College Application Resources
There's a fire hose of information out there about colleges and the application process. Unfortunately, it's not all accurate.
So we’ve sifted through the huge amount of information out there to find the materials that are most useful to you - and the ones that are actually true!
On this page, you'll find college application resources to help you navigate the exciting journey of your child's college search and application process.
College Knowledge
Our team has visited over 400 colleges and universities all across the country. We write a summary of each visit to give you unique information and the campus vibe, and we post photo albums from each college. We’ve also attended hundreds of college information sessions and met with even more college admission officers, which helps us learn more about the many college options out there.
College Counseling Newsletter
Get Magellan College Counseling’s Monthly Newsletter
Want college admission news right to your inbox? We publish our college counseling newsletter about once a month. You’ll learn about the latest updates in admission for both California colleges and colleges outside of California.
Our newsletter is chock-full of information and tips for high school families.
College Financial Aid Resources
Getting into college is one thing...paying for it is quite another. Learn the landscape of college financial aid with these great College Financial Aid resources.
College Financial Aid
How the Financial Aid process works, where to find information, and how to factor financial aid into your child’s college search at the right time.
College Merit Aid
High School achievements can be rewarded with merit-based scholarships and financial aid.
College ROI
An insightful interview with Certified Financial Planner Aaron Kirsch about college ROI – the return on investment – of going to college.
College Essay Resources
Your college essay has the important job of helping to make you stand out from the hundreds or thousands of other students applying to the same schools you are applying to.
Use the college essay resources on this page to help “the real you” shine through the words on the page, and at the same time make the essay easier to write.
Completing The Common Application
The common app is used by over 900 different colleges and universities around the country, so filling it out is one of the most helpful things you can do. We take the mystery out of the common app and show you how to fill it out, step by step, in these eight instructional videos.
Video 1
Introductions to the Common Application
Video 2
Common App Profile and Family Sections
Video 3
Common App Education. FERPA, and Recommendors
Video 4
Common App Testing Section
Video 5
Common App Activities Sections
Video 6
Common App Writing Sections
Video 7
Common App Cources and Grades/College Specific Questions
Video 8
How to Waive your FERPA Rights
Best 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
Colleges for creative artists
College Navigator
National Center for Education Statistics
College Board
Connects students to college success and opportunity.
CaliforniaColleges.edu
Tools and resources for every student.
Colleges That Change Lives
Help students make informed decisions about college.
Cappex.com
Tools and resources for every student.
Collegedata.com
Find Merit and Need-Based Aid
Women’s Colleges
Don’t rule this out! Some might be a great fit!
College Application Info & Advice
Students, you can download these informative resources now.
- 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
- Here's one resource (downloadable pdf)
- Here's another resource (University of Illinois article)
- Magellan's College Visit Checklist
- Magellan's 2-part article about letters of recommendation
- Questions you might be asked on your college interview
- Acing Your College Interview - Magellan College Counseling
- 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
- College Financial Aid