COOL WEB LINKS
Finding what you need and want in college admissions is often more trouble than actually applying to the colleges. To help you along the way, here are some of the best, most useful and/or informative websites we have come across. Let us know if you have found others.
| A | B | C | F | I | N | O | R | S | T | V |
A
ACADEMIC RESOURCES
Alliance for Young Arts & Writers
The largest scholarship and recognition program for teenage artists and writers in the United States
http://www.artandwriting.org/
Center for Talented Youth (CTY), Johns Hopkins University website
Johns Hopkins/CTY is one of the most respected organizations of its kind in the United States serving gifted and talented youth.
- Academic competition list
An up-to-date list of links to selected academic competitions in the Arts, Speech, Social Sciences, Journalism and others, as well as Journalism and Writing competitions, Essay contests, and Language competitions
http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/linkb.htm - Academic Summer Programs
Links to Regional, State and Local Talent Search Summer programs, University-sponsored programs for high school juniors and seniors, and other directories
http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/linka.htm#top - Career Exploration Resources
From A-Z, different links to information about a variety of careers, including Accounting, Art Therapy, the CIA, Filmmaking, History, Museum Careers, Photography, Science Writing and Veterinary Medicine. Also link to different self tests and self assessments, including personality type, career assessments, etc.
http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/careers.html - College Search and Application
Links for college planning, search and virtual campus tours, as well as scholarship and financial aid resources.
http://cty.jhu.edu/gifted/links-resources/college_links.html - Distance Learning Programs and Tutorials list
A list of links to web-based programs, classes and other educational experiences that students can get involved with including full high school programs, university based programs for full credit courses, and other programs offering credit and not for credit courses.
http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/linkd.htm - Early College Enrollment Academies during school year
A list of program links for students who want to begin college either part-time or full-time one, two or three years before the usual freshman year of college.
http://cty.jhu.edu/imagine/linke.htm - Gifted and Talented (G/T) Resources
Links to gifted and talented organizations and resources, state gifted and talented associations, G/T mailing lists and listservs, resources for gifted students with learning disabilities, etc.
http://cty.jhu.edu/gifted/links-resources/linkg.htm
The Concord Review
Quarterly journal where high school students can submit their papers and research for publication
http://www.tcr.org/
International Baccalaureate Program
A highly academic program of courses, similar to AP, offered by some high schools
http://www.ibo.org/
Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation, Colorado
A national summer arts institute offered to 60 artistically gifted public and private high school juniors in which internationally recognized artists in residence serve as primary instructors.
http://sharpeartfdn.qwestoffice.net/
The National Writing Board
Sponsored by The Concord Review, Inc, this site provides an assessment service for history research papers of high school students.
http://www.tcr.org/nwb/
The Telluride Association
Special summer academic programs offered for underserved students
http://www.tellurideassociation.org/
ACT (see Testing)
 |
|
B
BLOGS ABOUT ADMISSIONS
1. The Choice, The New York Times
Always useful, timely information and advice
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/
While not oriented just to college admissions, this blog has some very savvy stores on college admissions. Take a look at Kathleen Kingsbury and Zac Bissonnette
http://www.thedailybeast.com/author/kathleen-kingsbury/?cid=bs:contributors-az-632
http://www.thedailybeast.com/author/zac-bissonnette/?cid=bs:contributors-az-120
3. Jay Matthews, educational columnist, The Washington Post
Okay. Jay Matthews doesn’t have a blog, but pay attention to whatever he writes in The Washington Post. He’s one savvy dude.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/
|
|
C
COLLEGES AND/OR PROGRAMS WITH SPECIAL AFFILIATIONS
- Black Excel
An award-winning website devoted to African American students.
http://www.blackexcel.org/ - Catholic Colleges
Sponsored by the National Catholic Colleges Admissions Association, this site identifies US colleges that are affiliated with the Catholic Church.
http://www.catholiccollegesonline.org/index.html - Center for Student Opportunity
A website that offers traditionally underserved students, including first general, low-income, rural and minority student populations, with information, a search for colleges and universities known for recruitment and retention of underserved students and more.
http://www.csopportunity.org/ - Christian Colleges
For students who want to apply to colleges that combine their academic life with a Christian religious and lifestyle
http://www.christiancolleges.com/ - Colleges That Change Lives
40 colleges identified by former New York Times education writer, Loren Pope, that provide an unusual commitment to high quality education, accessible professors and sense of community.
http://www.ctcl.org/ - Hispanic Association of Colleges 7 Universities (HACU)
A website devoted to the success of Hispanics in higher education.
http://www.hacu.net/hacu/Default_EN.asp - Hillel
This website provides information about Jewish life a many different colleges in the U.S.
http://www.hillel.org/index - Historically Black Colleges
A listing of the historically Black colleges and universities in the US by region, state and alphabetically
http://www.edonline.com/cq/hbcu/ - Jesuit Colleges
A listing of the 28 Catholic Jesuit colleges and universities in the US
http://www.ajcunet.edu/Member-Institutions - Women’s Colleges
The Women’s College Coalition is an association of women’s colleges and universities in the US and Canada whose mission is the education and advancement of women. They are particularly interested in the recruitment and retention of women in math, science and engineering and the development of women’s leadership.
http://www.womenscolleges.org/
COLLEGE FAIRS
National College Fairs, National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC)
A list of free college fairs sponsored by NACAC throughout the U.S. in which hundreds of colleges participate and both students and parents are welcome
http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/Pages/default.aspx
Performing and Visual Arts College Fairs
A list of colleges fairs sponsored by NACAC designed for students (and their parents) interested in pursuing study in the areas of music, theater, dance, visual arts, graphic design, and other related disciplines. Many regular, as well as specialized arts colleges participate.
http://www.nacacnet.org/EventsTraining/CollegeFairs/pva/Pages/default.aspx
COLLEGE INFORMATION
- College Navigator
Offered by the U.S. Department of Education, this remarkable website offers information that no other site offers, including yearly updated information on every college in the US regarding the percent of applicants admitted (under the Admissions Heading), general information, estimated student expenses, programs and majors, campus security, etc.
