More Than a Test Score

While the holidays are a great time to sit back, relax, and hangout with the family, they’re also a prime opportunity to get a head start on your college planning essentials. With entrance exam season in our midsts and application filing dates just around the corner, now is the perfect time for collegebound upperclassmen to prepare. That’s why we’ve created a comprehensive resource with everything you need to know to gain an edge this semester.

View our holiday college prep guide…a MUST READ for high school juniors and seniors!

Say hello to Lauren Clayton, Zinch’s newest Student Ambassador from Appalachian State University!

Hey ya’ll! I’m Lauren and I’m a freshman at Appalachian State University and a new Zinch Student Ambassador! I absolutely love App State! It gets cold, but the beauty of Boone makes up for it. I plan on majoring in nursing, with a minor in Spanish, if possible. After working as a nurse for a year or so to pay for school, I would like to continue my education to become a Pediatrician.

I love to read, and I love to learn. Right now, the thing I’m most interested in is the Counterculture Movement of the 1960’s (i.e. the Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, and the Hippie Movements.) I’m extremely talkative and pretty outgoing. I love to travel and hope to keep traveling in my future. I would also like to take at least an introductory course in Chinese, French, and Italian, if not more languages.

All through high school, I couldn’t decide my major or what college would be good place for me to spend the next four years of my life. Around April or May, my major found me. I decided what most interested me, and what most fit my personality, and that turned out to be nursing. Finally, on the day of the enrollment deadline, I chose Appalachian State. Honestly, I am so happy about my decision! I find something else to like about this college or this city everyday. Appalachian is unlike any college I’ve ever visited or heard of. There is no “weird” or “different” at App State because everyone is different! It’s the only place I’ve seen sorority girls, nerds, and hippies all hang out together. When I first chose Appalachian, I was a little disappointed because it wasn’t my first choice school, but App State has gone above and beyond my expectations. Appalachian State University now, and always will, have a big place in my heart.

If you have any questions about Appalachian, just send me a message and I’d love to answer it for you and help on your college search!

There’s only one source that can really tell you what life on campus is all about—actual college students! We wanted to hear real experiences from our Student Ambassadors about student life, so we asked them a question and told them to give us their most honest responses. This month we asked…

Destiny Watson from the University of Southern Florida says…

When you come to college, the most important thing to do besides school work is to get involved. Campuses have different ways for us students to grow closer, help out a cause, and just have fun networking. At UCF, I’m the Historian of the Psych Society and we put together meetings and socials to help give helpful advice to psychology majors. If you are a big fan of playing sports competitively but are not a part of the school’s team, you could play intramural sports. Currently, I’m playing flag football and it’s lovely to meet new people, play sports again, and have fun.

You can get involved by volunteering around campus with organizations, become a tutor, or become a leader in Student Government. Getting involved will help you meet important who could help you out later in college as well as in life. All that you do can be placed on your resume to boost your status above others when trying to apply for jobs. Leadership skills, team building, and planning are some more of the benefits you get out of being involved. In high school, it is also important to get involved and join clubs just as it is in college. Graduate schools and employers look for well rounded individuals. When you get involved, it will help you on your path to success!

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Chelsy McInnis from Lindenwood University says…

Moving to campus as a freshman was intimidating.  It’s a campus of thousands and I knew no one (well I guess I knew my advisor, but still). I needed to suck up my insecurities and feign an outgoing attitude if I was going to make any friends, and I did just that. It’s awesome because I got to know more people on campus, but I also ended up doing a lot of things in organizations that I can put on my resume later on.

College is full of new experiences, some of which you even surprise yourself with. If you asked me in high school about my thoughts on Greek life I’d probably say I didn’t want to be a part of some blonde, pop-lovin’ conformist group. I’d also probably make some obscure references to Animal House. But now here I am, going on my third year as a proud sorority girl, and loving every minute with my sisters.

I went through recruitment after meeting some of the sisters my freshman year. Since then I have logged hundreds of community service hours, helped plan events and fundraisers, and partnered with various campus organizations (both Greek and non-Greek). Everywhere on campus I go I’m likely to see at least one familiar face. Plus I live with my best friends, and I have an amazing support system. And as for if I still think sororities consist of blonde conformists, I don’t. My chapter is full of wonderful, unique girls and that’s why I love them.

