What if I just want a quick few resources to use to get myself started?
The following are just a few of the many tried and true online sources of information, examples of some of the types of information available. Of course, there are many more resources online and in print, blogs and books, and in other forms – visits to campuses, conversations with admission officers, faculty and coaches, college fairs. Parents, and students alike, may want to do some advance reading. Some of the books I typically recommend include: “The Gatekeepers”, by Jacques Steinberg, “Looking Beyond the Ivy League” and “Colleges that Change Lives, both by Lauren Pope, and various others to help you get the big picture about the vast array of options ahead and how the admission and recruiting processes work. Whatever the resource, the best approach is to make a plan in advance, and work through the process step by step, starting in the early senior school years.
When I am working with a client through the process, I provide them with a detailed list of resources and guidelines for how and when to use each resource.
Athletics
| Web Link | Description |
|---|---|
| Letter of Intent Program | Explains the process and rules of the National Letter of Intent program |
| NAIA’s | NAIA’s website, an association of smaller colleges with significant scholarship opportunities |
| NCAA | NCAA’s eligibility and recruiting rules, athletic conferences, college contacts etc |
College Search
| Web Link | Description |
|---|---|
| Campus Tours ( US ) | take a virtual campus tour, see campus maps and map details |
| College View ( US ) | virtual campus tour, see campus maps and map details |
| Higher education in the UK | Applying and meeting requirements for university programs, including Cambridge, Oxford and [accelerated/direct entry] Medical/Dental programs |
| School Finder ( Canada ) | guide to schools, scholarships and careers |
Fairs
| Web Link | Description |
|---|---|
| College Admission Counseling | click on “Fairs” to get a schedule and locations of US college and university fairs |
| One Student at a Time | Colleges That Change Lives, a group of colleges selected by Lauren Pope |
Financial Aid
| Web Link | Description |
|---|---|
| database of scholarships | large database of scholarships available to students studying from/to various countries all over the world |
| free scholarship search | (Canada) comprehensive scholarship Web site; free scholarship search |
| scholarship matching | (US) most comprehensive information, links to a free scholarship matching program, free calculator for estimated family contribution (EFC) and is Highly-praised site |
Rankings
| Web Link | Description |
|---|---|
| Canadian Rankings | Education Rankings Canada |
| US College Rankings | U.S. News and World Report rankings |
| World University Rankings | Times Higher Education Supplement, focuses on research universities vs. colleges |
SAT / ACT
| Web Link | Description |
|---|---|
| ACT Registration | Official site for the ACT, registration |
| College Board | College Board’s comprehensive site for SAT registration, schedule, practice questions, etc |
| Princeton Review | SAT/ACT Test Preparation |