!!

Answer 2

I think it's a great idea to save up for college now, you're a very smart girl. 7th grade is awful young however to start applying for colleges. The best thing to do is to major in something that you're good at and that you enjoy doing. However, most people don't figure out what that thing is until at least high school or sometimes not until they've been in college for a few semesters. Try to take some electives in middle school and expand your horizons, find out what you love to do and go with that. Good luck.  

Answer 3

lmao this is so cute

i was just like you when i was that age...

i say start small. keeping your grades up is really all you have to do for now. you really shouldn't start any college plans until your sophomore or junior year in high school because you don't know who you are or what you want... research if you want but trust me 5 years from now you'll be in the exact same spot.

when you get to high school i say around sophomore year start looking at which tests you need to take for college... DO NOT take  the ACT/SAT before grade 11 i know some kids who did that and their scores are too low... however it is ok to take the PLAN/PSAT

getting to know yourself is the best thing you can do for in the college admissions process... so that when it's time for college you know what you want and where you'll excel. also pay attention to what you like to do and what you're good at. try lots of different things. this will help with the eventual major choice

if you're smart enough you don't have to worry about affording college. if you make under $80,000 and you get accepted into an ivy or top private school they will pay for everything... trust me i know my rents are super poor but now on the eve of college admissions i'm in good position to get accepted to an amazing school for free.

now all i have to do is decide where i want to apply haha

good luck