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Kevin Wright from Northern Arizona University says…

I personally enjoy getting involved around campus just because it’s one of the best ways to get to meet new people, network with important people from numerous departments, make strong connections with peers, and have a good experience all at the same time. Another advantage to clubs and organizations in college is that if there is not a club that interests a student, then they could start their own!

I have already started one myself on campus, R.O.C.K. Alpha Omega, and am in the process of starting two more to be established by next fall, Distinguished MEN and Distinguished LADIES. If students have a constitution, a legitimate purpose for being an organization, and a good amount of people that are supporting the idea, then they’re definitely going to receive approval. With the support of the Office of Student Life and having my close friends and I spread the word all over campus about these organizations coming to campus, it resulted in a fair amount of people showing interest in them. It has been one of the most overwhelming experiences I have ever had while being in college.

By creating goals for yourself of how you want to make an impact on campus, all you have to do is share them with people who want to do the same and the rest is history!

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Angelina Modica from SUNY Fredonia says…

A great way to get involved on campus is through your residence hall. I believe many schools have “hall councils,” or some form of hall meetings, that help bring people together through fun activities. Last year I was on our hall council and we put on a ton of activities, did community service opportunities, and competed in contests with other halls. We did activities such as Relay for Life, a trip to the Buffalo Zoo, helped out at the local Big Brother/Big Sister organization, and a ton of other fun activities and trips.

I enjoyed participating on hall council because I got to know a lot of the people that lived in my hall. I made a lot of friends and really enjoyed the community service we did. It’s a great idea (especially for freshmen) because then you get to know who lives around you and that way you always have someone to watch a movie with or to grab a bite to eat.

As a freshman, there weren’t many opportunities to be on executive boards for clubs (president, treasurer, etc.). I acted as a Social Chair on my hall council and that helped with scholarship applications and becoming the secretary for two clubs this year.

Congratulations to our latest Double Your Money winner, Heather Bostock! Heather won the LEEP Dream Scholarship for $1,000, and because she found and applied for the scholarship on Zinch, we’re hooking her up with an additional thousand bucks. Heather took a few minutes to answer some questions about herself, and here’s what she had to say.

What is your strategy behind applying for scholarships?

Ultimately when I apply for scholarships, my goal is to not have to leave college in massive debt. I work hard to win scholarships that some choose to overlook. I put everything into my work at school so as to show that off to potential scholarship committees.

If you could “live in a movie” for one day, which film would you choose?

If I could live in a movie, I would live in Confessions of a Shopaholic. I absolutely love clothes and staying up with fashion. I always look well put together before leaving my house. Also, New York City would be awesome to live in. I love the city and go there every chance I get.

If you could take a trip around the world, what three landmarks would you have to visit?

I would definitely vist the Kremlin in Russia. The place is beautiful! It has so much history too. I like going to places no one ever thinks of. I want to go to Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. The stadium is home to one of my favorite soccer teams, Real Madrid. I also want to go where Dachau Concentration Camp was. World War II and the Holocaust are of great interest to me. I love history, the good and the bad, and want to learn everything I can about the past in hopes that it won’t be repeated.

How are you more than a test score?

I am more than a test score because a test score just says that a person is book smart. I am not just book smart, but street smart. I know how to communicate with people and am extremely outgoing. Numbers can’t describe a person but words can. I live to the fullest and work hard to earn everything. A test score can’t show that.

Do you have a friend also looking for college funds? Invite them to Zinch! With our Win Your Friend’s Scholarship feature, any scholarship they’re awarded will also land YOU a check for the same amount. Work smarter, not harder!

Congratulations to Simone Davis, our latest Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner!

Everybody could use a little guidance in life, so we asked what was the best piece advice of you’ve received and how it affected your life. Simone’s response showed us that in the face adversity, sometimes you have to let the pieces fall where they may.

Here is her winning essay:
My teacher told me that those who have more questions than answers must master accepting uncertainty. It made me feel less alone and pushed me to ask in-depth and conceptual questions without definite answers, leading me to think inside, outside, and around the “box”.

Here is a bit more about our winner:
I am a student in the theatre strand of the Visual and Performing Arts Academy. Much of my time is spent doing lighting designs for theatre and dance shows. I used to play junior varsity basketball and I’m the president and co-founder of our school’s Gay-Straight Alliance. I’m always interested in progress, internal exploration, and social change.

What’s the best piece of advice we have to share? Apply for our Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship of course! We post a new prompt every Monday, so you have a chance to win $1,000 every week. How cool is that?!