Getting Organized

   College applications are a bit overwhelming, and sometimes it gets hard to keep track of everything you have to do. During my own college application process, I wish that I would have found a better organization tool since I found myself (more than once) scrambling to submit something just a few days before the deadline. Despite this, I've since found some tools that are very useful for getting organized. These tools are helpful not only for college applications, but anything in general.

Evernote
   Evernote is absolutely wonderful! It is a note taking device that is free to download and automatically syncs all of your notes between any device that you have (laptop, smart phone, Kindle fire, etc). In Evernote, you can create different notebooks in which to categorize information. For example, here is a screenshot of my current Evernote account:

As you can see, you can create either "stacks" of notebooks which incorporate multiple notebooks into a category, or you can create individual notebooks which have to do with certain things.

   My advice on using this tool during college applications would be to make notebooks for scholarships (in that notebook, make a note for scholarships you need to apply for and scholarships applied for), potential schools, major research, tests signed up for and scores, and a notebook that has all of your potential resume material. When used right, Evernote can really help you out!

A Physical Notebook

   Not every organization strategy has to be using fancy online tools and technology. Sometimes a simple notebook works the best. Create a colorful, fun to-do list for yourself and put it in the front of your notebook categorized by tab, then put dividers in your notebook and print off all of your completed applications and essays and put them in your notebook. In case if something goes wrong with the technology, it is always a good idea to have a hard copy of everything you do.

Post-it Notes

   Post-it notes are a surprisingly helpful reminder tool that most people feel like they don't need to use. Trust me: once you start having multiple applications to complete, you will appreciate the reminder. When you have a deadline coming up, jot down the name and deadline on a post-it note and stick it in a place that you look every day (my advice would be your bathroom mirror). This way, you will have a short reminder every morning and evening at the least.

Cappex/Zinch/Other college planning website

   I've written briefly about these websites in some others posts, but just to refresh your memory, Cappex and Zinch are two of many free online college planning services and scholarship searches. Be sure to check them out!

   College applications become a lot less stressful when you have a good system to manage them. Never underestimate the power of multiple reminders (phone alerts, post-it notes, etc) and get started early on carefully classifying your information. In the long run, getting organized can really help you to be the most efficient with your time and with your applications!

Best of luck!

5 Things You Can Do as an Underclassman to Prepare for College Applications

   I'm sure that you all have heard it- senior freaking out about all of the college applications, testing, financial aid, and other stressful things that college applications can bring in addition to regular coursework. The problem is, many senior did not prepare for their college applications until about October of their senior year. Although you cannot complete the actual college application until your senior year, there are several things that you can do as an underclassman to ease your college application experience.

1. Create a running resume.

   On almost every single scholarship and college application, you are asked to list awards, honors, activities, and work experience. Re-listing these same things over and over again can be time consuming and frustrating, so save yourself the frustration your senior year by keeping a running list of your activities starting now. Trust me, you don't want to try to remember every single thing that you've done in high school ten minutes before midnight when that important application is due. Better still, go ahead and create a student resume; they're fairly easy to create and they will save you heaps of trouble. Be on the lookout for a sample student resume soon.

2. Take your SAT/ACT early.

   Many early application deadlines occur as early as October, and regular decision applications can be due as early as January. Since SAT and ACT tests usually have a June date and then do not pick up again until September right in the middle of the busy part of fall, do yourself a favor and take your tests early. You probably will want to take the tests more than once, so start at the end of your sophomore year and the beginning of your junior year to give yourself plenty of time to study and improve your score.

3. Research various colleges and majors.

   Unfortunately, there is no magical formula to tell you which college and major you should choose. Fortunately, there are many helpful tools such as personality tests and websites that can help to steer you in the right direction. Some websites that I used were:

• Zinch- not only is Zinch good for scholarships, but it also offers an organizer tool to store and compare schools.
• Cappex- another scholarship service that also offers a great organizer to compare colleges.
• GA College 411- if you are a student in Georgia, you need to register with this website through your high school. It has some good personality inventories, college search tools, and it is the website that you will use to apply for the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships.
• My Plan- offers (some) free personality tests and another college search tool.

You do not have to decide exactly which college and major you want to apply for, but doing some research and drawing up a tentative list will definitely help you as you start to choose which schools to apply for your senior year.

4. Research and apply for scholarships.

   Let's just be honest: higher education is expensive. Extremely expensive. I know plenty of people who got accepted into top notch schools but could not attend because of finances. You do not want to be unable to attend college because of money, and trust me, it does happen. Luckily, there are plenty of scholarships out there to help you to pay for your education, but they can be tricky to locate. I will do a series on scholarships later, but in a nutshell, here are some websites that might help you in your search:

• Zinch- once again, a great scholarship database.
• Cappex- another database with some Cappex scholarships as well.
• College Prowler- another database that also has a college search tool.
• Scholarship Points- a website that gives out scholarships based on the number of points you enter into a drawing. Although it is extremely rare that you will win one of these scholarships, it never hurts to try.

One last piece of advise for scholarship databases: always, ALWAYS double-check the essay prompts, due dates, etc against the actual scholarship's website. Sometimes (not often), the databases are not up to date. You don't want to spend tons of time on a scholarship that no longer exists.

