Money
Money, at the end of your college journey, will most likely be the decision maker in where you end up going.
How to Minimize Payment
Before you start, consider the following:
- How much does your dream college cost?
- How much are you willing to pay?
- Example: If your college is $50k, and you're willing to spend less than $20k, then you know that you're looking to get scholarships that are more than $25k.
Find out exactly how much money you will need for each college to which you will apply.
Note: It's important to keep your grades up throughout high school because when you're looking for scholarships many of them require you to have an UNWEIGHTED GPA of at least 3.5. So be careful with your grades-- remember school comes first and crew second.
- Make a rough list of the colleges you want to attend.
- Check what division they are. KNOW THAT IF YOU IF YOU ARE LOOKING AT DIVISION III, THE COLLEGE CANNOT GIVE YOU SCHOLARSHIPS.
- Don't be afraid to ask the coaches about money; the best way to show that you have a problem is to make that problem recognizable. If you need to pay less, tell them, "The only way I can attend your college is by scholarships." No one should be stuck years later in college debt.
- Remember that there are scholarships outside of athletics!
Note: It's important to keep your grades up throughout high school because when you're looking for scholarships many of them require you to have an UNWEIGHTED GPA of at least 3.5. So be careful with your grades-- remember school comes first and crew second.
- Scholarships through colleges
- Many colleges have scholarships that are incorporated through the school. You can find this out by looking through the admissions on the school's web site. Some may offer very few or may offer a small amount towards freshman
- Scholarships through your high school
- Your guidance counselors are the perfect resource to seeing what kind of money your school has invested in its potential degree students. Many of these are scholarships that are partnered with the school. Just stay on the lookout for them as much as possible.
Calculating total costs
Here is a spreadsheet for you to calculate and compare the costs of different colleges that you are thinking about. Just plug in the costs of each, and it will calculate how much you need to pay.