Resources for College Applicants
Free Online Resources: use these free sites to search for colleges, explore career options, find scholarships and test prep help, gap year programs, health-related resources, and more.
Table of Contents for Resources listed below
PLEASE CLICK THE LINKS TO SCROLL DOWN
I. Career Exploration
- Interest inventories online
- Learn about careers – free online guides for career exploration
- Internships: paid and volunteer
II. College Search
- General college and program searches
- Specialized college and program searches
III. The Application Process
- General information on applying to college
- Interview help
- Essay writing help
IV. Financial Aid
- General financial aid information
- Estimate your financial aid
- Scholarship searches
- Scholarship search sites owned by education lenders
- Beware of scholarship scams
- Grants and scholarships available to students in special circumstances
V. Tests and Test Preparation
- General test preparation tools and advice
- Accuplacer Test – for Community College and Technical School
- ACT test
- Advanced Placement (AP) Test
- CLEP Test
- SAT and PSAT tests
VI. Resources for Unique Groups Heading to College
- Student athletes
- Learning disabilities, physically handicapped
- Gifted students
- College student mental health issues
VII. Before College Begins
- Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) – free college while in high school – “dual enrollment”
- Summer programs / Gap Year activities / Service Learning / International Programs
Are you still deciding which career or major you would like to pursue? Consider taking an interest assessment to point out careers and majors that would be of interest to you. Then research those careers to decide if they are right for you.
ONLINE INTEREST INVENTORIES AND CAREER-RELATED SURVEY BATTERIES
A complete suite of interest profilers and surveys that measure work values, work styles, and transferable skills, then point you to “career clusters”—broad areas of occupations and careers that best fit your profile. Designed by the US Department of Labor; useful to students—and adults—at any point in their exploration of career possibilities.
https://www.onetonline.org
LEARN ABOUT CAREERS:
Published by the US Dept. of Labor Statistics, this site can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations.
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/INTERNSHIPS – PAID AND VOLUNTEER:
Your high school counselor or college advisor may have a list of local or national businesses that offer internships. Most of those will be unpaid. Alternatively, you can “beat the bushes” and contact companies on your own, stressing your career interests and offering to work for free.
Once you enter college, the Career Placement Office will help you locate internships.
Search for Colleges and Programs
Search for colleges and college programs using search websites. The search programs will narrow down the list of colleges for you by allowing you to specify what you care about most. Different websites may give you different results, so it is best to use more than one.
GENERAL COLLEGE AND PROGRAM SEARCHES
Links to 44 smaller colleges that offer more in-depth professor-student interactions than most big state schools can. Some are for extreme high-achievers; others follow the “We turn B+ students into A students” model.
http://www.ctcl.org
Corsava – Find colleges (and majors) where you’ll meet people with interests similar to your own.
https://corsava.com Compare college statistics, including graduation rates, diversity, size, SAT scores, cost, etc. The data show that some schools are much better at graduating students than others!
http://www.collegeresults.org/Groups colleges into categories (“best value”, hardest to get into”, “best college campus”, “best student life”, etc.), and offers reviews and so-called “rankings”. Be wary of these rankings; they are often subjective and, as the site’s authors caution, “rankings may be inaccurate if Niche is supplied with inaccurate data from schools, data sources such as the US Department of Education, or spam and automated ‘bot’ reviews.”
https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-college-campuses/CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION WEB RESOURCES
CAMPUS TOURS
SPECIALIZED COLLEGE AND PROGRAM SEARCHES
International colleges and universities search by either region, country or institution. A full range of options: gap year, short-term language study, 3- and 4-year full degree programs, and more; plus advice to travelers (what to bring, where to live . . .)
http://www.studyabroad.comCollege admissions strategies and tips can save you time and stress. Websites are ready sources of information.
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE APPLICATION PROCESS
ESSAY WRITING
College Essay Guy – By far the most useful and fun way to learn to write application essays. This ex-screenwriter makes it fun – and enlightens you in the process.
https://www.collegeessayguy.com/
INTERVIEW TIPS
GoCollege – Much basic advice, plus most commonly asked questions.
GoCollege.comFinding and Applying for Financial Aid
College or technical school may be one of the biggest purchases you make in life. Be sure to research your options well. Financial help, in the form of grants, scholarships, merit-aid, work study, or loans, is available to students of every income bracket. Always apply for financial aid. The starting point of any need-based aid is the FAFSA application, which can be filled out for free online.
GENERAL FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION
StudentAid.gov – Information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); provides the form you’ll submit online. The most important financial aid form you will fill out!
https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsaFinaid – Maybe the most comprehensive source of general information about financial aid, including articles and tools. Register for their weekly “personalized list” of scholarships you might qualify for.
http://www.finaid.org/Reviews.com – Ranks and describes the top 20 financial aid sites using factors like “search functionality”, availability of scholarships, ease of use, etc. Sample recommendation: “Best for students who want the most scholarships and the most tools”.
http://www.reviews.com/best-scholarship-search-platforms/ESTIMATE YOUR FINANCIAL AID
SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH
Scholarship searches can potentially save you thousands of dollars if you follow through and apply for them. Be sure to check the website’s latest privacy policy to make sure your information will not be given out to other businesses.