5. Take heavier coursework your junior year.

   Or your sophomore year, or you freshman year. Basically, take hard classes before your senior year, and try to do well in them. Why? Well, if you make good scores on AP/IB exams, they will be on your college application. If you take difficult classes your senior year and make really good scores in exams, that's great, but those classes will, unfortunately, not be present on your college applications because you will not have completed them by the time deadlines roll around.

   Even though you cannot actually complete the application before your senior year, there are plenty of things that you can do to prepare to avoid that last-minute freakout. Best of luck!

Claire

How to Calculate your HOPE/ Zell Miller GPA

   Calculating your HOPE/Zell Miller scholarship GPA may seem like a confusing task, but it is actually fairly simple. Before you calculate your actual GPA, there are a couple of things that you need to know:

• Only core classes (math, literature, science, social studies, and foreign language*) count towards your HOPE GPA. *Foreign language courses only count if you're on a college preparatory or higher diploma
• Know if your school weights classes. For example, my former high school added 3 points for Honors classes and 5 for AP classes.
• HOPE uses a GPA on a 4.0 scale

How to Calculate: 

• Have a list of all of your classes and your grades in front of you.
• Go through and mark through all non-core classes
• Subtract the weight points from each class that has one, leaving you with your actual class grade
• For your HOPE scholarship GPA, use the following scale:
• A= 4.0
• B= 3.0
• C= 2.0
• D= 1.0
• F= 0.0
• For each AP/IB class that you have taken, add .5 to your GPA for that class, not to exceed a 4.0. So, if you made a C in AP Statistics, your GPA for that class is a 2.5.
• Now, figure out if each class is a 1 credit class or a .5 credit class. Multiply each grade converted to the 4.0 scale by the credit. (For example, in the picture found below, my freshman year .5 credit Government class multiplied by the 4.0 that I received gives me a 2 in this column)
• Add up the total number of credits attempted.
• Divide the (Credit times the GPA of that class) by the (total number of credits attempted)
• Voila! Your HOPE/ Zell Miller GPA! 

Here's an example: 

    Below is my HOPE grade report available on Georgia411.com. As you can see, classes such as gym classes, band, jazz band, and piano class are all not included in my GPA. As far as the weighting goes for my grades, my school goofed and forgot to weight some of my junior year classes, so no weight points were subtracted. Although this does not make a difference in my HOPE GPA, I just wanted to make everything clear.

Here is the HOPE Grade Report found on GAcollege411.com for each student:

   To get my final GPA of a 4.0, I took the last column total and divided it by the total number of attempted credit hours. 
   As you can see, calculating your HOPE GPA is no great mystery, but it can be a little confusing sometimes. In addition to the GPA requirement, there are more requirements to receive the HOPE and Zell Miller scholarships, but more to come on that later.


Resources: 

• GAcollege411 HOPE information: https://secure.gacollege411.org/Financial_Aid_Planning/HOPE_Program/_default.aspx
• GAcollege411 Create an Account: https://secure.gacollege411.org/Home/Create_an_Account/Create_an_Account.aspx

Zinch: The Quick Report

   There are many scholarship and college services out there, but one of the most common is called Zinch. Zinch is a kind of linkage institution that links your profile to colleges and offers you many scholarship opportunities. A profile is free and easy to create.

 What's good about Zinch?
   Zinch's scholarship database is nearly unmatched by anyone. Hundreds of scholarships can be found with the click of a mouse, and many of them require short essays or no essays at all. Zinch also offers weekly scholarships that are fun and easy to apply for as well as scholarships from other organizations. If you're looking for a scholarship database, this is the one to use.
   Additionally, the college profiles are easy to navigate and provide useful links to that particular school's webpage. The organizer that allows you to list various schools and categorize them based on "interested," "applying," or "accepted" also helps to keep your brain straight.

 What's not so good about Zinch?
   Zinch provides access to many scholarships, but many of these are nation-wide and extremely difficult to win.
  When Zinch advertises that they have hundreds of colleges connected with them, they mean it. You will receive contact requests from TONS of schools, most of which you will not be interested in at all. Luckily, the messages will be kept to the inbox on your Zinch account (unless you choose otherwise), so it will not flood your email inbox with unwanted emails.

Tips for Success:

• Fill in as much information on your profile as you can. Don't worry- personal contact information is hidden from the general public and only visible to you, but if you're not comfortable with providing it, don't. Make sure to fill in your interests and such.
• When using the scholarship database, make sure to "like" scholarships that you are interested in to be able to find them easily.
• Apply for the weekly Zinch scholarships, but be warned that a lot of people apply and the chances of winning are slim.
• Share scholarships with your friends- if they win, you might still receive some money from Zinch.
• When applying for a scholarship, always check the website for the final say! Sometimes (not often), the information on Zinch is from the previous year and might contain old information or essay prompts.

My Personal Experience:

   Zinch features mainly large, nation-wide scholarship contests that are difficult to win. I applied for many a scholarship on Zinch, but did not have huge success. I received some minor scholarship money or items. Despite this, I often found out about local scholarships in a round about way by clicking on links provided in the Zinch scholarship database. Additionally, by applying for these scholarships, I found out about institutions that offer internships that I might be interested in in the future.

The Verdict:

   Create a Zinch account, and use it. Even if you do not get any scholarships, there is still valuable experience to be had in applying for the scholarships. The college organizer tool is useful in itself, and I recommend making an account and using this tool to help you keep track and get in touch with colleges.