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Support: College Planning

• Guidebooks: Davidson Institute Guidebooks

  Considering the Options: A Guidebook for Investigating Early College Entrance (Parent Version)

  The Davidson Institute Team and Nancy Robinson, Ph.D., teamed up to write this guidebook designed to help you assess certain aspects of your child’s readiness for early college entrance. Sources and tips are listed for financial aid, distance learning and correspondence options, college guides, alternative schooling and more.

  Considering the Options: A Guidebook for Investigating Early College Entrance (Student Version)

  The Davidson Institute Team and Nancy Robinson, Ph.D., teamed up to write this guidebook designed to help students assess certain aspects of their readiness for early college entrance. Tips and advice are provided on self-exploration, advantages and disadvantages, alternatives and preparation.

  Considering Your Options: A Guidebook for Investigating Gap Year Opportunities

  This guidebook is a tool for both parents and students who are considering a gap year as an educational option. Readers will find information on gap year options for students under the age of 18, the pros and cons of taking a gap year, what colleges think of students who pursue a gap year and much more.

• Organizations: International

  The Leap

  The Leap offers gap year placements which combine multiple locations and volunteering project opportunities in a single trip. This means students challenge both their minds and bodies, while making a positive difference and satisfying their desire for travel and adventure, all at once.

  The Rhodes Scholars

  Rhodes Scholars are elected for two years of study at the University of Oxford, with the possibility of renewal for a third year. All educational costs, such as matriculation, tuition, laboratory and certain other fees, are paid on the Scholar's behalf by the Rhodes Trustees. Each Scholar receives in addition a maintenance allowance adequate to meet necessary expenses for term-time and vacations. The Rhodes Trustees cover the necessary costs of travel to and from Oxford, and upon application, may approve additional grants for research purposes or study-related travel.

  Travel Access Project (TAP) - Gap Year Programs

  Travel Access Project (TAP) offers a variety of Gap Year Programs including the opportunity to receive a grant to offset the costs associated with taking a Gap Year. These grants are not tied to any particular program, so anyone planning to take a Gap Year can apply. Recipients receive student membership in the Gap Year Association, a travel backpack from Tortuga Backpacks, and access to support and discounts from partner organizations. Applications are opened in early spring. Max award: $3000.

• Organizations: Local

  Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) Scholars (New York, NY and San Francisco, CA)

  SEO Scholars is an academic advocacy program based in New York City and San Francisco, which aims to motivate low-income public high school students to get to, and graduate from, competitive colleges and universities. High school students are offered classes on Saturdays, after school and during the summers to prepare them for college. Once in college, SEO Scholars are supported through direct, ongoing counseling to assist with adjusting to college life, building academic success skills, exploring career options and securing internships.
  

• Organizations: National

  Advanced Placement Program - The College Board

  This site provides comprehensive information about AP exams and courses, including participation, AP preparation, exam information, subject areas and FAQs.

  Greenwich Education Group

  Greenwich Education Group houses a rich array of academic resources, including subject tutoring, test preparation, day and boarding school advisory services serving gifted students, college counseling, diagnostic assessment, clinical and coaching services and social skills support.

  National Association of Math Circles

  Mathematical Circles are a form of education enrichment and outreach that bring mathematicians and mathematical scientists into direct contact with pre-college students. These students, and sometimes their teachers, meet with mathematical professionals in an informal setting, after school or on weekends, to work on interesting problems or topics in mathematics. The goal is to get the students excited about the mathematics, giving them a setting that encourages them to become passionate about mathematics

  New Frontiers In Learning

  This organization provides academic and social supports for high school and college students. Coaches work with students of all ability levels, including students with learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and related learning differences, as well as those who may simply benefit from some assistance developing time management, organizational, financial management, or related executive functioning skills. The New Frontiers model of support for students transitioning to college focuses on the individual needs of each specific student in the program, and provides services to students in high schools and colleges in the Westchester, New York City and Long Island areas, with the ability to work remotely with students in other parts of the country/world via video conferencing.

  QuestBridge

  QuestBridge is a non-profit program that links bright, motivated low-income students with educational and scholarship opportunities at some of the nation's best colleges. QuestBridge is the provider of the National College Match Program and the College Prep Scholarship.

  Student Coaching Services

  Student Coaching Services offers programs for a wide swath of needs, most notably college and career planning. SCS has also grown to include a team of tutors and coaches from certified education backgrounds, all especially talented at bringing the best out of students.

  The College Board

  The College Board is a national nonprofit membership association whose mission is to prepare, inspire, and connect students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the association is composed of more than 4,300 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations.

  The Purpose Challenge

  Scientific evidence makes it clear that a strong sense of purpose—a personal commitment to a meaningful goal that is of consequence to the wider world—is linked to improved health, well-being, and success. The Purpose Challenge is a free online toolkit aimed at high school students in the process of applying to college. They also offer a contest in which participants write a college essay based on what they have learned from the Purpose Challenge toolkit for a chance to win money for college.

