N1 How are you going to pay for college?

So many high school seniors are under pressure when it comes to paying for college. How are colleges trying to offset the crazy cost of tuition? Well, usually when a student applies to a private college and they are accepted, the acceptance letter will contain the amount of an awarded scholarship that the college itself will offer. “The most common of these are merit-based academic scholarships, awarded based on SAT or ACT score, high school GPA, community service experience, or other criteria by a college, university, or state higher education agency,” says www.scholarships.com. It’s extremely important for freshman, and any other underclassmen, to know that it is never too early to think about college. Start getting involved in as many things as you can, without letting your grades drop. Colleges are not the other source of receiving scholarships. There are so many out there, and all you have to do is apply. Some great scholarship websites are http://scholarshipamerica.org/open_scholarships.php, http://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/articles/4119-2014-scholarships, and https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search#!welcome. Every little bit helps when you’re paying for college on a tight budget, so don’t rule out any scholarships that don’t necessarily seem like a large amount. There are also athletic scholarships that are offered. But keep in mind, there are extremely hard to get. US News says “There are roughly 138,000 athletic scholarships available for Division I and Division II sports. That might sound like a lot, but it isn't. For instance, more than 1 million boys play high school football, but there are only about 19,500 football scholarships. Nearly 603,000 girls compete in track and field in high school, but they're competing for around 4,500 scholarships.” Don’t have your heart set on it, because it is rough competition. You don’t have to be the smartest kid in your class to get a decent scholarship. For example, I’m currently 54^th in the senior class of 2014, out of 154 students. My overall GPA is a little above honor roll. When I applied to Elmira College, I received a scholarship for $23,000. Average tuition, before fees, is around $36,600. That is just one of the many colleges that have offered me exceptional scholarships to help me pay for college. Don’t get discouraged if your SAT score doesn’t really reflect your grades. Colleges look at a lot of things, but make sure you give them something worth looking at.