Today, my mom and my step dad where asking me what my college plans are. I'm only in 8th grade. And they asked what college i want to go to. I know NOTHING about colleges. First thing that came to my mind was Stanford, UC Berkley, and all those famous names. Then i said "i don't know". But i DO plan to go to college. I mean, am i really supposed to be thinking about college at this time? Don't people usually start thinking about it in high school? Cuz, i have no idea what i want to do career wise, or what college to go to. I feel really pressured ever since they asked me that. I get okay grades right now. When high school comes, i plan to really buckle down and try my best. So far, middle school hasn't been going well because i haven't been focusing. But in high school (and the rest of 8th grade) i plan to start fresh and get the best grades i can. (1) Is it too late? (2) If i get straight A's (or really close to that) will i still be able to get a scholarship? (3) Or will it be too late? (4) Do i need straight A's all through out middle school AND high school? (5) When do i need to be possitive about my decision of where i want to go to college/ what i want to do as a career? (please answer those questions too) I'm so stressed right now, i can't stand it. I mean, i got 4 years of high school to think about it!! My parents were all like, "you need to really start thinking about it" and that most people start thinking about it in middle school.But, i'm already covered for college money-wise cuz my grandpa left me $50,000 for college money. I'm afraid if i don't choose now, i might make the wrong decision and screw up and go to the wrong college!!! And if i go to the wrong college and can't find a job, i'm going to be a hobo, or some homeless person like my real dad and i'm gonna die!! Or work at McDonalds!! AHH! My parents just put an unbelievable amount of stress on my shoulders. When i really didn't need it. As if i'm not already stressed out already, by being a teenager!! Gosh! This is making me cry..so, i'm gonna stop writing. Please answer this, thanks.|||Your 13. Don't stress yet. You've got until 10th grade to even start thinking about college (besides concentrating on getting good grades).
1. No! Absolutely not. They only care about high school grades. So anything you have messed up on in middle school you can quit worrying about.
2. Good grades (like i said, middle school grades DO NOT affect your gpa) and good SAT/ACT scores will certainly help in getting a scholarship. Try to aim for a 3.8 GPA and at least an 1800 SAT score or a 27 ACT score. Get into extra-curriculars and take challenging courses (AP or honors). BUT, scholarships are handed out for a variety of reasons from need-based to 6'5 tall and up to nationality to ethnicity. Just go on fastweb.com and see what I mean.
3. It's not too late. Quit worrying. You're fine. Talk to your councelers and your teachers to make sure your put in challenging courses next year though. Make sure they know that you really want a good high school education.
4. Almost strait A's in high school. Middle school grades DON'T MEAN ANYTHING. You can burn your report card and do a little dance because no college will EVER, and i repeat EVER look at your middle school grades.
5. Around your 10th grade year you should start thinking about college. By the end of your 11th grade year you should have a general idea of a few schools you want to apply to and what career you want to go to. By the end of the first semester of 12th grade, you should have already applied to all the colleges you want to go to. By May 1st of your senior year of high school you have to decide on which college you want to go to. By your sophomore year in college you need to decide on a major. YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME.
Most people don't think twice about college in middle school. Your already ahead of like 95% of all middle schoolers by thinking about this now.
Aim for a big school. One with lots of options. You don't have to go to Harvard, Yale, or Stanford to get a good education. A big public university (UCLA, UGA, USC, UA, UF, AU... just to name a few random ones) will be your best option if you don't know what you want to go into because they have tons of majors to choose from.
In conclusion, relax. You have time. You need to see what subjects you excel in in high school to know what you want to do for the rest of your life.
Things You should do in high school:
Take alteast 4 AP courses.
Take plenty of honors courses.
Score above a 27 ACT or 1800 SAT.
Get mostly A's, but you'll be ok with a few B's.
Join clubs and do community service.
Things you should do now:
chill. focus on getting good grades next year in high school.
like you said, your "ONLY 13!!!!!!"|||first of all, they don't look at your middle school grades.
second of all, there is no need to stress.
i'm a junior in college and i don't know what i want to do with my life.
right now just focus on school, get in good work habits so in high school you do well. junior year is your most important year. take your sats a few times, and start looking at colleges the summer going into your junior year. don't stress at 13. your parents just want whats best for you, but you have plenty of time ahead of you.
you don't have to have straight a's for scholarships. they have tons of scholarships out there, including ones not grade related. plus, you can get grants from the school you choose, which is also free money.|||Don't worry, You have a lot of time to be thinking about college. I didn't consider colleges until my junior year. It's always helpful to have goals during high school though so it's good you want to buckle down.
1) It is definitely not to late as colleges don't even look at your middle school grades, only high school grades. So do well in high school.
2) You can possibly get a scholarship if you get very good grades, depends what school you go to.
3) Not too late, high school is the perfect place to start.
4) Middle school doesn't matter as much, because again, colleges don't look at the grades.
5) You don't need to be positive about what college you are going to until you apply to them which is not until your senior year in high school, so a lot of time. You don't have to be sure about your career until probably your second or third year in COLLEGE depending on your school. You can go in undecided.