  Volunteen Nation

  At Volunteen Nation, teens have the power to make a difference through volunteer work. Over the years this organization has connected more than 16,500 youth all across the country to find volunteer opportunities. When teens volunteer not only are they giving back to their community, they’re making a difference in their own lives as well. The skills and experiences teens gain when they donate their time will help them succeed in life by setting them apart from other college and job applicants. There is an opportunity for every type of teen whether they want to pursue a career in the medical field, enjoy reading, or love being outdoors.

• Organizations: State

  Truman State University - List of Competitive Scholarships (Kirksville, MO)

  Located in Kirksville, Missouri, Truman State University does not require a separate scholarship application for Competitive Scholarships, saving families the time and the hassle of finding a scholarship the student qualifies for. All materials submitted with a student's application for admission are reviewed in the competitive scholarship selection process. Scholarship consideration is given to domestic candidates who apply for admission by December 1.

• Printed Materials: Books

  Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting into College

  This book takes the unique approach of simultaneously addressing students and parents as it guides them through the complexities of selective college admissions. Click here to read a review of this book.

  And What About College? How Homeschooling Can Lead To Admissions To The Best Colleges & Universities

  This is a helpful, practical guide to college admissions for homeschoolers, especially those who may not have had a "typical" program or sequence of study (including unschoolers or early college entrants). Cohen describes and provides examples of how to translate interdisciplinary homeschooling curriculum and apprenticeship experiences into a high school transcript, and de-mystifies the college admissions process. Highly recommended, especially as a guide to developing a transcript for students whose homeschooling programs have included non-traditional educational experiences.

  College Comes Sooner Than You Think! : The College Planning Guide for High School Students and Their Families

  Authored by teachers Jill Reilly and Bonnie Featherstone, this is a necessary book for those starting the college planning process. Topics include: evaluation of the student's strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes; career exploration; taking the necessary tests; shopping for college; preparing college applications; campus visits; planning finances and other helpful tools.

  College Essay Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay

  In this book, college counselor Ethan Sawyer will show you that there are only four types of college admission essays. And all you have to do to figure out which type is best for you is answer two simple questions: 1. Have you experienced significant challenges in your life? 2. Do you know what you want to be or do in the future?

  College Planning for Gifted Students (3rd Edition)

  This book is a must-have for any gifted or advanced learner planning to attend college. Sandra Berger, a nationally recognized expert on college and career planning for gifted students, provides a hands-on, practical guide to college planning in this revised edition. Berger leads students through the college planning process, moving from self-exploration, to college matching, to the application process. The author also provides useful, practical advice for writing college application essays, requesting recommendation letters, visiting colleges and acing the college entrance interview. Click here to read a review of this book.

  College Success for Students with Learning Disabilities

  Planning for college can be one of the biggest moments in a teen’s life, but for those students with learning and other disabilities, the college experience can be fraught with frustration, uncertainty, and lowered self-confidence. Written by Cynthia G. Simpson, Ph.D. and Vicky G. Spencer, Ph.D., this book offers teens the confidence, strategies, and guidance they need to effectively choose a college, get prepared for university life, and make the most of their collegiate experience. Special sections also discuss ADHD and Asperger’s syndrome. Click here to read a review of this book.

  College Success for Students With Physical Disabilities

  College Success for Students With Physical Disabilities is a college planning guide for students with physical disabilities and chronic medical conditions. Students will learn about their rights under the laws governing education and disability, self-advocacy, choosing a college, how having a physical disability affects admissions testing, the increased responsibilities in college, and how to make sure they get everything they need. The book contains forms, checklists, interviews with other students, advice from college disability services personnel, and profiles of disability-friendly colleges across the United States.

  College Without the Campus: Earn Your Degree While Saving Time & Money

  Author Hillary Harshman decided to skip student debt by beginning college in high school using credit-by-exam tests. She continued testing out of her college classes to earn her accredited bachelor's degree from Thomas Edison State University for under $10,000. Using her first-hand experience as the book's framework, she shares resources and techniques specifically curated to help others reach their degree goals.

  Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges

  In an era when college rankings and name-brand recognition seem to drive the search process, many students, parents and counselors may be left questioning the options for a good college match. Click here to read a review of the 2006 edition of this book.

  Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming and Just Plain Different

  This unprecedented guide to the "coolest" colleges profiles forty of the most innovative and unusual schools in the country. Study on a cattle ranch where you work for your tuition. Spend winters snowed in with your classmates on a mountain in Vermont. Or try an experiential curriculum, where all of your classes are taught outdoors.
  Each school features quotes from currently enrolled students. In addition, the book includes a mini-profiles of other "cool" schools, including: free colleges, women's and men's colleges, military colleges, Ivy League colleges, colleges with unusual facilities, colleges favoring minorities, and more.

  Discounts and Deals at the Nation's 360 Best Colleges : The Parent Soup Financial Aid and College Guide

  This is book explains the reality of financial aid, in which scholarships, discounts, and deal-making reduce the sticker price at even the best schools. The book uses a unique two-part format to take parents through the financial aid maze.

  Early College Programs: Summer College Programs for High School Students

  This book by author Robert Hydrisko is the nation's first guidebook for pre-college and enrichment programs for high school students. Find out where and why more than 30,000 high school students attend early college programs every year. A must-read for parents, counselors, librarians, teachers, and students.
  

