Why College?

College (either a 4 year or 2 year program) can open doors to a wider world and give you a chance at earning a much better income with much better benefits that just a high school education. As you can see in the chart those with higher education have a lower unemployment rate and a higher income. Where would you like to see yourself on this chart? Are you ready to work for it?

Image from 2014 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

If you are thinking of attending college - check out some of these resources for more information.

Websites for College-Bound Students

Most Popular Links
- The Princeton Review - all sorts of college information
- College Board - The SAT test plus all sorts of testing and college preparation information
- ACT - the ACT test and other resources
- Federal Student Aid Site - Federal Student Aid Site for students, parents and counselors
- FinAid - Student aid resource site
- Students.gov - student gateway to the US Government
- US Dept. of Education - search for student aid resources by state
- Scholarship Scams - avoid scholarship scams - don't pay!
Personality and Career Assessment
- Bureau of Labor and Statistics Career Guide - link your favorite subject in school to a possible career
- Life Colors Questionnaire - What Kind of Person Are You?
- The Princeton Review Career Test
- The Vocational Information Center
Reading Lists for Students
- Young Adult Library Services – outstanding books for the college bound
- College Board - 101 great books for the college bound readers
Search for Colleges
- National Center for Education - links and searches to colleges and universities
- Online Education and Degrees – online education and degree program information
- Peterson’s – find colleges by degree programs of interest
- College Atlas - up-to-date information about higher education opportunities
Online Education Links
- AIU Online – career-relevant degrees
- Capella University – degree programs listed by professional focus
- Kaplan University – includes financial aid info
- University of Phoenix Online – includes links to all campus locations
- Westwood College – technical program available
College Rankings
- Top 100 National Universities - US News & World Report
- College and University Rankings - a list of different ranking sites
Two Year College Resources
- Community College Review – profiles of community and junior colleges
- Axia College Online – online education offering associate degrees
- League for Innovation in Community Colleges – international consortium of community colleges
- American Assoc. of Community Colleges
Military Careers
- http://www.todaysmilitary.com/ - Military (general)
- http://www.army.mil/ - Army
- http://www.navy.mil/ - Navy
- http://www.uscg.mil/USCG.shtm - Coast Guard
- http://www.marines.com/ - Marines
- http://www.af.mil/ - Air Force
Virtual Tours
- http://www.ecampustours.com/ - virtual campus tours
- http://www.campustours.com/
- http://www.campusview.com/ - collection of on line view books
- http://www.collegiatechoice.com/ - non promotional videos of colleges
What are my Chances at This School?
Testing Calendars
- The SAT Calendar
- The ACT Calendar
Health and Safety for Students
- Centers for Disease Control - learn what you can do to enjoy college the safe and healthy way!
- Healthy Minds – great mental health resource
- Health Insurance Quotes – student health insurance quotes and plans
About the Different Tests
- ACT test - used for college admissions, an alternative to the SAT
- Advanced Placement (AP) tests - information about AP testing
- www.collegeboard.com/prof/counselors/apply/12.html - Sat Subject Test Requirements at different schools
- College Level Examination Program (CLEP) - about the CLEP program
- ISEE – Independent School Entrance Exam - often used for entrance into private high schools
- PLAN test - generally administered fall of Sophomore year
- PSAT – Preliminary SAT
Test Prep Resources
- http://www.testprep.com/ - by Stanford Testing Systems
- http://www.act.org/ - online registration and prep for ACT
- http://www.eurekareview.com/ - Eureka One on One Review, LLC
- http://www.vocabulary.com/ - fun ways to improve your vocabulary
Scholarship Search
- http://www.scholarship.com/ - finding scholarships
- http://www.fastweb.com/ - Financial Aid and Scholarship Search
- http://www.collegeboard.com/ - College, Career, Scholarship Search
- http://www.tuitions.com/ - scholarship search
- http://www.wiredscholar.com/ - SallieMay site for financial aid
- http://www.collegepayway.com/ - tools for planning to pay for college
Financial Aid Calculators
- www.finaid.org/calculators/ - financial aid calculator
- www.act.org/fane/index.html - calculator on the ACT website
Financial Aid Links
- http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/ -Federal Student Aid Site or call 1-800-433-3243 (TTY 800-730-8913 for hearing impaired)
- http://www.finaid.org/ - Student aid resource site
- http://www.students.gov/ - student gateway to the US Government
- http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/- online FAFSA application
For Minority, Low-Income, First Generation Students
- www.finaid.org/otheraid/minority.phtml - minority aid site
- www.smart.net/~pope/hbcu/hbculist.htm - historically black colleges
- http://www.educacionsuperior.org/
- http://www.yesican.gov/ - White House initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans
- http://www.yosipuedo.gov/ - spanish version of same site as above
- http://www.chciyouth.org/ - english and spanish information on planning - free publications
- http://www.hispanicfund.org/ - Hispanic resource for college aid
- http://www.uncf.org/ - United Negro College Fund
- http://www.ubp.com/ - universal black pages
- collegefund.org - American Indian fund
- http://www.aimd.org/ - American Institute for Managing Diversity
- http://www.aihec.org/ - American Indian Higher Education Consortium
- www.sciencewise.com/molis - Minority Scholarships and Fellowships
- www.ed.gov/offices/OBEMLA -Department of Education/Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs
- http://www.black-collegian.com/ - the Black Collegian
- http://www.blackexcel.org/ - Black Excel: The College Help Network
- http://www.hillel.org/ - Jewish resource for colleges
- http://www.gmsp.org/ - Gates Millennium Scholars Fund
- http://www.hsf.net/ - Hispanic scholarships
- http://www.hacu.net/ - Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
- http://www.jbhe.com/ - Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
- qemnetwork.qem.org - Quality Education for Minorities
- www.nativeculture.com/lisamitten/education.html - Tribal Colleges, Native Studies Programs, and Indian Education
Students With Disabilities
- http://www.ahead.org/ - Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)
- http://www.add.org/ - Attention Deficit Disorder Association
- http://www.chadd.org/ - Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders
- http://www.ldanatl.org/ - Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
- http://www.ldresources.com/ - Learning Disability Resources
- http://www.ncld.org/ - National Center for Learning Disabilities
- http://www.fcsn.org/ -Federation for Children with Special Needs
- http://www.ldonline.org/ - Learning Disabilities Online
- http://www.nifl.gov/ - National Adult Literacy & Learning Disabilities Center
Thanks to the Humboldt CCC lab for this great information!! See more on their Career and College Access page.