College Prep 101

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal," Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Co., once said.

When I began the process of applying for college, there were many obstacles that stood in my way. I didn't know which college I was going to attend, what I wanted to major in or how I was going to pay for it.

By the time my senior year of high school began, I signed up for a college preparatory class that's offered at Jackson High School. The class is designed to help students become better prepared for the college atmosphere, and to help them fill out scholarship applications, financial aid, etc.

The class seemed boring at first because we filled out scholarship information, created resumes and kept extracurricular and community service records. However, my instructor promised everything we did in class would be very helpful later in the semester when it came time to apply to college. So I sucked it up and kept going.

Southeast Missouri State University's early application deadline quickly approached last fall. When I applied, I was asked how many community service hours I had completed, how many scholarships I had applied for and if I was eligible for any financial aid.

Wow! It was all coming together now. All the things I had worked on throughout high school were actually paying off. I finished completing the application and sent it off.

About two weeks later, I received my acceptance letter in the mail. I am now a Southeast Missouri State University student and will begin college in the fall.

The process was very frustrating and took some time, but it was well worth it. My advice to the younger students would be to get started on the application process early, and find out as much as you can about different colleges and majors before you make your final decision.

Nicholle Hinkle is a senior at Jackson Senior High School and plans to major in mass communications/journalism at Southeast Missouri State University.