  Early Entrance to College: A Guide To Success

  This book by Michelle Muratori, identifies important issues that need to be discussed and choices that need to be made before and after one enters college. Muratori explores factors affecting academic, social, and emotional adjustment to college. Click here to read a review of this book.

  Finding Your Way through the Maze of College Prep Tests: A Guide to APs and SAT Subject Tests with Tips for Homeschoolers and Accelerated Learners

  Written by the parent of a gifted student, this book is filled with information that parents and students may find helpful when making decisions about pre-college planning and testing. The following questions are addressed. Are you a high school student trying to decide on college prep courses? Are you a parent wondering about APs and how they affect your student's high school and college plans? Are you homeschooling through high school and need resources for tackling college prep work and the details about how to register for testing? This reference will guide you through the ins and outs of AP exams and SAT Subject Tests, including answers to: Are there special rules for homeschoolers or pre-high school students?

  Forging Paths: Beyond Traditional Schooling

  Traditional schooling may not provide your son or daughter with a satisfactory or fulfilling education. In this book, you’ll read the stories of nine young people who took varying, nontraditional educational paths and succeeded in their chosen endeavors and vocations. Click here to read a review of this book.

  From Homeschool to College and Work

  This book is about turning homeschooled experiences into college and job portfolios. As a parent who homeschooled and, more importantly, unschooled her children since birth, McKee had often pondered how she would go about writing a college portfolio if her children chose to attend college. This book outlines how her family wrote two successful college portfolios. Topics covered are (1) how to get started (2) documenting the learning process (3) compiling data for a portfolio (4) putting a final document together to create a college admissions portfolio or job resume.
  

  Get Into College in 3 Months or Less

  Get Into College in 3 Months or Less offers the perfect last-minute rescue to ensuring college entrance. Filled with insider tips and tricks, this book is ideal for parents and their kids who are too busy to spend hours combing through university brochures or filling in applications and need to complete the college admission process fast.
  

  Getting into the Right College

  This book is an exceptionally useful overview for the college bound. Information on everything from interviews to standardized tests, college essays, and financing is included, along with a "road map" of institutions, organized into such categories as "Small College Bargains," "Most Innovative Curriculums," and "Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities." Tthere is a selective roundup of listings by subject specialty--engineering, architecture, business, etc.

  Greenes' Guides to Educational Planning: The Hidden Ivies - Thirty Colleges of Excellence

  The Hidden Ivies focuses on liberal arts colleges and universities that are of comparable quality to the Ivies. Based on surveys and interviews with students as well as college presidents, deans of faculty, and other administrators, The Hidden Ivies presents an inside perspective of thirty leading institutions of exceptional merit. These colleges and universities provide an outstanding educational experience for the gifted college-bound student and provide the foundation for life after graduation.

  Home school, high school, and beyond: A time management, career exploration, organization, and study

  This book/course is designed to help teens become increasingly independent in planning and managing their own homeschooling programs. Sections include goal-setting; making a four-year high school plan; working out a yearly plan; planning individual courses; developing and completing course assignments and projects; scheduling; record-keeping; and planning for post-secondary education. The book contains many helpful, reproducible forms that will streamline the planning and recordkeeping tasks of home schooling for many families. Transcript format options are included. It is nominally coming from a Christian perspective, but can easily be adapted to students of any faith, or none.

  Homeschoolers College Admissions Handbook

  This book is for homeschooling families who are looking at college. The transition from homeschooling children to preparing them for success in college requires planning and preparation. As the parent of a homeschooler, there are many issues to consider besides academic excellence: fulfilling other people's expectations and standards, tackling standardized tests and application essays, and introducing your homeschooler to the atmosphere of a college campus.
  

  How to Get Into the Top Colleges

  How to Get into the Top Colleges is the definitive resource for students determined to stand out from the increasingly crowded and competitive field of applicants and join the ranks of the chosen few at America's most prestigious schools.

  How to Go to College Almost for Free: The Secrets of Winning Scholarship Money

  Ben Kaplan shares his scholarship-winning secrets in an intelligent and funny voice that's very student-friendly. This how-to guide is an helpful tool for students and parents.
  

  How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success

  This book provides advice on how to refrain from "overparenting." Author Julie Lythcott-Haims, Dean of Freshmen and Undergraduate Advising for more than a decade at Stanford University, presents a convincing vision of overprotected, overparented, overscheduled kids. After presenting the problem in detail (through interviews with college admissions officers, educators, parents, and others), she offers a number of viable solutions. This book provides parents the backup needed to make essential changes. The goal of parenting should be to raise autonomous adults who are self-reliant.

  It’s the Student, Not the College

  Research shows that where students attend school makes little difference to future financial success or quality of life - personal qualities such as ambition, perseverance, and a sense of purpose are all more important. Author Kristin M. White has helped hundreds of parents and students look beyond the dream-school hype and focus on what’s most important. She shares this knowledge with readers in her book "It’s the Student, Not the College."

  Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years

  Based on real-life experience and recommended by colleges and universities around the country, Letting Go offers compassionate, practical, and up-to-the-minute information to help parents with the emotional and social changes of the college years. Click here to read a review of this book.

  Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That's Right for You

  Reaffirming the value of the small liberal arts college, this book shows parents and students to look beyond Ivy League and other well-known schools to choose the college that best suits their needs--and how to avoid the pitfalls of the college selection process. This unique book gives students and their parents an assurance no other does: that for the 97% who don't get into Ivy League schools, there are good colleges that will do as much or more to start them on successful lives.

  Making It Into A Top College

  This book covers 10 Steps to Gaining Admission to Selective Colleges and Universities. The competition for admission to the best colleges keeps getting tougher. Howard and Matthew Greene have mastered the science and art of college admission. The proven ten-step program they use in private counseling is now available to all students who want to attend an outstanding college or university.

  Nurturing Brilliance: Discovering and Developing Your Child's Gifts

  This book offers advice to parents about what they can do to nurture the talents of children who demonstrate evidence of various types of giftedness. It includes concrete recommendations for getting appropriate educational adjustments from a child’s school, as well as how to help a child develop communication and motor skills, deal with friendship and parent-child relationship issues, learn the best way to become financially responsible, and choose the right college.
  

  Scholarship Handbook

  The College Board Scholarship Handbook is the ideal resource for students and parents looking for alternative ways to fund a college education. It provides complete and authoritative facts about more than 2,100 scholarships, internships, and loan programs offered to undergraduates nationwide by foundations, charitable organizations, and state and federal government agencies. Each program is clearly described, and indexes help students quickly find scholarships for which they qualify.

  Setting the Records Straight: How to Craft Homeschool Transcripts and Course Descriptions for College Admission and Scholarships

  This book is designed to provide parents the tools and information they need to create homeschool records to perfectly document their homeschool education in a way that will demand attention. The author's proven system will teach you how to present your child to colleges in the best possible light.

  The Best 380 Colleges, 2016 Edition (College Admissions Guides)

  Students shopping for colleges have long relied on The Princeton Review's publications. The Best Colleges provides information on each school and rates them in terms of campus life, academics, selectivity, and financial facts, with tips on getting in. It also includes frank and revealing quotes from students attending these institutions.

  The Best Kept Secrets for Winning Scholarships

  Searching for scholarships and financial assistance is a challenge. To be successful, one must discover and follow the strategies of outlined in this book by Brenda Smith which details step-by-step plans for winning scholarships. Click here to read a review of this book.

  The College Admissions Mystique

  In this fresh and plainspoken book, admissions professional Bill Mayher demystifies the college application process, guiding students and parents through this too often anxiety-filled ritual.

  The Complete Book of Colleges, 2018 Edition (College Admissions Guides)

  The Princeton Review's Complete Book of Colleges profiles more than 1,355 colleges and universities, and shows students what they need for a successful college search. The book includes facts and figures on students and faculty, academics, facilities, extracurriculars, admissions, costs and financial aid.

  The Complete Guide to the Gap Year: The Best Things to Do Between High School and College

  The newly updated second edition is the go-to book for anyone considering a year to recharge, to follow a passion, to become immersed in another culture, or to find their love of learning again. It includes everything a student, parent, or guidance counselor would want to know about the gap year, including what a gap year is, what it is not, and how it can have a positive impact on a young life. Whether it means spending a year on a sailing vessel, coaching sports and teaching in an impoverished area, or following a passion in the arts or academics, this invaluable guide will help students evaluate their interests, plan for, and fund their gap year. Click here to read a review of this book.

  The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College

  The book follows a diverse group of prospective students as they compete for places in the nation's most elite colleges.

  The Guidance Manual for the Christian Home School: A Parent's Guide for Preparing Home School Students for College or Career

  This manual provides Christian homeschoolers with a plan for preparing for schooling and career after high school graduation. The Callihans explore the college admissions process, college entrance, career preparation, future family life, and other related issues from a Christian perspective. Specific materials and resources are suggested. The Callihans also briefly address the issue of early graduation.

  The Insider's Guide to the Colleges, 2015

  The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges is the only college reference written and researched by students for students. Our writers have interviewed hundreds of undergrads—about academic life, diversity, the dating scene, even the food—to uncover what it’s really like to work and play at the country’s top colleges. Rather than glossy brochure hype, you get the unvarnished truth about campus life told directly by the students who live it.

  The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Differences, 12th Edition: 350 Schools with Programs or Services for Students with ADHD or Learning Disabilities (College Admissions Guides)

  This book is a comprehensive resource for selecting the right college for students with learning disabilities.

  Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High-School Paperwork

  This book covers everything parents need in order to assign grades, grant credit, and keep the right records. New in this edition is a chapter on Records and Transcripts for Special Needs Students, quotes from college admissions counselors on what they want to see in the homeschool transcript, and more information on granting credit and weighted grades for AP and honors courses.

