Websites
Big Future
The College Board’s Big Future allows you to research school by name, location or will give you matches based on a brief quiz.
Campus Tours
View thousands of virtual campus tours and maps.
Christian College Guide
Browse Christian Colleges by affiliation, size, location, athletics and major.
Colleges That Change Lives
CTCL is a non-profit organization with the goal of each student finding a college that develops a lifelong love of learning and provides the foundation for a successful and fulfilling life beyond college.
Green Colleges
The Top 50 Green Colleges, plus reported sustainability information from over 300 more schools.
Hillel College Decision Hub
Collects resources for Jewish high school students and their families, including college comparison tools and scholarship information.
International Study Abroad Program / USA Study Abroad
Research study abroad programs to find schools in America that can send you abroad.
Intelligent
Using publicly available data, Intelligent’s team ranks each college and program by flexibility, faculty, course strength, cost, and reputation for your dream major. Results that say “Visit Website” are sponsored.
NCES College Navigator
NCES College Navigator is a federal tool that allows users to easily search, compare, and evaluate colleges nationwide using reliable, up-to-date data.
Online College Search
Search for schools offering online degrees by degree offered, state of origin, or by subject area.
US News and World Reports College Rankings
Get exclusive rankings of 1,600 schools. They also have tools to search for your perfect fit and details on scholarships, loans, and grants.
Recommended Books
The College Blue Book (eBook)
Guide to thousands of 2- and 4-year schools in the U.S. and Canada. Volumes 1-3, 5, and 6 cover the expected listings and detailed descriptions, degree programs offered, scholarships, and more specific collegate information. Volume 4 (Occupational Education) covers Trade Schools, Certificate Programs, and other alternatives to traditional college.
Fiske Guide to Colleges
A highly recommended leading guide to over 320 four year schools in the US, Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland, based on information provided by real students.
The Best 389 Colleges by The Princeton Review
This guide from The Princeton Review features in-depth profiles of their top 389 colleges, ranked by academics, financial aid, and student feedback.
Recommended Resources
Alternatives to a 4-Year College: What To Know
U.S. News guides students through alternative routes, so you can decide if a four-year college is really what’s right for you.
Do SAT and ACT Test Scores Still Matter to Top Colleges?
In a test-optional world, New York Magazine breaks down what standardized tests scores mean to top colleges across the USA.
How to Apply for College: The College Application Process
A step-by-step guide showing you how to build a list of colleges and how to perfect your application.
Kaplan Survey: College Admissions Officers Think It’s OK to Visit Applicants’ Social Media, But Most Don’t
Worried colleges will be checking your socials? View the results of this study from college admission officers across the state and use your best judgement.
Pathfinders Podcast
A podcast created by RHS students that explores a large range of career paths in STEM through interviewing a variety of professionals.
Webinars
The Princeton Review’s Free College Admissions Webinars
Each month, The Princeton Review offers free webinars focusing on a different college admissions topic. Check back often to see if one of your blind spots is an upcoming focus.
Collegewise Seminars and Free Resource Guides
Collegewise offers webinars and resource guides focusing on everything from general road maps and financial aid to specific guides to maximize your chances of success.
Collegeadvisor.com Webinars
Collegeadvisor.com, powered by USNews.com, has over 300 webinars archived on their site focusing on highly specific topics, including comparing Ivy Leagues, writing a personal statement, and college panels from students who currently attendly highly sought after schools.
Recommended Books
Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Go to College: A Modern Guide for Understanding College and Career Choices
Feel more informed and comfortable with the path you’d like to go down with this data-filled guide on higher ed and workforce trends. It compares four year schools, community colleges, trade schools, and other alternative pathways so you can make an informed choice for your future.
50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays
Contains 50 admission essays from current Ivy League students as well as a list of common mistakes in order to help you create the perfect essay for your dream school.
The Mindful College Applicant
A reassuring guide to help practice mindfulness and reduce stress on both the student and their parents during the college admissions process.
Websites
Learning Express Library
This database offers practice tests and preparation tools on a variety of tests such as the SAT, ACT, AP, CLEP and more.
Peterson’s Test & Career Prep
Take full length practice tests for standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT, and AP Exams, research undergraduate and graduate school programs, and explore different career options.
