leaving my future to a furry forum

So, I know FAF isn't truly an academic community, really. Maybe there are better places to search for advice on what to do academically- Regardless, it can't hurt to ask, can it?

Basically, I've been thinking hard on my future recently. I need to start thinking about my options for different things, try to look into scholarships, grants, different universities. I need to work hard to qualify for as many good options as I can, especially given that I hope for some pretty ambitious stuff. To change the world through science... Regardless of whether I'll actually succeed or not, I still need to make damn sure I do everything I can to do my best.

So what it comes down to- How should I best search for universities, as well as scholarships and grants to go to them? How should I best attempt to qualify for those scholarships and such? How can I look into different countries and their laws and culture, economic and academic environment and different things to see if studying abroad there and possibly staying there is a good option? How do I plan for my future and determine my options?

What I want to study largely involves aging and how to deal with it. Most importantly, I want to preserve the mind, and its capability to learn, think, observe, and interact with the world. I want to find infinite time to learn, and apply the knowledge gained for further improvements. What specific fields of study are involved in this, and what should I keep in mind?