Useful Links
In this article, we share links to common websites which you will find useful when researching colleges and during the admissions process.
Useful Links
Search the Internet for anything related to College admissions and you will find more information that you can handle. What is often lacking however is good reliable curated information that is presented easily and it helps to know where to look. Here are some resources that you are bound to find useful. Please read through these and browse the links to know more.
Common Application, managed as a not-for-profit association, is an undergraduate college admission application that applicants may use to apply to nearly 900 colleges and universities. CommonApp endeavors to make the application simple, the process logical, and the experience joyful.
https://www.commonapp.org/apply/essay-prompts
Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the world's largest private nonprofit educational testing and assessment organization. The develop and administer a broad range of educational products and services, including the TOEFL. ETS also develops and administers the SAT, and the Advanced Placement (AP) exams and other programs on behalf of the College Board.
College Board (originally College Entrance Examination Board or CEEB) is an American nonprofit organization that develops and administers standardized tests and curricula used to promote college-readiness as part of the college admissions process, such as SAT, SAT Subject Tests, AP Program etc.
U.S. News provides rankings and lists of National Universities and Liberal Arts Colleges, extensive statistical profiles and ability to compare colleges side by side, and other valuable tools to help students narrow their college search and find the college or university that’s right for them.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges
ACT, Inc. is a nonprofit organization and conducts the standardized test ACT, designed to assess high school students' academic achievement and college readiness. In 2019, ~52 percent of U.S. high school graduates took the ACT test.
Coalition App is a consortium of diverse public and private colleges and universities that has come together to improve the college admission application process for all students. The Coalition has developed a free platform of online tools to streamline the experience of organizing and refining your academic skills, discovering your college options, and preparing your college applications.
https://www.coalitionforcollegeaccess.org/
College Navigator is a free consumer information tool designed to help students, parents, high school counselors, and others get information to evaluate US colleges. Created by the US Department of Education and its National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the site includes institutional data on programs offered, retention and graduation rates, prices, aid available, degrees awarded, campus safety, student loan defaults and accreditation.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
College Visits - You cannot define a college by numbers and data alone. By walking through the classrooms and corridors, by meeting the people and talking to them, students get a feel for the vibe of the college. To experience the spirit and personality of a college there is no substitute to a college visit. The library and the dining halls tell stories that no review can match. What's the next best? A virtual tour. Many college websites have virtual tours as well, but here are two sites that will help you visit hundreds of colleges virtually while seated comfortably in your couch.
https://www.ecampustours.com/
Books are a great way to learn more about colleges. While the respective college websites are your best source to get the latest and most accurate information, there are many good college guidebooks such as Fiske’s guide, The Insider’s Guide to Colleges and so on. These books provide a lot of information in the form of factual data about colleges which allows you to compare colleges across a variety of parameters. Since the information keeps changing and gets updated every year, please make sure to get the latest copy.
College & Me is a series of articles featuring useful information about College Admissions for undergraduate degree programs in US colleges.