Other Resources for the College Search
ACAP does not endorse any particular Web tools or guides. Those we cite are the ones most commonly used by students with whom we work. A search on the Web or a visit to a bookstore will quickly reveal that this list is just the tip of the iceberg!
On-line Resources
College search engines:
Researching the colleges:
On-line college tours:
Testing and test prep:
Financial aid:
Other:
Brown University—other links:
Print Resources
Starting your list:
- The College Finder, by Steven Antonoff. A great resource to use to start and round out your list — offers lists of colleges by a wide range of categories.
- Rugg’s Recommendations On the Colleges, by Frederick Rugg. Another resource to help you identify a select group of colleges that offer a particular major or program.
Researching your list:
- 100 Colleges Where Average Students Can Excel, an Arco book by Joe Anne Adler. It offers a list of 100 places that tend to be very supportive of their students.
- Best Buys in College Education, a Barron’s book by Lucia Solorzano. A guidebook which offers narrative views of a range of colleges—a great book to stretch the list a little. Offers info on places that don’t always make it to the Fiske Guide or other narrative books.
- The Best 351 Colleges by the Princeton Review. Another book with narrative profiles in addition to the statistics highlighted in the sidebars.
- College Board College Handbook. Exhaustive directory of the nation's 3,500 four- and two-year universities and colleges.
- Colleges That Change Lives, by Loren Pope. In-depth profiles of 40 special colleges that are well respected in the college industry.
- Fiske Guide to Colleges, by Edward B. Fiske. A helpful resource—gives a narrative view of about 300 colleges.
- Insider's Guide to the Colleges, by Yale Daily News Staff. Similar to the Fiske Guide. Students give a perspective on 300 schools, from academics to campus life.
- Looking Beyond the Ivy League, Finding the College That's Right for You, by Loren Pope. Another resource which covers the college search process, but from the perspective that there are lots of great colleges out there, not just the Ivies.
Writing your essays and applications:
- Acing the College Application, by Michele Hernandez.
- On Writing the College Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance and the College of Your Choice, by Harry Bauld.
- Rock Hard Apps, by Katherine Cohen.
- The Truth About Getting In: A Top College Advisor Tells You Everything You Need to Know by Katherine Cohen.
Preparing for tests:
- 10 Real SATs, by the College Board.
- Up Your Score: The Underground Guide to the SAT, by Jason Abaluck, et al.
Looking for scholarships:
- College Board Scholarship Handbook. Descriptions and requirements for more than 2,000 scholarships, internships and loans.
Other Books:
- The Gatekeepers, by Jacques Steinberg. Best-seller featuring a look inside the admissions office at Wesleyan.
- Getting In, by Bill Paul. Another book which offers a view into the admission process, this one at Princeton.
- Learning Outside the Lines, by Jonathan Mooney and David Cole. A book that's helpful for students with Learning Disabilities
