Hello, so I just made an account to this site just to ask a question about a college application and I’m not even sure if this is where you ask questions, but I’ll just go for it anyway.
So, I got a mail both from my g-mail and at home asking me to fill out a college application. The college application is from a university called Cleary and it’s called Cleary Strong application. There are benefits to this application such as no application fee, no essay, priority admission decision, and (the one I’m stuck on) automatic consideration for scholarship. I don’t understand what they mean by automatic consideration, like the word consideration is what’s confusing me since it’s not a 100%. I was thinking of calling the university, but I read some posts that said it was a bad idea to call a college/university and I just don’t know. The mail said that they found me on college board so they should know my scores, right? They also have a thing I need to check that says “I waive my right to review or access letters and statements of recommendation written on my behalf.” I heard you don’t have to check it, but people who didn’t check it had some problems or something, so should I?
I only want to do this If i get a scholarship otherwise there’s no reason for me to submit this. This school is literally an hour and a half away from me and is twice the price of another university that’s like 15 mins away. The amount for the tution in that university is expensive. It’s 20,000 and my mom doesn’t even make that much in a year (I only live with my mom and siblings). So yeah, any advice you guys can give me?
I’m also sooo sorry for making this very long, haha thanks for reading though 
Are you a senior?
What are your grades?
Did you take the sat?
Have you been admitted to the public university near your home and can you commute there (do you have a car you can drive there or a bus that can take you there?)
Cleary is a private ‘community college equivalent’ and it’s very expensive for what it offers. Only 240 students attend. It’s definitely not worth it.
Yes, I’m a senior and am graduating in 2 weeks.
My grades are really good, gpa has to be about a 3.5 or above.
Yeah, I took the SAT and did badly on it, haha. Though, I don’t know if this is the reason or not because I did not answer about 23 questions for the SAT and I never had a practice for it. My score was a … I hate to say it but an 850/1600. I’m thinking of retaking it later.
No, I have not been into any universities yet.
I don’t have a car, but I think I can get a bus, taxi, or my mom to take me.
Yeah, I was shocked at the price and did wonder who would go there since there are universities that are 2x as low as that around here.
Thanks for replying.
Ok, so first you need to practice for the SAT. There’s a session in August.
Do you have fee waivers? if not, go ask your guidance counselor. Those will waive the costs to apply to universities and to take the SAT. ASK TODAY.
Then go to your library and borrow these books: “Princeton Review’s cracking the SAT” plus “Up your Score! SAT”. Then, register on Khan academy and practice on the website. Imagine you’re doing work to get scholarships for college. Each day, spend one hour on each type (one hour English, one hour Math).
Forget Cleary, but focus on what colleges you could get into. There are two possibilities: you attend community college near you home then transfer to a 4-year university; or you go straight to a 4-year university.
Email the public universities near your home if they still accept applications from instate freshmen.
(“Dear Madam, Dear Sir, I am writing to ask whether you are still accepting application from current high school seniors. I attend … high school in (city) and have a … GPA. I hope to attend a 4-year college and major in … Thank you very much, … …;”)
To answer your question “automatic consideration for scholarship” only means that they will look at your application and consider if they want to offer you a scholarship. It does not mean you will automatically get any scholarship money from them.