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Absolutely necessary (And awesome!) resources for the college applicant:
1. College Board: (www.collegeboard.com)
What it is: the College Board are the people that handle AP testing, SAT testing, and a host of other college-related stuff.
How To Use It: the College Board’s “College Search” function is one of main reasons you’ll be bookmarking this site. Their handy little search tool pulls up info on just about any college in the US, with the stats you want to know right on the front page. Make use and search away!
2. Unigo (www.unigo.com)
What it is: Though this site isn’t perfect, it’s certainly worth checking out. Unigo gives you the scoop on thousands of colleges straight from the students themselves. This website is consistently up to date and offers information on less traditional college characteristics such as “Arts Culture” and “Alcohol Use”
How to Use It: Not only can you use Unigo to get information from the students directly, it’s also a great place to check out photos of the campus, often from a more accurate perspective than those cheesy brochures will show you. As we all know, a campus’s appearance shouldn’t be the only factor, but seriously—who wouldn’t want to make absolutely sure their dream school isn’t secretly a run-down concentration camp?
3. Fastweb Scholarships (www.fastweb.com)
What it is: Touted by guidance counselors everywhere (We’re willing to bet five dollars that this website was on the first handout your school ever gave you on getting into college), this love-it-or-hate-it website offers about a billion and one scholarships for the cash-strapped college applicant.
How to Use It: We’re not going to lie, the design of this website is a little lacking, and the ads—well, don’t get us started—but this is a genuinely good resource for scholarships, and the most comprehensive one we’ve found so far. Fill out their little questionnaire and let the cash-search begin.
1. The Common App: (www.commonapp.org)
What It Is: This should be a no-brainer, but if you’ve haven’t started an account on this awesome website, do it right now. No really, go, we’ll wait. We promise it’s worth your time. Common App will get your app to schools in a way that’s a lot tidier and easer to manage than paper apps.
How to Use It: We’re hoping to have a Common-App Help section up and running soon for the mastering the ins and outs of this occasionally complicated website. In the meantime, however, feel free to hit up our ask box with even the smallest question. We promise we’re here to help, and your common app really is important—it’s what ultimately goes to the schools you choose, after all.