Free ACT Test Prep
The landing page from the official ACT website, including links to a free digital and free physical version of the test.
Full Length SAT Practice Tests
Worried colleges will be checking your socials? View the results of this study from college admission officers across the state and use your best judgement.
Testing Apps
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is the only app that has an official partnership with the SAT. Prepare for your test with daily practice problems, subject review, and full length tests.
PerfectPrep – ACT & SAT Prep
PerfectPrep is one of the few apps that let you practice for the SAT and ACT within the same app. Set your test date and the app will develop a study plan with you, focusing in on your weak areas before test day.
SAT: Practice, Prep, and Flashcards
SAT: Practice, Prep, and Flashcards features comprehensive study content to help you hone your vocabulary, sharpen your math skills, and practice your writing.
Magoosh ACT Flashcards
ACT Flashcards designed by experts on the test and updated for the latest content on the ACT. They cover the essential English, math, and science knowledge students need to know and are a confidence-boosting supplement to practice questions.
Recommended Books
The Official Digital SAT Study Guide
The Official Digital SAT Study Guide provides a comprehensive resource for understanding updates to the SAT in the digital format. It includes four official practice tests — all created by the test maker. This is the only place to find practice tests in print accompanied by over 300 pages of additional instruction, guidance, and test information
The Official ACT Prep Guide
The Official ACT Prep Guide is the only book made by the creators of the test. The “Big Red Book” walks you through the entire testing experience and provides effective test-taking strategies, including six full length practice tests.
We also have the official prep books for the four subject tests: English, Reading, Math, and Science.
800+ SAT Practice Questions
Done with practice tests, but want to keep drilling questions? Check out this collection designed for the digital SAT, including modules to mimic the new section adaptability.
ACT 5-Hour Quick Prep
Calm your test day jitters with this book designed to help you prep for the ACT in only 5 hours, including a section full of quick reminders for the night before the exam.
Websites
FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a form required to be submitted each year in order to be considered for financial aid from the U.S. Government. It is required by many colleges.
HESAA
For our teens staying in New Jersey for college, HESAA, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, is the only New Jersey state agency with the sole mission of providing students and families with financial and informational resources to pursue education beyond high school.
NJStars
The New Jersey Stars program fully covers tuition for each NJ high school’s top fifteen percent of students at their home community college. Participants who earn an associates degree and transfer to a four year school are also eligible for more financial aid through NJStars II.
CSS Profile
The CSS Profile is an online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid, sponsored by The College Board. Some, but not all, schools participate.
College Savings Calculator
Intimidated about how much college could cost? Use this calculator provided by FINRED to see when and how to begin saving.
Bold.org
A scholarship hub designed to match each applicant with private scholarships they are most likely to get accepted for. Includes many no-essay options.
College Scholarships
Browse scholarships using several criteria including sports, minority, subject or by state. No registration required.
Scholarship America / Scholarship America Hub
ScholarshipAmerica.org is a highly rated non-profit that helps outside organizations (like Amazon, Burger King, or Penguin Random House) award their scholarships to students.
Recommended Books
The Ultimate Scholarship Book
Information on thousands of scholarships, grants, and prizes indexed by career goal, major, academics, public service, talent, athletics, religion, ethnicity, and more. Includes information on how to complete the application process, including eligibility requirements, how to obtain an application, how to get more information about each award, sponsor website listings, award amounts, and key deadlines.
How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay
Winners of $100,000 in scholarships share 30 essays that won more than $3 million in scholarships and insights on how to write a winning scholarship essay, understand what scholarship judges want, and master the interview.
The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make
Written for parents, this book offers a look at how much parents need to save, what’s worth paying extra for, and the process of setting financial goals to get the best deal possible.
Get Free Cash For College
A proven strategy guide revealing all the secrets to create winning applications with a directory of 175 scholarships anyone can win and a library of winning scholarship applications.
The Student Athlete’s Guide to Getting Recruited by Stewart Brown
This book addresses how to get recruited by top colleges and universities and also how to excel academically in both high school and college to ensure a successful career as a student-athlete. Offering insider information, this guidebook for getting scholarship money also provides tips for understanding the complicated NCAA recruiting rules, information on what colleges really want from athletes in their programs, and the transition from high school to college athletics.
