It's so interesting how being in college for a year can affect your judgment and perception. Once upon a time, I hated having to speak up pertaining important things unless I was around my family or friends. While that may have to do with me being a bit socially anxious, part of it was simply me being too embarrassed to speak up, out of fear of saying the wrong thing. Today, however, I am not afraid to ask a question or speak up; I prefer being comfortable knowing what's going on than uncomfortably confused. I guess with age and time, these things get better. 
I look back and think about when I first began to apply for colleges. There's so much that you can find online, and that is basically how I did my research and made a lot of my decisions. However, not everything can be found out online, and a prime example of that is when you're working with financial aid. There were times a call needed to be made to a university - and if you know me, you know that I have a strong dislike for talking on the phone - so I had my mom handle that. And when I went on college tours, I generally let the tour guide talk and I stayed to myself, listening. My mom tended to be the one to ask questions. 
As a college student, I am realizing how that is actually normal, and I wasn't the odd one out. There are so many tours happening on campus throughout the year, and I have observed how seldom potential students do not ask questions, leaving it up to the parents and guardians. I began to think about why this was the case - is it because of shyness? social anxiety? not caring? But one thing that stuck out to me was that maybe - just maybe - high school students do not know what to ask. So much information is being thrown at you at once while you're trying to take in the campus and students, so it's understandable that you're not particularly concerned about what questions to ask. But alas, I'm here to throw some knowledge your way. Take these questions and morph them however you want to fit your college tour, Just be sure to ask; after all, if you choose whichever college you decide to tour, you'll be living and studying there for the next 4 years!

1. What is the best and worst dorm to stay in on-campus as a freshman? 

Remember that tour guides can be pretty bias, and to take their response with a grain of salt! Heed to it, but also remember their experiences don't have to necessarily be yours. When I toured Iowa State for the second time, I met a really nice girl and my mom asked her about the dorms. She told me that Maple-Willow-Larch is not a great place to stay because they're "party dorms." If I would have listened, I probably wouldn't have met my best friends or experienced such an awesome dorm. Honestly, a dorm is what you make out of it - any one can be a "party dorm" and any one can be a laid-back dorm.

2. Realistically, which meal plan is best? 

I wish someone would've told me that I didn't have to get the standard Gold meal plan because I'd waste about 60 meals by the end of each semester. There might be alternatives for you to take advantage of, such as meal blocks instead of a complete plan. Explore all your options!

3. What is it like being a POC/LGBTQ+ at this school? 

This question is specific for minorities who decide to attend predominately white institutions, or for anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+. It's an important question because you'll need your other POC or LGBTQ+ friends as a support system, and it's pretty important to know if your school has a history of being discriminatory, racist, homophobic, etc. This information is best to get from a student because they're more likely to be honest with you than staff.

4. How do most students get around here? 

Bus, train, bike, by foot, car? Stanford is a huge biking campus, whereas here at Iowa State, we travel predominately by CyRide, which is our bus system.

5. How are the extracurricular activities and social life on-campus?

This may or may not be important to you; it was very important for me! Coming from a big city, where I can do pretty much whatever I want, I didn't want to move somewhere that there is not much to do. Personally, I decided not to go to Michigan Tech because of this reason. Iowa State is a nice in-between. Figure out whether the school is a party school, or do most people do athletic things, or is there a diverse set of activities to get involved in.

In the summer of 2014, I was a temporary undergraduate at Stanford University for 8-weeks. I took Interpersonal Relations (Sociology), Personality Psychology, Zumba, and Asana Yoga. For all of these courses, I earned 8 college credits. That was pretty impressive to do as a rising junior in high school. Not everybody gets the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school. I wish that it would be easier (and cheaper), but alas, it's not. But do not get disappointed if you haven't yet: it's one-hundred percent possible to do. My family could not afford to pay my summer college tuition, but I found a way to still go. Today, I am going to tell you how you can earn college credit (for cheap or free) while you are still in high school.

