<p>I’ll be applying to college in the Fall of the 2013-2014 school year (I’m a junior in high school right now) and I just want more information on the whole process. How/when do you apply for scholarships? What kind of process is it? How long of a process is it? Assuming there’s an interview portion, similar to the job application process, what is it like? What kind of questions should I expect? What do you wear? What kind of forms do I have to fill out? How long does the whole thing take? How long does it usually take to get an answer? Any information would be fantastic.</p>
<p>I have some time so why not? First of all,take a deep breath and know that you can enjoy the rest of your year free of college worry and your summer too!
To answer your questions …
Scholarships - Can’t give you a definite answer so I’ll quote my teacher in saying that you should apply "early and often " DO SCHOLARSHIPS. I won some big national awards, they eat up your time so choose wisely ie I did one for an honor society I have done so much for and I knew that I would have a fair shot. The deadlines vary, hence my not definite answer, but many are clustered at the start of the year. Do some quick research over the summer to figure it out. What’s nice is when colleges have merit scholarships that award more than a regular national one would in many cases.
Kind of a process- something you’ll need to invest yourself in and truly express who you are. Dedication to your essays/supplements is quite necessary. Bottom line, it’s competitive. However, very doable thanks to common app. If you’re organized, that skill will pay off! Here’s an interesting example. I looked up Harvard’s application on common ap for fun to see their supplements. It was no different that Duke or UM or anything, so don’t get intimidated I guess.
Timeline of what I did…
Junior year spring break I visited a few schools just to get the jist of what I wanted.
Junior summer- visited some more schools, interviewed at my top choice (more on that later) and started my common app essay. START IT. Seriously, even if you just pick a topic, you’ve done yourself a huge favor. I wrote my essay in August, writing on a topic I am passionate about.
Starting apps … late August. This is part of your "length if time question " I put in many hours because thank you Wake Forest and Stanford for the longest</p>
<p>Drats I cut off part hold on…
Longest supplements ever. Weekends spent but hey I love writing. Time equated to number if schools and deadlines. I did 6 (maybe idk I got in ED so I forgo everything else lol) and my in-state ones had early deadlines.
Stay on top of test scores being sent and transcripts, make sure you know your guidance counselor. Asks for teacher recs early. I chose week 2 of school but some teachers were more popular than others. I picked 3 (yeah check how many your schools need) and they were my junior or senior teachers because some colleges asked for those grades.
Interviews come after you apply most often, apply early! I’ve done some different types of interviews.
on- campus: you see the school, feel happy to be there and speak with someone about it and why you thought it was great. I will put questions asked in a minute below…
skype- so quick, be on your toes but it’s nice because you can chill at your house 
The interviewer’s house - more informal, don’t feel awkward at all especially if they are older and can’t meet you anywhere.
Starbucks- stay focused because those places are loud. It makes them feel like less of a big deal.
Outfit - depends on place;school. I wore what I wanted to- nice dress (idk if I’m listed as a dude here but I’m not lol) but really nothing much. Keep it simple, smart, business like.
questions
- extracurriculars are the most frequently talked about
- why are you interested in x university
- how’d you hear about x university
-books/movies etc you like. - anything not covered on your app?</p>