There is a fire hose of information out there about colleges and the application process. We’ve sifted through some of the vast amount of information out there to find the materials that are most useful to you. Here are some college application resources to help you navigate this exciting (but sometimes daunting) process.
College Counseling Newsletter
Want college info right to your inbox? We publish our college counseling newsletter almost every month. You’ll find out about the latest updates in admission for both California colleges and colleges outside of California. We’ll even let you know what deadlines and college admissions events are coming up, and what you need to do about it.
Social Media
Follow our Facebook and Twitter pages for lots of tidbits and links!
College Information
We’ve visited over 350 colleges and universities all across the country. We write a summary of each visit to try to give you an idea of what it would be like to go there, and post photo albums from each college. We’ve also attended dozens of college information sessions and met with dozens of college admission officers, which helps us learn more about colleges you may not yet know much about. Here are links to all of these resources:
We’ve also put together some good information about applying to the colleges in the University of California system. And, if you’re interested in attending a private college, we’ve got you covered there, too.
College Search Sites
People are unique and college lists are too! When you put in the time to research each college, you may find a few that really feel like a good match. These college search resources can help you determine which colleges are a good fit for you.
- Art Colleges
- College Board
- Colleges That Change Lives
- Collegedata.com – The best feature about this site is that you can determine whether a college gives MERIT-based aid (which many colleges do not) in addition to NEED-based aid (which most colleges do). This site will also help you learn how much of your need each college will fill. Some do not fill 100% of your demonstrated need.
- College Navigator – National Center for Education Statistics
- CaliforniaColleges.edu
- Cappex.com
- GoSeeCampus will help you plan your college visits online.
- Women’s Colleges (don’t rule this out until you look! Some of them might be a good fit for you!)
College Counseling Resource Guide
We’ve put together an excellent college counseling resource guide with some helpful information about the entire college search and application process.
Just For Parents
For parents, there’s this list of 10 things parents should know before your son or daughter applies to college. It’s a quick read and well worth your time.
Just for Students
For students, you can download these informative resources:
- How To Choose A College That’s Right for You (Author Martha O’Connell is the former executive director of Colleges That Change Lives, an organization that helps students identify colleges that could be a good match for them. She wrote this piece for an NPR series called “The College Admissions Game.”)
- Top Ten Strengths and Experiences Colleges Look for in a High School Student [from the International Association of Educational Consultants (IECA)]
- Questions to ask on a college visit
- College Board campus visit checklist
- Getting letters of recommendation, from Cappex.com
- Questions you might be asked on your college interview
- Magellan College Counseling – Acing the College Interview presentation
- Writing Your College Essay, by Parke Muth, the University of Virginia
- More advice on your college essay: College Admissions Essay Tips, From a Veteran Dean – NYTimes
- Your Standout Factor, from Cappex
- Financial Aid Basics and Resources – Class of 2016
- Financial Aid Basics and Resources – Class of 2017 and later
Test Preparation
We’ve got some terrific Free SAT and ACT prep resources for you.
- Free SAT Prep Resources at CollegeBoard.org and Khan Academy
- Free ACT Prep Resources at ACTstudent.org and ACT.org
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