Four years of high school, and then the real work begins. The part where you have to grow up and take charge of your life. For many students, college is the first step toward a good future. College, or even the idea of it, comes with many things. For many students, the biggest hurdle they have to face is money. Whether you’€™re looking into a community college or a university, it’s likely that you’ll be short on the money to pay for it. The best way to deal with this problem is to apply for scholarships. There are literally thousands of scholarships you can apply for, and getting a head start on them will only help your chances of receiving one. Saving up your money throughout your high school career will no doubt help you even more. However, your money isn’t the only thing that colleges want. Most universities look for well-rounded students. Sports and involvement with extracurricular activities on your transcript will make you seem all the more appealing, so get a head start on that, too. Colleges are impressed with a person who isn’t just book smart, but also knows their way with other things, such as volunteer work and cultural insight. You should know that universities also look for those who took some sort of foreign language. Still, the utmost important detail that you keep in mind throughout high school is your grades. Grades, test-scores, extra-credit. They all count. Keep them up, or if you started out bad, then get them up. Show that you’€™ve improved through the years, and colleges will recognize and appreciate the effort. They also value a student who has been in AP and Honors classes. Debt from financial aid, loss of sleep, and a brief farewell to your social life could be a few factors, and frankly, some students don’€™t wish to make sacrifices for a piece of paper. But to those who are willing, will have more of a chance in being successful in life. So freshman, don’€™t wait until your senior year to get everything together. Sophomores and juniors, it’€™s still not too late. And to the motivated seniors, good luck with the rest of your life.