  Up Your Score: The Underground Guide to the SAT and ACT

  Updated with new versions on a yearly basis, this book series is an excellent resource for any student preparing for the SAT or ACT. They are the only test-prep guides written by actual students who aced the test. These kids have been in your shoes, so they know what you want: proven strategies for outsmarting the tests, of course, alongside heaping portions of humor, illustration, and the latest pop culture references.

  Visiting College Campuses

  There are dozens of books with college stats, and hundreds of Web site virtual tours, but really, nothing takes the place of the actual, live campus visit. This excellent college guide paves the way to the 250 most-toured campuses in the U.S., providing parents and students with maps, directions, nearby accommodations, tour times, dormitory stay options, how to meet professors and admissions officers, and when's the best and worst time to visit.

  What High Schools Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know): Create a Long-Term Plan for Your 7th to 10th Grader for Getting into the Top Colleges

  A plan to help parents of middle and early high school students prepare their kids for the best colleges. This book helps parents of seventh to 10thgraders create a long-term plan that, come senior year, will allow their kids to virtually write their own ticket into their choice of schools. Click here to read a review of this book.

  Winning the Heart of the College Admission Dean

  In this collection of insightful, candid advice from college-counseling guru Joyce Slayton Mitchell, students and parents will find the core information they need to confidently research colleges, write essays, fill out applications, make sense of financial aid and interviews, and, most important, win the heart of many a college admissions dean.

• Printed Materials: Online Documents

  College Admissions and the SAT: A Personal Perspective

  The intent in this paper is to offer a personal perspective on the events that led to a major change in the SAT college admissions test. The new test will be in place for all students --nationwide--who must take the SAT as part of the admissions process for the college class entering in the fall of 2006. Hopefully, this account will be useful to those trying to change policies and practices deeply entrenched in our society.

  Helping Gifted Children and Their Families Prepare for College: A Handbook Designed to Assist Economically Disadvantaged and First-Generation College Attendees

  This book is a gold mine for families of all economic backgrounds who are homeschooling gifted children! Most homeschooling families do not have access to guidance services and must figure out the college entrance maze on their own, this book goes far in guiding parents and students through that process step by step. Multi-year planning is encouraged, and the book is sensitive to the unique issues of gifted college bound students coming from diverse backgrounds.

• Schools & Programs: College Affiliated

  Beacon College (Leesburg, FL)

  Founded in 1989, Beacon College was the first institution of higher education in the country accredited to award bachelor degrees exclusively to students with learning disabilities, ADHD and other learning differences. The College is committed to student success, offering academic and personal support services that help each student achieve his or her goals.

  Pioneer Academics

  Pioneer Academics offers college-level research opportunities to exceptional high school students worldwide. The Pioneer Research Program identifies gifted high school students and arranges collaborations with faculty from prestigious colleges and universities, who mentor the students one-on-one as they pursue original research of their own choosing. The program, which is conducted entirely online during the spring and summer months, gives high achievers an outlet in which to channel their passion for learning, while also exposing them to the rigors of college-level research.

• Schools & Programs: Independent

  Socrates Preparatory School (Casselberry, FL)

  Socrates Preparatory School is a non-profit educational organization founded by a group of seasoned and exceptionally skilled educators with passion and vision for education. Their mission is to serve students and their parents as they embark on their educational journeys, providing rigorous research-based curriculum and student-centered instructional strategies, exceptionally qualified and passionate teachers, a low student/teacher ratio, a specialized art and engineering program, an academic enrichment program, and a superior guidance and college preparation program.

  The Episcopal Academy (Newtown Square, PA)

  The goal of this school is to provide students with a challenging curriculum designed to develop their intellectual powers. It is intellectually challenging; it requires integrity, a strong work ethic, motivation, and a willingness to seek help when needed.

  The Gow School (South Wales, NY)

  The Gow School is a college-prep boarding and day school for students, grades 7-12, with dyslexia and similar language-based learning disabilities.

  The Grayson School (Philadelphia, PA)

  The Grayson School is a non-profit, independent private school for gifted students in the greater Philadelphia area. The goal of the school is to provide an individual learning experience for every child, tailored to their advanced educational needs.

• Schools & Programs: Math & Science Programs

  Biotechnology High School (Freehold, NJ)

  This public preparatory high school focuses on preparing students for a future in higher education, with an emphasis on biotechnology and other life sciences.

  Science Leadership Academy (Philadelphia, PA)

  The Science Leadership Academy is a partnership high school between the School District of Philadelphia and The Franklin Institute. SLA is an inquiry-driven, project-based high school focused on 21st century learning that provides a rigorous, college-preparatory curriculum with a focus on science, technology, mathematics and entrepreneurship. Students at SLA learn in a project-based environment where the core values of inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation and reflection are emphasized in all classes.

• Schools & Programs: Public

  Northside College Prep (Chicago, IL)

  The mission of this public high school is to create a community of learners striving to fulfill their individual and collective intellectual, emotional, social, and ethical potential; to forge partnerships for learning among parents, students, teachers, and local community institutions; and more.

  Oxford Academy (Cypress, CA)

  The mission of this school is to prepare students to be ethically and academically focused for entrance into college/university. OA is a seventh through twelfth grade college preparatory public school that opened in September of 1998. Recognized as a California Distinguished School, OA draws students from the entire attendance area of the Anaheim Union High School District.

