The Outliers Guide to High School, ACT & Scholarships
We created these resources to help families make smarter decisions earlier—before deadlines, testing pressure, and college costs make those decisions harder.
How to Use This Guide
Read what matters now. Come back as your student grows.
There is no requirement to read every article before moving on. A senior who needs scholarship information should jump straight to scholarships. A middle-school parent may spend most of their time in the age-specific section.
But if your family is early in the process and wants the full picture, the order below is intentional: understand the money first, build the ACT strategy second, then work backward into the choices that create more opportunities later.
Start Here
ACT, scholarships & the decisions that matter first
These articles establish the big-picture strategy: where scholarship money comes from, when to begin, how often to test, and how to think about ACT scores.
Our Ultimate Guide to Scholarships
Understand where the biggest scholarship opportunities come from and how to build the family plan around the most predictable money first.
Read article →Don’t Rely on Your School’s ACT Timeline
Why the school-administered ACT should not determine your student's testing plan—and why taking control earlier can create more options.
Read article →When Should a Student Begin Preparing for the ACT?
A practical timeline from freshman exposure through sophomore-year intensive preparation and junior-year score refinement.
Read article →Does Taking the ACT Multiple Times Hurt College Admissions or Scholarships?
Why students should usually keep testing when there is room to improve—and how superscoring changes the strategy.
Read article →Should I Take the ACT Science Section?
Science is optional, but some colleges and scholarship programs may use it when it helps. Learn why taking it can create additional upside.
Read article →Why Do I Have a High GPA and a Low ACT Score?
A high GPA and a lower ACT score are not contradictory. Learn what each measures—and what can strengthen the student's foundation.
Read article →By Age & Stage
What to do before college applications become urgent
If your student is still early in the process, these articles have the longest runway to pay off.
What Every Middle School Family Should Know
Build math and grammar foundations, develop a daily reading habit, and enter high school ready for the opportunities ahead.
Read article →What Every High School Freshman Parent Needs to Know
Freshman-year decisions that can make scholarships, course rigor, ACT preparation, leadership, and college planning easier later.
Read article →How to Build a Meaningful Leadership Project in High School
A four-year approach: explore freshman year, create sophomore year, improve junior year, and pass it on senior year.
Read article →College Cost & Opportunity
Do not self-reject from opportunities that may be more affordable than you think
Sticker price and family assumptions can hide extraordinary opportunities. These are especially important for ambitious students.
The Best Colleges Likely Cost Less Than Your State School!
Many elite colleges provide unusually generous need-based aid. Before ruling out a selective school on price, learn what your family might actually pay.
Read article →Have You Heard of QuestBridge?
A major opportunity for high-achieving students from lower-income families to pursue top colleges with comprehensive four-year scholarship support.
Read article →Programs Worth Knowing About
Tools and experiences we think more families should hear about
Outliers is not affiliated with these programs. We simply think they offer valuable opportunities for students to plan, grow, lead, and become more capable.
Have You Heard of the Future Authoring Program?
A guided writing process that helps students imagine the future they want and identify steps they can begin taking now.
Read article →Have You Heard of SuperCamp?
A summer experience focused on how to learn, communicate, lead, set goals, build confidence, and take greater ownership of school and life.
Read article →Have You Heard of Youth Leadership Knoxville?
For Knoxville-area families: a local leadership opportunity connecting rising juniors with community leaders, service, peers, and college credit.
Read article →Not Sure Where to Begin?
Start with the scholarship guide.
Once you understand where the money comes from, the value of ACT scores, course choices, early planning, leadership, and college research becomes much easier to see.
