<p>I'm a first generation, hispanic male, hoping to get into UVA, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA, WHAT I'M DOING!?? ( My parents were bamboozled, and paid a college prep company, to prepare us for college, turns out they dissapear a couple of months later with our money :( , and I was so stupid, to not join COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP at my school ) so you see, I have no idea what I'm doing.
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BTW, i'm a junior, I took the SAT, and am planning on taking the SAT II subject test this summer, and that's where I hit a bump! What else, when and what do I do?
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1. Once I'm done taking the tests, do i start applying for scholarships?<br>
2. Will that affect my chances in getting a scholarship from UVA if they do give me one?<br>
3. When should I start applying for scholarships, before applying to college?
4. When do I start the college applications?
5. Do i need to apply to fafsa (i don't know what it is)? How and when, before applying to college, and scholarships?<br>
6. Recommendation letters, SHOULD I MAKE COPIES, OR SHOULD I ASK THE PEOPLE WHO RECOMMEND ME, TO MAKE COPIES, I want to apply to more than one school!?</p>
<p>Ah I’m sorry you were scammed! Okay first of all DON’T freak out. Take a deep breath and here’s what you can do:</p>
<ol>
<li>It’s a good idea to go to your school’s guidance department because they usually keep tabs on available scholarships and you can learn about deadlines etc.</li>
<li>If you receive an outside scholarship from a private organization it will most likely reduce the amount of need-based aid that you receive. However, if your credentials are strong enough for a merit-based scholarship from UVA (or any other school) it doesn’t matter what outside scholarships you’ve received.</li>
<li>See #1</li>
<li>Start your college apps ASAP. I knew I would have a really busy fall, so I got a lot done over the summer. Most applications come out by July/August so you have plenty of time to get a head start. It feels really nice to be done with apps while everyone else is scrambling to get them done at the last minute.</li>
<li>If you want to apply for any need-based financial aid you need to fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and this is used to determine your eligibility for federal and institutional-specific aid. UVA also has its own financial aid application which you can access from their website. However, financial aid applications do not need to be completed until January/February/March of your senior year (the FAFSA isn’t even released until January 1). If you go to fafsa.ed.gov it will have more information on filling out the forms.</li>
<li>This depends on how your school works. I did not see my recommendation letters because they were submitted directly to my guidance counselor who made copies and sent them out to each school. Ask your guidance counselor what you should do.</li>
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<p>I can totally relate! I’m first gen. too and my parents had no idea what to do. Thankfully, my friends were very well-informed</p>
<p>Here’s some advice:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You can start applying for scholarships whenever you like. Check out different scholarship databases like Fastweb.com. There are hundreds of scholarships out there that have different requirements. Some are open for only seniors, others for all grades. Likewise, some ask for SAT scores and transcripts, while others don’t. Also look into different essay contests if you like writing. </p></li>
<li><p>If you’re talking about merit-based scholarships from UVA (they don’t offer many of these; Jeff Scholars is the only one I can think of), then they shouldn’t. Of course, getting outside scholarships can decrease the financial aid that UVA gives you.
More info: [U.Va</a>. Financial Aid - Scholarships](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/financialaid/scholarships.php]U.Va”>http://www.virginia.edu/financialaid/scholarships.php)</p></li>
<li><p>See number 1</p></li>
<li><p>I started mine in September, but it doesn’t hurt to start early (esp. with essays). Start looking over all the essay prompts during the summer. Since UVA is on the common app, the application is available during the summer. You could also start filling out the form (name, address, all of the easy stuff).</p></li>
<li><p>Since you’re asking about scholarships, I think you’d want to apply for Federal Aid (using the fafsa form). You usually apply for financial aid after you finish your regular applications. UVA’s priority deadline this year was March 1st. See [FAFSA</a> - Free Application for Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/]FAFSA”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/) for the FAFSA form and more info. Don’t forget that UVA has their own financial aid form.</p></li>
<li><p>Most schools have a recommender form. Print out these forms and give them to your teacher (enough for each school). Most teachers also write an additional letter. Since they personalize each letter for each school, they will probably print out the copies by themselves. Also, don’t forget to give them addressed and stamped envelopes for each letter they write. </p></li>
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