Scholarships are very important and sometimes even vital to students gaining a higher education. They can assist students trying to go college by providing money for tuition and books. Also, they are in a sense a reward for students who work hard and dedicate themselves to their education. Scholarships allow students to focus more on school and working than on financial issues. It must be taken into consideration that tuition and books are not the only expenses students have in college. They need a place to live, transportation, food, and all of the other basic necessities. By getting a scholarship students will be less stressed and can make school their main focus school and then working to provide for themselves. Scholarships are very important and can help students in many ways. 

To Do:

1. Submit Applications

2. Fill Out FASFA forms

3. Retake SAT and ACT 

Timeline:

Applications - August 2015 

Retake SAT - June 6 

Retake ACT- June 13 

FASFA Forms- August 2015 

These are lists of things I need to do and when I plan on completing them. I feel as far as class rank and GPA I am where i need to be academically. However, I would like to retake my ACT and SAT because I feel I can get a higher score. I believe that the colleges on my list are for me because two of the three have a wonderful program and my major. Florida State is  a good option only if my mom moves to Florida. If she doesn't I will most likely go to school in Texas to avoid out of state fees. I do have a few other colleges in mind such as John Jay College of Criminal Justice, UNT, NYU, and possibly TCU. However, SMU,and the University of Denver are my top two preferred colleges I would like to attend. 

I think the United States can be rated a 9 out of 10 compared to a 7 out of 10 in relation to the opportunities a education makes available in Australia. The United States offers more variety as far as classes, majors, degrees and careers. You can basically become anything you want to with the right education and work ethic. This is a more tedious task in Australia because of the different rules throughout the territories. I think overall the United States is the best country in the world regarding opportunities in education and the opportunities a higher education makes available to you. 

I think a college degree is a necessity in order to thrive both economically and socially. In order for employers to take you seriously they must be able to tell that you can commit to something such as school and finish what you start. Having a degree not only shows commitment , but also shows that you are willing to sacrifice time you could use for other things and that you will work hard for something you really want. A degree is worth all of the time and money spent on obtaining it. A degree will allow you to have a wide variety of career choices and will make others see you as a more respectable, educated, and hard working person. In order to be successful economically you must have a good paying job and having a degree makes this much easier. Also, socially people with degrees are often seen as more intelligent and people tend to go to them with important tasks because it is apparent that they have a good work ethic.