A starting point to search for aid based on so-called “merit”, or more typically, ”desirability” – what makes schools want you, regardless of your financial “need”. https://www.cappex.com/scholarships
QuestBridge.org – scholarships for well prepared, high-achieving, low-income students. Accepted at scores of highly ranked, well-known, highly selective colleges, as well as at many other less famous schools you might be interested in.https://www.questbridge.org/
SCHOLARSHIP SEARCH SITES OWNED BY EDUCATION LENDERS
These scholarship searches are worth checking. You may find a scholarship that does not show up on another search site. However, be aware that these sites are selling student loan products and services, too.
BEWARE OF SCHOLARSHIP SCAMS
GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS IN SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
IEFA – International scholarship resource. Caution: wants to interest you not only in scholarships, but also in loans offered by sponsors of website.
https://www.iefa.orgWorkColleges.org – These 7 “work colleges” reduce tuition by the amount students work on campus. They are listed as “Best Value Colleges” by the Fiske Guide to Colleges.
http://www.workcolleges.org
Many colleges require an ACT test or SAT test score for admission; others are “test-free” or “test optional”. Check with the individual college’s website to find out which, if any, test they prefer. Community colleges require the Accuplacer test. Try free test preparation websites before paying for help.
SAT AND PSAT
College Board – Info about the SAT from the people who designed it: registration information, test preparation, and more. Links to free SAT practice tests and Khan Academy.
https://www.collegeboard.orgKhan Academy – The “official partner” of the SAT/College Board created this free test prep site with great instructional videos and several complete practice tests—all written by the College Board. “Explanatory answers” are provided for questions you miss, though some students have difficulty following them. A great starting place for review and guided practice.
https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat/full-length-sat-1Reuters News story – A cautionary tale from Reuters News Agency about how Chinese hackers sold test questions to thousands of students in the People’s Republic in 2016. The College Board has since instituted measures it hopes will defeat hacking attempts (including the new, all-digital test), but . . .
http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/college-sat-two/
ACT TEST
ACT.org – Writer/Producer of the ACT – testing information including registration and practice test.
www.act.orgACCUPLACER TEST – FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND TECHNICAL SCHOOL
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) TEST
Wikipedia.org – Good overview of the test; criticizes its problems and value; how it differs from IB program, etc. Remember: the College Board makes money (through ETS, which administers the test on its behalf) when you take an AP exam or order one of their prep books! Find out in advance how the colleges you plan to apply to will treat your scores.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_PlacementEducational Testing Service (ETS); producer of Advanced Placement (AP) tests; test
Information; watch for provider bias.
http://www.ets.org/CLEP TEST
Resources for Special Groups of Students
STUDENT ATHLETES
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) – eligibility rules for student athletes.
http://www.ncaa.orgLEARNING DISABILITIES
College Living Experience – a “transition-to-college” program for students with autism spectrum disorders, Asperger’s, nonverbal learning disorder, ADD/ADHD, and other learning disabilities.
http://www.cleinc.net/home.aspxGIFTED STUDENTS
Hoagies Gifted – College planning resources for gifted students. Take a look at “College is Yours in 600 Words or Less.” Easy to read, prepared by the director of a prep school that caters to GT students.
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/college.htmDavidson Institute for Talent Development – resources for gifted students, including financial aid and college admissions information (use the search box “college admission”).
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db
COLLEGE STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTION, AND GENERAL HEALTH ISSUES
Active Minds – short videos that utilize “the student voice” to address mental health on college campuses; aims to remove the stigma that surrounds mental health issues.
http://www.activeminds.org
Addiction Resource – Guides, treatment programs, and other useful info for people with alcohol and drug addictions, and for their families and caregivers.
https://addictionresource.com
Before College Begins / Gap Year
CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT – FREE COLLEGE WHILE IN HIGH SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP TRAINING / GAP YEAR ACTIVITIES / SUMMER PROGRAMS
NOLS – National Outdoor Leadership School – one of the best-run, most exciting ways to develop leadership skills for high school and college age students. Internationally-based classes (Chile, Mexico) also available.
https://info.nols.edu
Gap Year Solutions – Planning, internships, resources—lots of information here.
https://gapyearsolutions.com/
Go Abroad.com – a comprehensive “umbrella organization” that reviews numerous gap year programs and verifies the legitimacy of the providers. Recommended by the International Educational Consultants Association. https://goabroad.com
The Experiment in International Living – international exchanges for high school students: homestays, adventure travel, experiential learning, and language immersion.
http://www.experimentinternational.org
WOOF (World Wide Organization of Organic Farmers) – travel around the world with free room and board while assisting organic farmers to plant, till, and harvest their crops.
http://wwoof.net
Student Conservation Association – Experience “justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion” while building, maintaining, or restoring parks, public lands, and urban green spaces.
http://www.thesca.org