Honestly, don't stress out you have A LOT of time. And it's not too big a deal, just deal with in when it comes. I think you should just do well in school and look at colleges in two years or so because what you want in a college will change by then.
Hope this helps=)|||If you're only 13, its a little early to be worried about all these things. Why don't you just do a little research every weekend and learn about the great colleges. Also work to get your grades up. You can't go to Stanford unless you have mostly A's as grades.|||No pressure there-lol.Tell them you need to research colleges and which career may be viable in the future.Some careers that were safe in the past aren't now.If they really push,say you want a green career and colleges will need time to come up with viable courses.Should buy you enough time to work out what you want to do in the future.Most important is,you should go to college.-D|||ok first calm down
youre right you have quite a few years to think about it you dont have to know all your plans for college right NOW you can think about the simple stuff like the possibilities and what you want to do what your passion is etc.
If your grades are okay then dont worry bout it you dont HAVE to have straight A's in middle school but it might be helpful if you want to get into a good high school. Besides, you dont have to go to college the moment you finish high school. You can wait like half a year or so and really think about what you want to do with your life now that your free from the worries of high school.
And dw bout working at mcdonalds there are still plenty of good paying jobs out there that dont require going to a good college
so take it easy and when the time comes you'll feel confident bout what you want to do in your future
hope i helped =]|||All of the advice from Nicoleee is correct except I'll go one step further and say that many people years out of college still don't know what they want to do or change directions and do something new after a few years of something else. Most people end up in occupations that have nothing to do with their college majors. None of this stuff is set in stone. There are no time limits. You can do a job all your life and then decide when you are forty that you want to start a whole new thing. Life is a journey, not a destination. Your parents sound like they are trying to infect you with their stress. DON'T LET THEM.|||I want you to first know that Im sure your parents didnt intend to get you this upset and worried. They just care about you and your future. It is most definitely NOT too late for you to start thinking about your college and career choice. I wouldnt start researching colleges all day everyday while in middle school, but try to focus on yourself, skills, talents, and abilities. Figure yourself out now and what you think you are good at and than connect those abilities with potential career choices. As for schools, you dont have to go to a big name school to get a great job. I suppose it helps a little; Its really about how well you present yourself and your knowledge.
If you do well in school and partake in some extracurricular activities in high school, this can contribute greatly to receiving a scholarship plus it will get you into a nicer college. Colleges do not look at middle school grades so dont worry about that. They look at your high school grades and attendance. Dont forget about that too. Dont worry if you are a senior and still dont know what you want to do. Thats perfectly fine! People go a good couple of years sometimes to really figure out what they are good at. Just like other things in life, it really is trial and error.
Another thing that should make you feel much better and keep you from worrying: The fact that you have money ready for a college. Im 22 and I have been struggling very very hard to pay for college. I have actually been out of college for 3 years now because I cant afford it and its going to take me longer to get my degree, (which I too am still not sure what that is!) You will be able to go to a good college with that kind of money and you wont have all these loans like I do. Please please feel blessed for that!!!!
Dont worry though. Gradually start finding out what you are good at, what you like and wouldnt mind doing as a career, than find yourself a college.
Good luck hun!|||i'm in the same situation too. my grades are not that good and i'm taking algebra and spanish which are high school classes so i don't know but they might look at that. after new years though i started getting pretty good grade and now i already almost have all high B's. i also once in a while look on sparknotes.com and look at the colleges in texas they have,just to get a general feel of them. at first i was worked up too but now i can get it together right before things start to really count:)|||I agree on Lanie on this one. Normally, the eighth grade is a good time to figure out what you want to to in your life in the future. I knew what I wanted to when I was in the 6th grade and when I was in the 3rd grade. Of course, you have to realize that getting into college is pretty much like getting a job. You can be the top student in your class with a high grade point average and a perfect score on the SAT. A robot disguised as a human can pull that off! But it's what you do outside of academics as far as extra curricular activities is normally what they look for in a student.
Trust me, they try to get the best of both worlds as a person when they look into a person who's enrolling in their school. Yeah, a teenage life can be troublesome, but it's better to plan ahead now because you only get to live this part of your life once.
And one more thing, Relax knucklehead! You can't think straight when your mind is in a chaotic state of mind! Just stop, take a breather, and relax! You're not the only person who's going through this.|||Wow!..that's a lot on your shoulders. I think you are right in that you have a long time to deceide. $50,000 sounds like a lot of money (and it is), but it will be spent very quicly on a college, and as you said, if you chose the wrong career, it will be disaterous. I made the mistake of getting a teaching degree..please don't make the same mistake. If I can find a job it doesn't pay well and I don't get any respect. I wish I had gone to school to do something in the medical field. Also, if you go overseas to a college, it's much, much cheaper, such as in the Philippines. Enjoy being a kid while you can. If you want to get your parents off your back, try talking to them and tell them how you feel. If they still don't listen just tell them what they want to hear. Just tell them you want to be a doctor or something so that they will get off your back. You can always change your mind later. Remember it's your life, not theirs.
