It’s really great that you’re thinking about college at this age. Keep it up!

A bachelor’s degree is the standard four-year degree that is what people are usually talking about when they say a “college degree.” You can start working on this degree immediately after you graduate from high school. It takes four years of full-time study (usually) and the years are labeled just like they are in high school: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior. You don’t have to get any sort of degree before you start working on your bachelor’s degree; just finish high school with good grades, take the SAT (or ACT, depending on what the colleges you’re applying to want) your junior or senior year of high school, and fill out the admissions applications. I don’t want to overwhelm you, but you also have to write one or more (not more than three) essays and you’ll most likely have to ask a couple of your high school teachers for recommendations. All of this is not nearly as terrifying and difficult as it seems, trust me. Right now the important stuff to work on is getting good grades and being involved in activities that matter to you and that you enjoy, whether it’s clubs, sports, volunteering, etc.

As for scholarships, sometimes colleges (especially private colleges with lots of money to give away) will give you a scholarship or a grant (money you don’t have to pay back), and you may or may not need to find more sources of money to cover the full cost of college. I don’t know of any journalism scholarships specifically, but if you go to the library and search the catalog for “scholarships,” you can find these HUGE books chock full of scholarship listings. There are also some reputable scholarship sites online, including FastWeb (www.fastweb.com) and some others whose names I’m forgetting right now. But the short answer is yes, there are scholarships for nearly everything under the sun, and there are undoubtedly journalism scholarships. Don’t feel like you’re limited to specifically “journalism” scholarships, though. Apply for every scholarship you’re eligible for (you’ll apply in high school, not now!).

I really hope this isn’t too much and that it’s not overwhelming. In high school you’ll have counselors who can help you figure out all the details about colleges, applying, taking tests, getting scholarships, etc. A good place to start other than FastWeb is the College Board website (www.collegeboard.com, click the “Students” tab). This site has a lot of information and is the website of the organization that administers the SAT, the standard test you’ll probably need to take to get into college.

Best of luck, and never lose that ambition!

You must score well on standardized exams, earn a GPA that falls within the NYU median candidate range in high school, as well as acquire a high school diploma from an accredited high school. There are no particular degrees (short of a standard high school diploma) required before you apply for a baccaulaureate program. If you get accepted to NYU out of high school (and its not difficult at all), you should go. New York University offers federal, state, and even city grants along with generous loan packages, scholarships, and work-study opportunities to finance your education. (NYU is an expensive, and I think overpriced, private school) If you don’t mind a serious financial commitment for college, apply for my alma mater…Columbia University! (Morningside Heights in Manhattan just north of the upper west side)

There are a lot of different degrees. They fall into three different categories: the first four years, the second four years, the third four years. In the first four years of post-highschooling (undergraduate) people can get:

a two year degree (associate degree)

a four year degree with an emphasis on one topic, your “major” (bachelor degree of arts)

a four year degree with intense focus on one topic (bachelor degree of science)

an associate degree the first two years, then the next two year they can get their bachelor of arts in their major (four years total to get the bachelor)

any number of accretions or certifications

multiple bachelor degrees, usually bachelor of arts (the term “double major” is often applied to this course of action)

experience in their field doing internships (like being mentored by a business rather than a person)

The next four years is graduate school. You can switch “majors” a lot between undergraduate and graduate schools. Often, people get jobs with their school that pays for these years. Typically one only goes to graduate school in one topic; “double majors” are very rare.

The next four years are spent doing something academically important in your field, like research. At the end of this, a book is written called a “thesis”. When it is approved by a comity, you become a doctor! (though not necessarily of medicine)

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Most people who go to college go straight from high school. Some people take a year off. Other people go to college while they are still in high school, though this can be difficult. You should talk to a high school counselor in your area to see what options are available to you.

You must be accepted into a school to attend, but you don’t need to have scholarships. There is plenty of financial aid in the form of loans. Education loans cost less than most loans.

If you’re looking for scholarship money, talk to a high school guidance counselor. They have great recommendations. Scholarships can be for anything because they’re really just one person giving another person money. A lot of scholarships target minorities.

To maximize scholarship availability, I would recommend that before high school, I would recommend joining some after school activities related to what you’re interested in. School newspaper? Yearbook? Hockey? And talk to your family / counselor about taking tours of newspapers, job shadowing or finding a mentor (a trusted adult who shows you the ropes).

Something important to remember is not to worry too hard about the distant future. A lot of things can happen to change the best laid plans. Be sure to enjoy your present as well as plan for the future. (sorry, I’ll end this after-school special of a closing)