  Pacific Collegiate School (Santa Cruz, CA)

  This public charter school emphasizes international, cross-cultural and technological education.

  University High School (Tucson, AZ)

  This is a public college preparatory high school located in Tucson, AZ. A number of Advanced Placement and Honors classes are offered.

  Walnut Hills High School (Cincinnati, OH)

  This school is nationally recognized as one of America’s top public schools. Walnut Hills offers an advanced, accelerated curriculum for six grade levels, an Honors Program and College Board Advanced Placement Program with 28 courses, and more.

  Whitney High School (Cerritos, CA)

  The mission of this single-purpose high school for grades 7-12 is to prepare academically proficient students for entrance to and success at their best-match university. The school emphasizes academics and appropriate co-curricular experiences that develop socially and academically successful students.

• Summer Programs: MidAtlantic Region

  Rutgers Summer Scholars Program for High School Students (New Brunswick, NJ)

  This program is designed for advanced high school students (and, on a case-by-case basis, younger, gifted students) to participate in a university summer session program. It offers over 2,000 course sections, independent study/research opportunities, and internships at their New Brunswick, New Jersey campus.

• Summer Programs: Midwestern Region

  Precollege/Dual Enrollment Program - Missouri State University (Springfield, MO)

  This program is for high school juniors and seniors who would like to get a head start on college. The Precollege Program provides high-achieving high school students the opportunity to take college courses on campus before graduation. Some of the benefits of the Precollege Program include: receiving college credit while still in high school; getting acquainted with being on a college campus; making connections with college students, faculty and staff; and the opportunity to take courses in subjects not available in some high schools.

  The Robert E. Cook Honors College - Summer Honors Program for High School Students (Indiana, PA)

  Robert E. Cook Honors College's Summer Honors Program is a place where talented high school students come together for one to two weeks and form a community of scholars who explore academic and collegiate living in a real college setting. Working closely with dedicated professors offers promising students the unique opportunity to experience college life while still in high school. Students will live with counselor-in-residence in one of IUP's residence halls, share meals in the dining hall, and learn with senior IUP professors during each day's classes. Evening activities expose students to college life outside the classroom. The program closes with a Saturday brunch with faculty and family.

• Summer Programs: National

  Student Education Programs - Pre-College Summer Programs Directory

  The purpose of this summer educational pre-college program directory is to provide information about quality summer educational pre-college programs and camps to students, parents and educators. The directory was started by educators to help connect students with valuable summer opportunities. There are links to specific category pages on the left side of each page. The category pages of the directory include subject-specific pages and state-specific pages.

• Summer Programs: Southern Region

  Emory University Pre-College Program (Atlanta, GA)

  This is a summer academic program for high school students. It gives college-bound rising juniors and rising seniors an exciting glimpse of academic and residential life at a top-ranked national university. High school students may explore topics with professors who are the leading experts in their fields, enroll in classes with college students, and earn transferable college credit. Two-week noncredit courses and three-week noncredit institutes are available. Students wishing to earn credit alongside Emory undergraduates will enroll in a six-week course through the Emory Summer College for High School Students.

• Websites & Other Media: Apps

  All College Application Essays

  This app allows users to organize and keep track of college application requirements on your mobile device.

• Websites & Other Media: Commercial

  College Wise

  College applications can be stressful. College Wise counselors make it easy. They help students find their perfect college match (and have some fun in the meantime).

  GT College Advising: College Planning for the Exceptionally Advanced Student

  GT College Advising assists exceptionally capable students and their families in planning for and negotiating the high school years and the college application process. They work with students with unusually advanced academic profiles who often arrive with less traditional educational backgrounds, including magnet schools, hybrid online and brick-and-mortar education, dual enrollment, and/or homeschooling.

  Kaplan Online Test Preparation Courses

  This distance learning program offers students help in preparing for a range of tests from elementary school through graduate school. Available online and as a CD-ROM curriculum, courses use sample tests and teach test-taking techniques for improving standardized test scores.

  University Language Services (ULS)

  University Language Services (ULS) provides certified translation and interpreting in more than 150 languages in academic and scholarly settings. UniversityLanguage.com’s primary demographic is students between the ages of 16 and 25 who are choosing a college or university, attending an institution of higher learning, selecting a study abroad program or searching for their first full-time job.

• Websites & Other Media: Informational

  AffordableCollegesOnline.org

  With the cost of college and student debt continuing to rise, this website provides information to help students find affordable college options and ways to save money. Visit the Resources > Spotlight section of this website to access a series of guidebooks for students with disabilities, Hispanic students, information about a 529 Savings Plan and how students can clean up their social media profiles. Under Resoruces > Financial Aid, readers can find articles, guides and videos. Also under Resources, there is a directory of introductory Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from top universities, as well as a guide to online colleges and eLearning excellence.

  AP Central - The College Board

  AP Central is the official online home for anyone interested in or involved with the Pre-AP or AP Programs&reg.
  

