Recommended College Planning Resources

The following online resources might be useful in your college planning process. They have been chosen for their accuracy as well as their capacity to expand your awareness of important information about the college admission process. They do not necessarily reflect the views/opinions of Peter Van Buskirk and/or The Admission Game.

Career Search
Not sure you know what you want to be when you grow up? Count yourself among a VERY large group of people. In fact, most college students change their minds at least once. If you would like to begin sorting out your options now, though, you might find this site to be helpful.

www.careerkey.org

College Search
At some point in your college planning you will need to call on a college search mechanism in order to find places that are good fits given your needs and interests. The following is one of the most comprehensive sources of such information.

www.petersons.com/ugchannel/code/searches/srchCrit1.asp

Test Registration
As the time for testing looms on the horizon, you should be mindful of deadlines and registration requirements. Almost equal numbers of students took the ACT and the SAT during the most recent admission cycle. Check the following sites for more information about tests, dates and registration deadlines.

www.ACTStudent.org       (ACT, PLAN)
www.CollegeBoard.com/index.html?student       (SAT,PSAT, AP, CLEP)

List of Standardized Test Optional Colleges
The rapidly growing list of accredited, four-year colleges and universities that do not require the submission of ACT or SAT scores as part of their admission requirements is nearing 750! You can see the entire list at:

www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm

ACT/SAT Conversion Charts
The ACT and SAT are very different college entrance test. Now that every college in the country will accept either test result, you might be interested in an approximation of how your result equates with scores on the “other” test.

www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/highered/ra/sat/satACT_concordance.pdf
www.princetonreview.com/college/testprep/testprep.asp?TPRPAGE=8&TYPE=SA

Formula for U.S. News & World Report College Rankings
Curious about college rankings? Check this link to learn more about how the editors at U.S. News & World Report arrive at their results.

www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/about/weight_brief.php

Alternative to Rankings
The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) conducted annually by the Indiana University at Bloomington provides a comprehensive overview of outcomes for participating institutions. To learn more about this resource, visit their site and go to the "Students and Parents" page.

http://www.nsse.iub.edu/index.cfm

Scholarship Searchs
Looking for scholarships? The following sites will give you access to scholarship information and help you assess your viability as a candidate to receive merit awards.

www.FinAid.org
www.FastWeb.com
www.Internationalscholarships.com

Financial Aid
It you are looking for guidance in completing the financial aid process or you have received a financial aid award and aren't quite sure what to make of it, these sites provide a good orientation to the terms, the construction of financial aid award letters and how much assistance you are actually receiving.

www.FinancialAidLetter.com      ("decode" financial aid awards)
www.FinAid.org       (comprehensive resource)
www.fafsa.ed.gov       (complete/submit FAFSA to determine eligibility for federally-administered need-based aid)
profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp       (complete/submit Profile to determine eligibility for institutionally awarded need-based aid)

Generic Application Forms
Interested in exploring application options that will allow you to complete one form from which you can generate applications to multiple colleges? The following links take you to websites for two membership organizations that provide such opportunities.

www.commonapp.org
www.universalcollegeapp.com

Glossary of Terms
Completing the college-going process may require that you develop a new vocabulary! Rather than buying a dictionary, check out this site for a complete list of tems you are likely to encounter as you make your make your way through the admission process.

www.educationplanner.com/education_planner/applying_article.asp?
sponsor=2859&articleName=Glossary_of_Admission_Terms

National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
NACAC is the professional association of which most colleges and universities are members. This site includes a comprehensive orientation to the college process for students and their parents covering topics such as college preparation, scholarship scams, international student resources and online resources.

www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Students/

Athletic Recruitment and Admission
If you are an athlete who is eager to continue competing in college at any level, scholarship or non-scholarship, you need to be aware of the rules that govern the manner in which you may be recruited and considered for admission. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) are the two associations of which most intercollegiate athletic programs are members. Visit their sites to make sure you are aware of the rules before you become too heavily involved in the recruitment process.

www.ncaa.org       (go to Academics & Athletes)
naia.cstv.com