i have a 4.3 gpa and am going into 10th so i havent taken sat yet but i was wondering what it takes to get an academic scholarship
3 of my homeschool grads have had excellent scholarships; 2 earned full rides. How? High test scores, rigorous academics (which was not defined by a long list of APs), focused ECs that they pursued bc that is who they are/not bc they thought colleges would want to see them.
The best scholarships come from the schools themselves.
Exactly what #1 mon2aphysicsgeek said:
The best scholarships come from the colleges themselves. The more selective colleges have the best scholarships. To get into the best colleges, you need a rigorous curriculum (honors and AP/DE/IB in all five core areas: English, foreign language, history/social science , science and math), good grades (mostly As), high test scores (although some top colleges are test flexible or optional), and at least one acricry where you make a difference or rank highly.
High test scores matter A LOT. So if you haven’t started yet, start preparing.
Your first big scholarship competition is coming up and it’s not college based. It’s in October so you have three months to prepare. Borrow a PSAT or Sat prep book and start working, or log into Khan academy.
Keep in mind that many of the “best” colleges do not offer merit scholarships, only need based grants. If you are seeking merit aid then cross off the Ivies and Stanford among others.
@MYOS1634 is referring to the national merit competition but its based off the 11th grade psat not the 10th so she’s off by a year. Take the PSAT this year though for practice. Google national merit, it can be a pretty sweet deal.
^you’re right, I thought OP was a rising junior 
Since s/he’s going into 10th, there’s plenty of time to prepare.
Also look into any scholarships your state offers. Florida has Bright Futures, Georgia and Tenn have Hope. There are additional requirements like community service and foreign language, so make sure you are qualified. Four western states have the Daniels’ scholarship. Start looking, keep a notebook of things you participate in (community service, contests), awards you receive. The record will make filling out applications easy. Also note the contacts at those organizations.