College Counseling

List of 6 items.

• General Information

  • The Education Conservancy (EC) A non-profit organization committed to improving college admission processes for students, colleges and high schools
  • The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Professional organization for college admission counselors

• College Searches

  • Cappex  College search and financial aid information
  • GoCollege  College search, scholarship search, SAT practice tests and campus crime statistics
  • CampusTours  College tours online, plus campus maps and web sites
  • College Confidential  Hundreds of pages of articles about choosing a college, getting into the college you want, how to pay for it, and much more
  • Peterson’s  Detailed information on over 4,000 colleges and universities, online schools, and graduate programs. Also provides financial aid information and test preparation
  • CollegeInsight  A higher-education data and research resource for anyone interested in college affordability, student debt, economic and racial diversity, student success, and other important issues in higher education
  • Unigo Read college reviews, get matched to schools, find scholarships, and more
  • College Navigator – National Center for Education Statistics  A free consumer-information tool designed to help students, parents, high school counselors, and others get information about over 7,000 colleges from the US Department of Education’s database

• Financial Aid

  • Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)  Complete the Application for Federal Student Aid online
  • CSS Profile  The CSS Profile goes into more detail than the FAFSA and gives a more in-depth financial picture to the college.  Over 350 institutions and organizations use PROFILE to award their aid funds equitably to the right students at the right time.
  • Fastweb.com  A scholarship search program with information on local and federal aid
  • FinAid.org Information on scholarships, loans, and all types of financial aid. Includes a college expense calculator to determine financial aid eligibility
  • ApplyingTOSchool  Search for financial aid, college applications, and online degree programs
  • Chegg.com Searchable, personalized scholarship database
  • ZeeMee Mobile app for connecting with colleges and fellow applicants
  • GoodCall Scholarship search engine which is one of the largest databases of scholarships on the web. Requires no personal information and it’s free to use
  • CollegeBoard Register for the College Scholarship Service (CSS) Financial Aid Profile. Many schools require the CSS Profile as part of the financial aid application
  • Private Student Loans Guide  Coverage on the latest student loan news and information, plus resources and guides for borrowers and their families about paying for college and repaying student debt
  • SMARTTRACK Northwest Academy is providing access to SMARTTRACK® College Funding to help you learn how best to pay for college, how to pay less for college, and how to keep your retirement safe in the process.
  • Student Loan Guide Free resource designed to help students compare reviews for student loans and make the right consumer decisions for themselves

• Standardized Tests

  • College Board Register for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, plus practice tests, information about interpreting scores, and more
  • ACT  Register for the American College Test (ACT), plus prep information, a college search program, and financial aid estimator
  • FairTest Up-to-date source listing colleges and universities that do not require national tests for admissions.
  • The Princeton Review  View average SAT and ACT scores of various colleges and compare and contrast the SAT and ACT

• Applications

  • Common Application  Download the common application and a program to help you fill it out on your computer, or complete the application online and submit electronically.  Offers links to obtain most of the required supplements to applications
  • All About College  Links to college web pages with downloadable applications and online submission forms

• Books & Print Resources

  • Colleges that Change Lives by Loren Pope.  Published in 1996 and revised in 2000, this timeless classic reminds students about the tremendous potential that exists for them if they find the right college match.
  • College Unranked: Ending the College Admissions Frenzy by Lloyd Thacker.  In this book, the presidents and admission deans of leading colleges and universities remind readers that college choice and admission are a matter of fit, not of winning a prize, and that many colleges are good in different ways. 
  • Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting into College by Sally P. Springer, Jon Reider, Joyce Vining Morgan.  The new 4th Edition offers comprehensive, expert, and practical advice for parents and students to guide them through the college admissions process.
  • The Fiske Guide This straightforward guide describes the academic climates as well as the social and extracurricular scenes at the “best and most interesting” schools in North America.
  • The Insider’s Guide to Colleges Reference book by students covers topics from admission criteria and majors to housing, food, and social life
  • Rugg’s Recommendations on the Colleges A thoughtful approach to ranking the colleges. Rugg’s advice and comments have appeared in such diverse publications as USA Today, Rolling Stone, College Bound, The Boston Globe, Rocky Mountain News, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, New Jersey Monthly, and Your Money.