  Becomeopedia.com

  Becomeopedia.com is a website dedicated to providing the most up to date and accurate information about How to Become Anything to assist with career planning. This site contains articles about pursuing careers in various fields.

  Cappex College Search Made Simple

  This website offers college admissions information in a comprehensive manner. It provides college search with details on tons of college admissions topics, such as colleges, universities, admissions, college degrees, college courses, college applications and college tuition.

  CareersandColleges.com

  CareersandColleges.com is a college, scholarship, and career search site on the web that provides tools for college-bound and current college students to assist in their college planning efforts. The site includes a free scholarship search, a free college search, test prep, and articles and advice related to college admission, financial aid, test prep, and careers.

  Chegg.com

  This website that uses a comprehensive student profile to match the student to colleges and scholarships.

  Civil Engineering Degree

  A website created to help new college students find in-depth and unbiased information about picking the right Civil Engineering degree to fit their needs. The website provides information about various schools, and aims to help new students find the best program based on their interests.

  College Atlas

  This website is dedicated to helping aspiring students and education oriented professionals make better, more informed choices by providing them with relevant, reliable and up-to-date information about colleges and higher education opportunities.

  College Board Big Future Scholarship Search

  This is an online tool to help students locate scholarships, internships, grants, and loans that match your education level, talents, and background. Complete the brief questionnaire and Scholarship Search will find potential opportunities from our database of thousands of sources for college funding.

  College Cost Calculator - College Board Big Future

  This page on the College Board website provides an easy-to-use calculator to help those interested in college determine its cost by the time they enroll. Students can project costs from actual fees from particular colleges or just use the average costs provided.

  College Rankings - Princeton Review

  College students (120,000 of them) reveal what life is really like at the nation's top schools. This guide gives you college rankings like no other and covers all the essentials -- from academics to social life to financial aid, and everything in between. Also provided are the basics: admissions criteria, deadlines, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and more.

  College Results Online (CRO)

  College Results Online (CRO) is an interactive, user-friendly Web tool designed to provide policymakers, counselors, parents, students, and others with information about college graduation rates for nearly any four-year college or university in the country. CRO allows users to: Examine colleges' graduation rates, and see how those rates have changed over time; Compare graduation rates of similar colleges serving similar students; Learn about colleges' track records in graduating diverse groups of students.

  CollegeConfidential.com

  College Confidential was founded to demystify many aspects of the college admissions process, and to help even "first timer" students and parents understand the process like 'old pros.' This website helps with topics such as: College Search and Selection; College Admissions; Financial Aid and Planning; College Counseling; and, College Life.

  CollegeWeekLive

  Get college application tips and advice online at CollegeWeekLive, the world's largest college fair. CollegeWeekLive revolutionizes college admissions, making the process easier by saving you time. CollegeWeekLive connects colleges with students, parents, counselors live online. CollegeWeekLive is free.

  Coursera

  Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online.

  Education: Gifted and Talented Students - KidSource Online

  This website offers articles relating to gifted education, home schooling, twice exceptionalities, college and career planning, and more.

  Education-Portal.com

  Education-Portal.com is a resource hub for students and working professionals to research career paths, degree programs, and schools within their chosen disciplines. This was accomplished by a dedicated team of experts including educators, librarians, college counselors, career counselors, and journalists to provide practical information in both written and video formats.

  Edvisors

  Edvisors is a valuable resource for everyone involved in the scholarship process. We have compiled an extensive database of scholarship opportunities for students to search, and we are currently helping scholarship-granting organizations to move their applications online.

  Find Your College - Princeton Review

  This section of the Princeton Review website is allows users Find Your College by selecting arious search criteria and saving search results. Users start by choosing to search colleges, law schools, business schools and medical schools.

  Fiske Guides to Colleges

  For more than 25 years, the Fiske Guides have been an indispensable source of information for college-bound students and their parents.

  Go4College.com

  Go4College.com quantifies a student's chances of getting in to certain schools using percentages. This service combines admissions expertise with advanced statistical analysis to give students the probability of admission at the colleges they are considering.

  Going to College

  This organization aims to get high school students with disabilities excited for the college application process. Their website includes informational videos narrated by high schoolers, as well as a variety of resources for all stages of the college application process.

  How to Survive the College Admissions Madness

  This article discusses how to survive the college acceptance and rejection process as a parent of high-achieving students.

  Majoring in Music

  MajoringInMusic.com is designed to demystify, clarify, and address clearly the steps that need to be taken to successfully major in music. It is also designed to support students in learning what it takes to build viable and fulfilling music careers. The website was conceived as a response to a need voiced by students, parents, teachers, counselors and music schools across the country for accurate, objective, and helpful information about majoring in music.

  Masters Degree Online Guide to Schools

  Masters Degree is the only website dedicated to providing students with a complete list of their school options for obtaining a masters degree. Currently there are more than 480 U.S campus-based schools in their database.

  Noodle.com

  Noodle is the first and only life-long education related search company in the world. John Katzman, the founder of The Princeton Review and 2Tor, started Noodle in 2011. This website's goal is to provide a recommendation engine to help anyone find educational opportunities at all levels, from K-12 to college, grad school, weekend classes, and professional development.

