Top 10 College Admissions Websites
Books, websites, magazines, blogs, newsletters! College admission resources are everywhere and overwhelming. Do you pay for a scholarship search? Hint: NO!!! Will that sports recruiting site get you a scholarship? How do parents know what is legitimate and what is hype? Here is a list of my 10 college admission websites for parents and students that deliver top notch information for free:
1. Collegeboard.com
This website provides SAT registration and information, a reliable and easy to read college search engine, and financial aid guidance. It’s a great starting place for basic information! www.Collegeboard.com
2. Niche.com
It’s hard to find reliable sites with student reviews that aren’t littered with those who are bitter and angry. I think Niche does the best job of proving a balanced view from students of their college, and it has a great report card for each institution. As with all review sites, take it with a grain of salt, but it’s the best that I’ve found so far. https://www.niche.com
3. Collegedata.com
At collegedata, not only can you get a complete search engine and financial aid information, there is an admission predictor, links to college net price calculators and even guides to help a student fill out different applications (common app, coalition app). This site is a one stop shop! https://www.collegedata.com/
4. Cappex.com
Trying a couple search engines is like getting a second opinion, totally worth it! And this one is also great place for a free scholarship search. They bought Meritaid.com not too long ago allowing you to search for college specific and talent base scholarships from all over the US. https://www.cappex.com
5. Finaid.org
Finaid.org explains the various financial aid programs available to families, from loans to scholarships. It also provides calculators and the necessary forms for parents to fill out. It’s a safe site that will not ask you to pay for information, and it is not sponsored by a financial institution trying to lure you into selecting their loans. The author also puts out Fastweb, a great free scholarship search engine. www.finaid.org
6. Hscounselorweek.com
Are you tired of trying to keep current on all the media regarding college admissions? This newsletter pulls together the top stories each week and e-mails them to you. It’s intended for high school guidance counselors, but parents and students are welcome to join, and it’s free. http://hscounselorweek.com/
7. Ope.ed.gov/security
The federal government now collects campus crime statistics. If you have concerns about the safety and security at colleges, this is the place to go. Keep in mind that controversy does swirl around truth in reporting and whether nearby off-campus crime is included. Nevertheless, it is the most cohesive source for campus crime data available today. http://ope.ed.gov/security/
8. Berecruited.com
Founded by former coaches and ESPN executives, this athletic recruiting site rocks! Some of the features are free and others cost a nominal amount. Many recruiting sites will charge you thousands to post your information for coaches, but this site won’t. It’s an excellent place for athletes to get information on the recruiting process and post their athletic resume and videos for coaches to review. www.berecruited.com
9. Fairtest.org
Not everyone is a standardized test whiz, and studies have shown that the SAT and ACT are not a predictor of how well students will do in college. So today, more than 1000 colleges and universities in the U.S. have joined Fairtest and do not require students to submit standardized test scores. Find the list of member institutions here. www.fairtest.org
10. USnews.com/rankings
While I am not an advocate of rankings in general, I do find them helpful in some respects. For instance, if you are looking blindly to determine which universities have the best engineering program or nursing program, they can be helpful. However, be very skeptical of listings that name the top “party” or top “meet your mate” schools. Those lists tend to be wildly inaccurate and are designed to sell magazines--period. http://www.usnews.com/rankings
