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College can be a scary thing when you don't know what you're doing. When you head off to college you are going to experience so many new things. You will have to learn to be on your own and to do things for yourself. College will teach you how to be more mature and responsible. You not only have to prepare academically, but also mentally. College comes with a lot of factors that are going to affect the way you live. The best way to prepare for college is to push through and work as hard as you can. Making a checklist of everything you need to get done/ready for college is a good way to stay organized and relaxed.

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Having “safety” “probable” and “reach” schools in mind is a must for college, you may have a specific school in mind but you should always have a back up plan and never apply to just one school.

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According to the scholarships.com website, these are the best ways to prepare for college:

1. Get involved - Getting accepted into college isn’t all about the grades. Many colleges look at extra curriculars you do outside the class. Participating in sports or volunteering in your community or running a club or team give you a great opportunity not only of college, but also for life.

2. Do the work - Only you can do the work. No one will do it for you. Doing you work and creating a good work ethic now will help you through college.

3. Take challenging courses - Colleges look at your grades and they think they are important, but they also look into the kind of classes you take. Taking AP classes or dual credit classes will better prepare you for college and help you grow as a student.

4. Get help - So many people are afraid to ask for help these days, but don’t be! If you are having trouble in class or are confused on something, go to the teacher. They are willing to help you as much as they can.

5. Read - Take it from me reading can be boring and unappealing, but reading everyday for as little as thirty minutes can really help you in the long run. Read what you're interested in, if that’s books, magazines, articles, blogs, columns etc. No matter what you read it can help improve ACT/SAT scores.

6. Don’t delay - Taking your ACT/SAT as a junior (maybe even a sophomore) is a great idea so you can focus on your classes.

7. Get the college bound facts - Asking somone who is currently attending college or graduating is a good idea to learn more about college and ask questions that haven’t been answered yet.

8. Involve your family - This one goes out to all the first generation college students. Your parents may think they can’t help you, but have them talk to a counselor about keeping you on the right track.

9. Look for a mentor - Sadly for many kids they don’t have a good support system at home, so finding someone they trust like a mentor will help them stay on the right track and get to the light at the end of the tunnel.

10. Confront personal roadblocks - If you're ever experiencing a problem that’s affecting your life turn towards friends or a family member, counselor or someone you trust to help you get through it, and give that extra kick of motivation.

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The Front Range Community College has shared 5 good tips you should know before heading off to college.

1. Remind yourself that it is new for everyone - When you are a freshman in college moving in or walking into your first class, it is going to be stressful. It is good to remember that everyone is in a time of transition and people know what you are going through.

2. Commit to time management - If there is anything that will make college hard for you, it is procrastination. Keeping yourself organized is key when it comes to good time management. There are online planning resources and even good old fashioned paper planners.

3. Be open to new things - College is the place to try new things and really find yourself. Joining a club or some group is a great opportunity to meet new people.

4. Remind yourself it is ok to ask for help - When you go into anything new it is best to jump in with a positive attitude. Life has a lot of ups and downs to it. Having a place to turn to can help so much. Taking a moment to locate local tutoring places or the schools counselors for help is a great way to start.

5. Spend time choosing a major - There are so many college students that jump into college expecting to have their major figured out. Most of the time new freshman spend a lot of time changing majors, which leads to wasting time and spending money that could be used for something else.

Going to college is a scary and new experience, not just for you but the people around you. You are going to find people you have things in common with and people you are totally opposite of. College is going to bring a lot of new things in your life, some good and some bad, but in the end it will all be worth it.

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Being someone that doesn't have an amazingly high GPA, I think about this topic all the time. School has always been a struggle for me. I lack the focus most students have and I also lack motivation to be in a classroom. I'm not the kind of person that can sit in a seat 8 hours out of the day. I am a creative, active person that wants to do more with her life than sit and learn about something that will never help me in the future. If you do the work, school can be very easy but its not always work thats hard to do. Math is one of the most confusing things to me. If I do not have a good teacher that will explain to me what is going on, I struggle. School is so important and college is something almost every kid dreams about. College gives more variety to what I want to learn about and having an education gives me more options later in life. College is something everyone should have access to even if that means you don't have all the requirements. I used to think I would never go to college because of grades that don't tell who I truly am as a person, and I used to think where I went was the most important thing in my life. I will go to college, I may not have the best grades in the world but that doesn't define who I am and hopefully people recognize that.

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PrepScholar is a website that I've used over the past two years. If you have any questions on anything college related you will most likely find the answers there. Throughout my junior year of high school I've looked to that website to help me learn and prepare for college. In high school, grades are the most important thing in your life. You think if you don't have a 3.6-4.0 GPA you won't go to college. Granted if your trying to attend an Ivy-league school, your grades should meet those standards, but besides that you can still get into a great school with a lower GPA. Some good questions to ask yourself are: Are you struggling in a specific subject? Are you overwhelmed with extracurricular demands so you don't have time to study? Are you bored with your classes? These are good questions to ask yourself if your GPA is not how you want it to be. If you are a junior or senior in high school, changing your cumulative GPA is very hard and time consuming. Starting freshman and sophomore year off with good grades and good roles in extracurriculars will put you in a nice place for your last years of high school. Extracurriculars like student council or food drive or any kind of club are great to be involved in and look great for college. Colleges don't just look at your grades. Sure they play a big part but the way you involve yourself in school and your community play just as equal a part. If you are reading this and you realize you haven't done much stuff outside or inside of school, don't worry. Admission essays are one of the most important parts to getting into college. Writing a strong essay that really shows who you are or what you've overcome plays a big role if that college wants you or not. Admissions offices can obviously see your grades, but they don't know why they are like that, the perfect place to tell them is in a well thought out essay that really expresses you and why you want to go to college.

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Everything will be just fine. A few things to remember is that you can always go to a smaller school and then transfer to the school of your dreams after a year or two. Take the ACT as many times as you can. Even if your score only goes up two points, those two points can change so much and help you in the long run. Don't stress too much. Putting lot of thought into school is important, but you need to focus on yourself and how you're doing. It is ok to take time for yourself. Life has many crazy factors to it but thats life. Nothing is perfect and nothing is going to go your way all the time. As long as you stay humble and true to yourself life will be alright.

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Personally for me I have taken the time to invest in a tutor to help me with the ACT. He has helped me practice strategies to get my score up. I am taking the test two more times after tutoring. Although
I don't have the best GPA, I still have schools in mind that I know I can get into and have visits planned this summer. Throughout my school years I haven't done many clubs until this year. I wish I did more starting freshman or sophomore year. but I plan to volunteer this summer in my community. I am trying my best to have good grades by the end of this year. I am also getting letters of recommendations from three teachers at school.  I know when I send out admission letters I will be ok.