My Story

I learned about the Joyce Ivy Foundation from my counselor in my sophomore year of high school. She was very adamant about me applying to become a Joyce Ivy Scholar. The Joyce Ivy Foundation is a non-profit committed to the academic excellence and leadership development of young ladies from the Midwest (and some Southern states). They award the scholars who are accepted into the foundation scholarships to attend an Ivy League University during the summer. 
During the winter, before the application was due, I was very pumped about applying. My best friend and I were both going to do it, and we were going to apply for 1) Emory in Georgia, 2) Barnard in New York, and 3) Stanford. That was the order, too. We wrote our papers, had our counselor review it and got our recommendations. But this was the point where I started to feel defeat before I even submitted anything. (Crazy, right?) I think it was the pressure of competition. Well, not true competition as in sports, but the competition of getting this well-known and respected award. When we had our counselor review our papers, hearing her praise my friend's paper and "meh" mine was very disappointing. I've never been one for constructive criticism. Over time, I have progressively gotten better (thank you Architecture class + reviews), but at that time, I felt shot down. 
I kind of gave up on applying to the foundation after that. I was not motivated, and I figured if my counselor didn't like my paper, then there is no way that Joyce Ivy will. My mom kept motivating me to get back at it. She didn't want me to give up before I even applied. Now, I see what she was saying. You'll never know if you will get something if you don't even put in the effort to try. So, I eventually conceded and reviewed my paper. I revised my paper a little bit. I finally submitted the application.   About a month or so later (in March), I received the "Welcome + Congratulations" e-mail from Joyce Ivy Foundation. I was beyond ecstatic! But I still didn't know whether I was admitted to the university of my choice, which was Stanford. It was a wild ride trying to decide which university to apply to, but something in my heart told me to choose Stanford. Not only had I been begging my parents (for years) to take me to California, but I also knew about Stanford's Grade A reputation and heard about their gorgeous campus. (I now know about Emory and Barnard, but I hadn't at that point in time.)
It took Stanford a little bit into April (during Spring Break) to respond. There was a lot of communication and faxing certain documents (which was a hassle because I was in Tennessee on break at Westgate Resorts) on both ends. But after all of that was done, two days before my family and I left Tennessee, my dad got the e-mail about me being admitted to Stanford's Summer College. I also learned that I was awarded the other half of money to be able to attend the summer college. So, in the end, I was awarded two scholarships to attend Stanford, and the transportation was all-inclusive (Joyce Ivy also gave us $75 per week in spending money).

Do Your Research

There is nothing worse than someone who wants everything but refuses to put in the footwork. Getting things is not a walk in a park. You have to apply. You have to inquire. You have to be willing to lose just a little bit of sleep working on that essay. It's all a process. The first step of that process is finding out what the heck you want to do. Do you want to earn college credit? Study abroad? Go to a camp? Google is your best friend in this step. You can easily type in "summer college" or "earn college credit in high school." Find the program that you are most interested in. Read as much as possible about them. How much is the tuition? How long is the program? (Funny story: I did not know that Stanford was for 8-weeks when I applied. I found out at the last moment hahah.) Is it a residential program or a day program? Get the basics, and the next step will...well, it'll still be harder, but at least you'll know what you need.

Find Out Your Money Situation

When I say money situation, I mean are you going to be able to foot the bill or will you need a scholarship (or three) just to attend? Estimate how much money you'll need per week and see if it'll be feasible for your family. Joyce Ivy gave me $75/week, and my family chipped in $25/week to give me  a total of $100/week. Now, let me tell you, that was chump change in California. Everything cost: the Caltrain, shopping bags (if you - like me - forgot your reusable bags at the dorm), JAMBA JUICE. Well, the latter was more of my addiction than a necessity, but hey, it is what it is. 
And while you figure out the money situation, be honest with yourself. If you agree that $40 per week will be enough (which it might be; however, if it's your first time somewhere, then you might feel a little touristy and that's more money), then do not be angry if your parents say no to more.

 Apply for the Program's Financial Aid

Applying to Stanford's financial  aid program is what helped me go. If I had to rely only on Joyce Ivy for money, then I probably (like, 100%) would not have been able to go. To get aid, the program may require more financial information to be submitted and possibly one or two more essays.

Dual Enrollment

If you can, try dual enrollment during the school year, which is typically free. You can take interesting courses while getting college credit. However, do your research on this, too! Some colleges may not accept dual enrollment college credit if you take it on your high school's campus. Some colleges simply may not accept it at all.  Regardless, taking dual enrollment will help you get a feel for certain courses and may introduce you to a path you may have never thought of before.

I have a particularly late graduation when compared to other high schools. Mine is June 7th. {Almost there!} With graduation comes many opportunities for photos, which I am beyond excited about. Unfortunately, though, I will be on the other side of the camera. I'll be the one walking across the stage and receiving my diploma! But I still have some tips for photographers; keep reading to learn about graduation day photography!

1. Know the rules for the venue.

2. Understand what type of photos your subject wants.

3. Make what you shoot into a story.

4. Don't forget the "simple" things.

5. Anticipate the moment.

6. Know your gear.

7. Prepare for horrible lighting.