FRA College Corner - Resource Materials

Comprehensive References

Cass & Birnbaum’s Guide to American Colleges. Harper Perennial, New York, NY. Good comprehensive guide to admission requirements, costs, programs, etc.
The College Handbook. College Board, New York, NY. Comprehensive handbook listing costs, majors, special programs, campus life/activities, freshman class profile, admissions requirements, enrollment and college setting.
ARCO Field Guide to Colleges. Shannon Turlington. Macmillan. Gives short profiles on over 1500 schools. Has software to help with routing on college visits. Most helpful in planning trips.
Internet Guide for College-Bound Students - Kenneth Hartman. The College Board. Tells how to use the internet as a tool for understanding colleges, majors, careers, and scholarships.
Lovejoy’s College Guide. Monarch Press, New York, NY. Another good comprehensive book listing all the facts: enrollment, costs, programs, admission requirements, etc.
Peterson’s Guide to Four-Year Colleges. Peterson’s Guide, Princeton, NJ. Great comprehensive guide to the colleges. Has everything the other books have but also has sections on location, libraries, athletics, etc.
Barron’s Profile of American Colleges. Barron’s Educational Services, NY. A good guide to colleges providing lots of information.

Subjective Guides

“America’s Best Colleges” - U.S. News and World Report. Magazine’s annual report on the colleges; usually printed in the fall of the year.
Peterson’s Competitive Colleges. Peterson’s Guides, Inc., NJ. Lists and describes 350 colleges considered by the editor to have “the most competitive admissions picture today.”
Kaplan’s Guide to College Selection. Simon&Schuster. Gives advice and guidance on college selection, self-evaluation, and campus profiles.
Handbook for College Admission - Thomas A. Hayden. (Subtitled: “A High School Student’s Guide to Understanding the College Admissions System.”) Peterson’s Guides, Inc., NJ. Goes through the entire process from research through applying to financial aid/scholarships.
Choose a Christian College. Peterson’s Guides, Inc. NJ. Describes schools that are committed to a Christ-centered campus life.
The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges. Yale Daily News, NY. Based on surveys of students and professors, this guide offers subjectively written analyses of the better known colleges in each state.
The Best 311 Colleges - Edward Custard, et.al. The Princeton Review, NY. Based on surveys of students and professors, this guide also offers both objective and subjective material on many colleges in the United States.
The Fiske Guide to the Colleges - Edward B. Fiske. New York Times Books. A guide that gives subjective descriptions and ratings of 317 selective colleges.
Playing the Selective College Admissions Game - Richard Moll. Explains criteria on which colleges base admissions decisions. Discusses myths of the process.
Ivy League Schools at State School Prices - Robert Sullivan. Examines 55 “best honors programs” at state universities throughout the country.
Choosing the Right College : The Whole Truth about American’s Top 100 Schools - Gregory Wolfe. Examines top rated schools and analyzes their qualities.
The Gourman Report: A Rating of Undergraduate Programs. National Educational Standards, CA. Gives rankings of the many majors offered by most universities.
Ruggs Recommendations on the Colleges - Frederick Rugg. Rankings of admission and financial aid resources.

Special Interest Books

Hillel Guide to Jewish Life on Campus - Ruth Fredman Cernea. Princeton Review, NY. Gives data and advice on enrollment and student organizations.
Rand McNally Tripmaker: Guide to College Visits. Peterson. Another most helpful guide.
Looking Beyond the Ivy League - Lauren Pope. Suggests alternatives that are excellent colleges and universities for students to consider.
The Public Ivys - Richard Moll. Gives description of public institutions that Moll considers to provide “superior educational opportunities” while being the equivalent of Ivy League schools.
Colleges That Change Lives - Lauren Pope. Suggests schools some of which are not always as competitive for admission but are “hidden jewels” worth investigating.
Majoring in Engineering - John Garcia. Discusses types of engineering and ways to assess student talents.
The Performing Arts Major College Guide. Peterson’s, Inc. Helps students through the process of searching for schools, doing auditions, and applying.
K&W Guide to Colleges for the Learning Disabled - Marybeth Kravets and Imy Max. A must for students with learning differences.

Standardized Testing

10 SAT’s. The College Board. Good practice for SAT testing as it has ten complete SAT tests. Has answers and computer software.
Cracking the ACT. The Princeton Review. Has 5 full-length practice ACTs as well as software.
How to Prepare for the SAT I. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. Has 7 full-length tests plus a diagnostic test to pinpoint trouble spots. Also has a review of basic math and verbal topics.
How to Prepare for the ACT. Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. Contains full-length practice tests plus detailed analyses and descriptions of all ACT test areas.

College Search Websites

www.collegeboard.com Good website for searching for colleges as well as signing up to take SATs!
www.gocollege.com College and scholarship searches and practice for the ACT and SAT.
www.collegeview.com College search and profiles of over 3,700 colleges and universities, virtual tours, electronic applications, financial aid information, and career planning tools.
www.collegexpress.com Admission information and some virtual tours.
www.collegenet.com Searchable database of colleges and scholarships, applications, etc.
www.campustours.com Provides links to virtual tours, videos, etc.
www.review.com Princeton Review Online. This extensive college and career information site includes timed tests, essay hints, an internship database, career lists by salary and industry, career profiles, and more.
www.collegebound.net College Bound Network.
www.collegelink.com CollegeLink

Scholarships and Financial Aid Websites

www.collegeboard.com College Board Online -A list of loan sources with descriptions - financial aid calculators for students and parents, best authority on CSS PROFILE.
www.fastweb.com Excellent private scholarship/grant search vehicle.
www.fafsa.ed.gov Submit the FAFSA via the web - avoids complications with the mail, filling out forms incorrectly.
www.finaid.org The “ultimate” guide to financial aid resources - links to any and all financial aid sites.
www.nelliemae.org Nonprofit provider of education loans - good information on the differences between private and federal loans.
www.salliemae.com Financial aid calculators - How to find, compare, and manage loans -Information on loans as part of financial aid packages.
www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/ Good overview of available federal financial aid - links to FAFSA express.

Military Websites

www.armyrotc.com ROTC site for the U.S. Army
www.navy.com Comprehensive site - also has ROTC information.
www.afoats.af.mil Information about Air Force ROTC.

Student Athletic Websites

www.ncaa.org National Collegiate Athletic Association - lots of information on playing sports in college.
www.nationalrecruits.com National Recruiting Network
www.collegerecruiting.com College Recruiting
www.ncaaclearinghouse.net NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse site – Sign-up with the NCAA and get information on college eligibility rules and regulations.

Religiously-Affiliated Institutions Websites

www.accunet.org Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
www.ajcunet.edu Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities
www.christiancollegesearch.com Christian College Search

Back: Your Interview of an Admissions Officer Next: Sample Letters