Keep 'Em Coming!

Time for another questions-answering post.

Kelsey first. You asked what a McClure is... that's another teacher whose classes are competing with you to win the Canes party. And for your other question... you can get scholarships that are as small as $500 per school year, or you can get some as big as a full-ride. The means the college pays for your tuition, your non-resident fees (if you're an out of state student), your dorm room and your meal plan. That kind of scholarship is HUGE. A full-ride scholarship at LSU is about $15,000 per year.

Sarah, you asked about scholarships too. I think the only thing you can do about them in middle school is to focus on your school work and any extra curricular activities you enjoy. If you have a good GPA, there are more scholarships available to you. And, if you become really good at something like... playing the flute, you can get things like music scholarships.

For your second question, Kelsey, the first time you take the PSAT will be in your sophomore year of high school. That's like the practice round for when you take it the last time as a junior. And that's the one that really counts. If you do well enough on the PSAT as a junior, you can be eligible to become a National Merit Scholar, which is a really big deal. There are lots of universities that offer full-ride scholarships or nearly full-ride scholarships to National Merit Scholars. Even if you don't do well enough to enter the National Merit Competition, the PSAT is like a practice SAT. And the more you practice the SAT, the better you will do when you take it for real.