  Online Colleges

  OnlineColleges.org provides a complete and up-to-date database of online colleges and programs offered at private and public not-for-profit colleges and universities in the United States.

  Online Masters

  This website is designed to provide impartial information about obtaining a master's degree online, offering information about programs based on topic and location.

  Peterson's Applying to a School of Visual and Performing Arts

  Article about applying to a music and dance school such as Juilliard, which requires a very different competitive edge than applying to a school like Harvard, because the goal of selective art and music colleges is to admit students with extraordinary talent. Read this article, then search Peterson's College database.

  Preparing to be Nerdy where Nerdy can be Cool: College Planning for Students on the Autism Spectrum

  This article discusses some of the decisions and difficulties that people with autism are faced with when they decide to go to college. Also included are links to additional information and resources.

  Rejected by Stanford? You'll live

  This article, written by the dean of admission and financial aid at Stanford University, provides students guidance on what steps to take if they are not accepted into the first college of their choice.

  Sallie Mae - Plan For College - College Ahead

  This is a destination for getting a head start on preparing for the world of continuing education. You'll find pointers on the entire "Going-to-College" process from preparation to getting loans. College Answer also has interactive tools that enable you to analyze the affordability of schools, compare financial aid award letters, and search for scholarships.

  SAT Preparation Center - The College Board

  This webpage on the College Board's website includes everything you need to know in order to prepare for the SAT. Learn more about the SAT, register online, and get the latest information about the SAT Program. Register online and you can: choose your test date and test center; get immediate registration confirmation; view your scores early on the Web for no additional fee; receive your scores by e-mail; get recruited by colleges and universities.

  SAT Question of the Day App

  This free app helps high school students get an idea of what to expect on the SAT test by providing a daily test question and other test prep assistance.

  Shmoop

  The Shmoop website offers free learning guides, online courses, college readiness prep, and test prep. The website also provides subscription-based test preparatory services and practice examinations. They also offer a Careers page and College 101 section. Thousands of schools around the world use Shmoop as part of their curriculum.

  Teen Life

  This website offers resources geared toward providing teenagers in the United States with information about educational opportunities, summer programs, gap year programs, volunteer opportunities and after school activities. The website provides a searchable database with thousand of entries, as well as newsletters and an online community.

  The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) (Washington, DC)

  This organization is a public voice for college-preparatory boarding schools and the central resource for boarding school education. They serve roughly 300 boarding schools across the United States, Canada, and abroad. Serving as a bridge between schools and students, they actively support the needs of boarding schools themselves, and provide information and insight to families about the benefits of a boarding school environment.

  The Common Application

  The Common Application membership association was established in 1975 by 15 private colleges that wished to provide a common, standardized first-year application form for use at any member institution. With the administrative support of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the organization grew steadily throughout its first 30 years.

  The Princeton Review

  The Princeton Review helps students, parents, and educators achieve the best results at every stage of their educational careers. By focusing on preparation and practice, we help students improve their performance in the classroom and on standardized tests. Through our website, we help parents, teachers, students and schools navigate the complexities of school admissions.

  The TEAK Fellowship

  The TEAK Fellowship aims to help talented New York City students from low-income families gain admission to and succeed at top high schools and colleges. Students are eligible for admission to TEAK in the fall of their sixth grade year. Along with academic support, TEAK provides leadership training, exposure to the arts and outdoors, mentoring, career experience, and assistance with the high school and college application processes. If accepted, programming begins the summer after 6th grade and continues with intensive after-school and Saturday classes during the 7th grade year and beyond.

  United Planet - Gap Year Volunteering

  United Planet Quests are designed to be immersive, authentic, comprehensive and provide students with everything they need to succeed. The program elements allow students to engage fully with a new culture, forge strong relationships, and challenge themselves. Most importantly, United Planet partners with communities to ensure student experiences will be important, relevant and helpful.

  Universities.AC - The Largest Global Directory of Academic Institutions

  This web site provides a searchable database of over 18,000 URLs and descriptions of higher educational institutions in 192 countries. Universities.AC database contains information about the education system of countries, together with details of credential qualifications and higher education institutions. Find complete details and the latest news for universities, colleges, online degrees and diplomas worldwide.

  What Can I Do With This Major?

  Whether exploring multiple majors or searching for information about a chosen field, this site will help connect majors to careers. Learn about the typical career areas and the types of employers that hire people with each major, as well as strategies to make people more marketable job candidates.

  YOUniversityTV

  Our site is like no other - we provide our users with a visual perspective on schools of higher education by way of individual video campus tour segments of literally 100's of schools in the U.S. - original and exclusive in nature, and all created with the full cooperation and participation of every school on our roster. We feel that providing information through the medium of video resonates with today's teens better than just providing text. As a matter of fact you'll see in many videos, areas of a school which are not even available to view as a regular part of that school's official walking tour!

• Websites & Other Media: Learning Tools

  TestPrepPractice

  This website offers free, non-biased and precise information and resources for students, researchers and academicians and academic NPOs and NGOs. The organization is dedicated to devoting significant time and effort in authenticating any information or resource presented online.