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/ - The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (Fair Test)
A listing of all colleges and universities that do not require test scores
http://www.fairtest.org/university/optional - Colleges That Graduate Future Ph.D.s
The Institutional Research group at Reed College provides their research on the top ten schools who produce the highest number of future Ph.D.s in the All Disciplines, Biological Sciences, History, Humanities, Math and Statistics, Political Science, Social Sciences, Chemistry, Physics, Physical Sciences, Anthropology, Foreign Languages, Linguistics, English and Literature, Area and Ethnic Studies and Astronomy.
http://web.reed.edu/ir/phd.html - National Science Foundation List Of Undergraduate Colleges That Produce The Most Science And Engineering Doctorates
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08311/ - The University of Texas at Austin’s website links list
In one place, this website offers the names and website links for all the four year and two year colleges in the United States by state and alphabetically
http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/alpha/
COLLEGE SEARCH SITES
See above CTY College Search and Application
http://cty.jhu.edu/gifted/links-resources/college_links.html
|
|
F
FINANCIAL AID
- CSS PROFILE
A financial aid form provided by the College Board and required by many private colleges for students seeking financial aid.
https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp - FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form provided by the federal government that is required by public colleges and universities from students seeking scholarships, grants, loans or work study jobs.
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ - FAFSA Forcaster
Offered both in English and Spanish, this link helps families get a preview of the financial aid they might be eligible for.
http://www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/ - How College Financial Aid Works
A very useful explanation of how the financial aid process works, including what financial aid is, how you apply, what the usual formulas are, what happens when you qualify (and if you don’t), merit-based scholarships, local and national scholarships, what if you need to get a job, ROTC, etc.
http://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/financial-planning/college-financial-aid.htm - National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) Financial Aid Resources
The National Association for College Admissions Counseling has also put together a list of useful websites.
http://www.nacacnet.org/StudentResources/OnlineStudentResources/Pages/FinancialAidResources.aspx
|
|
I
Independent Educational Consultants Association
A professional organization for educational placement advisors working in private practice
www.educationalconsulting.org
|
|
N
National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
NACAC is the association for college admissions professional, including college admissions officers, high school counselors, independent admissions counselors and others. Most of the website is for admissions professionals, but there is a special section devoted to students and parents.
http://www.nacacnet.org/Pages/default.aspx
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
An athletic association some colleges belong to rather than NCAA.
http://naia.cstv.com/
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
The athletic association to which most colleges belong
- Information About NCAA Student Athlete Eligibility And Recruiting
http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?key=/ncaa/ncaa/legislation+and+governance/eligibility+and+recruiting - List Of Colleges And Universities And Their Respective Sports
http://www.ncaa.com/schools/index.html - List Of NCAA Sports By Fall, Winter And Spring
http://www.ncaa.com/ot/all-sports.html
|
|
O
ON-LINE APPLICATION SERVICES
- The Common Application
Nearly 400 private and public colleges and universities use The Common Application
https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/default.aspx - Universal College Application
This new application is used by about 80 colleges and universities.
www.universalcollegeapp.com/index.cfm
|
|
R
RANKINGS
US News & World Report College Rankings
Provides yearly rankings of national, liberal arts and other colleges in the U.S.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/national-universities-rankings
|
|
S
SAT and Subject Tests (see Testing)
SEARCH ENGINE TOOLS
- Google
http://www.google.com - Yahoo
http://www.yahoo.com
SUMMER EXPERIENCES
- Allen’s Guide, Summer Camps and Travel Programs
A very useful website that leads you to a wide variety of resources including Summer Camps, Arts Summer Camps, Summer Camps in Europe, Religious Camps, Competitive Sports camps, Special Needs Programs, Summer Jobs, etc.
http://www.allensguide.com/summer-jobs/ - KidsCamps.com
Another guide that lists Sports Camps, Adventure Campus, Art Camps, Teen Programs and Tours, Special Interest Camps (e.g., chess, circus, Farm, Magic, etc.), Religious Campus, Special Needs Camps, Military Camps, etc.
http://www.kidscamps.com/ - Peterson’s Summer Programs
An online service that allows you to search for specific kinds of characteristics, including length of time, geographic area, specific interests, etc
http://www.petersons.com/highschool/landing.asp?id=872&path=hs.fas.summer
|
|
T
TESTING RESOURCES
AMERICAN COLLEGE TESTING (ACT)
ACT Website
http://www.act.org
COLLEGE BOARD
- Advanced Placement (AP)
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html - College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html - Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/about.html - SAT Reasoning And Subject Tests
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/about.html
EDUCATIONAL TESTING SERVICE
TOEFL (Test Of English As A Foreign Language)
http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.fab2360b1645a1de9b3a0779f1751509/?vgnextoid=69c0197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD
TRAVEL ABROAD AND EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET)
CSIET is a well-recognized organization devoted to identifying reputable international youth exchange programs at the high school level.
|
|
V
VISITING COLLEGES
College Tour Company
A very reputable tour group
http://www.college-visits.com/
|
|
