All the resources you may need for your college application.
There are many college search tools out there such as Unigo, Niche, Collegeboard and many more. All the sites out there are great in their own way but the best way to get the most comprehensive search is to use them in conjunction with each other, that way you get information from all the websites combined.
1) The College Board notably offers the SAT and AP exams, but the website also contains a comprehensive database that can assist you in exploring and narrowing down college options.
2) Unigo: https://www.unigo.com is another great website for college search. 3) https://www.noodle.com/ is a site where you can put in search criteria and will return a list of school that match the criteria you have put in. 4) College Data is another website that offers match tools based on admission criteria, cost, most popular majors, financial aid, etc.
The SAT and ACT are standardized admissions tests that assess a student’s readiness to tackle college-level work, and are scored out of 1600 and 36, respectively. Generally speaking, if a student is aiming for more selective programs, colleges also require two to three SAT Subject Tests in addition, while the ACT alone is sufficient as well.
Khan Academy is a great free resource for SAT prep as it offers free, real past SAT papers.
1) & 2) The SAT and ACT are standardized tests that assess a student’s readiness to tackle college-level work, and are scored out of 2400 and 36, respectively. Generally speaking, if a student takes the SAT Reasoning Test, colleges also require two to three SAT Subject Tests in addition, while the ACT alone is sufficient as well.3)website: https://www.number2.com, (Links to an external site.) this site is recommended in the book "Admission Matters" by Springer. By creating an account you can access a customized course that includes user-friendly tutorials, practice sessions that dynamically adapt to each student's ability level, a vocabulary builder, etc. 4) https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/sat (Links to an external site.)This test prep source offers an abundant amount of practice questions along with videos and guides, and it's free. It offers the in-depth overview of every sample question.
The Common Application, and, to a lesser degree, the Universal College Application, is a platform from which you can apply to a large majority of American schools (notable exceptions include the University of California system and Georgetown). The Common App requires you to answer (in 250-650 words) one of five general prompts that relate to your personality, history, or mindset, and also enables you to submit supplemental writing materials to colleges.Some of the universities don't use The Common Application. To apply to those, you would have to go on to the university specific website and apply.
The common app essay is another vital part of your application process. It changes from year to year but they generally ask you the same kind of thing. Make sure to check CollegeBoard for your classes' essay prompts.
Some colleges give you a lot to write about, some give you very little, some give you options, some give you multiple prompts. Whatever the case is College specific essays are confusing which is why having an admissions consultant is so useful. Our expert tutors will help you navigate through these prompts and break them down so they're easier to write.
1) Youvisit.com has virtual tours for almost 1000 universities. If you don't find the university you are interested in, you should probably request it because the site stated that the more request, the sooner they will make them available.2)Campustours.com - offers video clips of university events. You can get a feel for campus life through these videos.3) Youniversitytv.com (you have to watch the ad, but the video was good. The video is done by two students, it is not on the official website, but I suppose it's okay.
Scholarships and financial aid work differently depending on each individual school, so do consult the college's own information on scholarships and financial aid. But generally speaking, private universities are more inclined to give out scholarships. Often times, private institutions give merit based scholarships, which will lower the total cost tremendously. We have seen as much as 100% tuition waive.
1) FAFSA https://fafsa.ed.gov/ is where every student and family need to go to apply for financial aid. 2) https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search by collegeboard is where you can search for scholarships. 3) http://www.savingforcollege.com/has a wealth of financial information including 529 plans. 4) https://www.petersons.com/college-search/student-financial-aid-college.aspx gives you the basics for paying for colleging including financial aid, scholarships, steps, criteria, etc.
The most important resource during the final decision is the colleges themselves. By April 1st, you should have received all the offers. The decision somewhat is just as challenging, if not more, as the application itself. Visiting the colleges, reaching out to the students and faculties are risk free actions to take and you have now put them on the side of being "judged".
