Resources
ACT Registration
http://www.act.org/
SAT Registration
http://www.collegeboard.com/
HOPE Scholarship Information
http://www.gsfc.org/
Common Application
http://www.commonapp.org/
Schools in Georgia
www.usg.edu/ga-easy
FAFSA on the web
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
CSS Profile on the web
http://www.collegeboard.com/
Scholarship and Financial Aid Sources
http://www.fastweb.com/
http://www.wiredscholar.com/
http://www.financialaid.com/
http://www.finaid.com/
College Search Information:
http://www.collegeboard.com/
http://www.collegeview.com/
http://www.petersons.com/
http://www.princetonreview.com/
NCAA Athletic Information:
http://www.ncaa.org/
Suggested Readings
For those who would like to do some additional reading about the college admissions process, Lovett's College Counseling Office recommends the following books:
The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, by Jacques Steinberg
(A review from Library Journal)
New York Times education reporter Steinberg takes us behind the scenes to experience the arduous and even grisly process of admissions at a major New England college. From fall 1999 to spring 2000, Steinberg shadowed Wesleyan University admissions officer Ralph Figueroa as he traversed the country recruiting students. The author had the unprecedented opportunity to attend admissions meetings with Figueroa and his colleagues in which the applicant pool of 7000 was reduced to 700 openings. Steinberg also followed six students through the admissions process and carefully documented their personal experiences, backgrounds, and interactions with the admissions officers to discover why some students stand out in the officers' memories and actually become bargaining chips in meetings with their colleagues. Although the author explicitly states that this is not another "how-to" manual for gaining admission to college, it nonetheless reveals that there are no set formulas and that the decision rests on factors that may not be wholly within the control of the applicant. Mark Alan Williams, Web Lib. & Document Storage Svcs., Hines VA Hosp., Chicago Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Paying for College Without Going Broke, published by The Princeton Review
(A review from Amazon.com)
Paying for College Without Going Broke offers insider strategies for maximizing financial aid and minimizing college costs. Particularly helpful for parents who will be sending a child to college within a few years, the book explains how parents can pan ahead to improve chances of receiving financial aid, calculate aid eligibility, complete the financial aid forms, negotiate with the financial aid office, learn about education task breaks, and manage special circumstances such as a single-parent household or an independent student. Paying for College Without Going Broke is updated yearly.
The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, by Alexandra Robbins
(A review from Publisher's Weekly)
In this engrossing anthropological study of the cult of overachieving that is prevalent in many middle- and upper-class schools, Robbins (Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities) follows the lives of students from a Bethesda, Md., high school as they navigate the SAT and college application process. These students are obsessed with success, contending with illness, physical deterioration (senior Julie is losing hair over the pressure to get into Stanford), cheating (students sell a physics project to one another), obsessed parents (Frank's mother manages his time to the point of abuse) and emotional breakdowns. What matters to them is that all-important acceptance to the right name-brand school. "When teenagers inevitably look at themselves through the prism of our overachiever culture," Robbins writes, "they often come to the conclusion that no matter how much they achieve, it will never be enough. "The portraits of the teens are compelling and make for an easy read. Robbins provides a series of critiques of the system, including college rankings, parental pressure, the meaninglessness of standardized testing and the push for AP classes. She ends with a call to action, giving suggestions on how to alleviate teens' stress and panic at how far behind they feel.
The College Admissions Mystique, by Bill Mayher
(A review from Ingram)
In this fresh and plain-spoken book, an admissions pro demystifies the difficult process of applying for college. With humor and an insider's knowledge, he untangles the web of emotions and misinformation that makes the process so hazardous. Bill Mayher covers practical issues, including discovering colleges, narrowing the search, finding financial aid, and using college counselors to the best advantage.
Letting Go, by Karen Levin Coburn
(A review from Amazon.com)
Letting Go is about what it feels like for parents when their kids go off to college. Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger provide a compassionate approach, practical information, and advice about the physical and emotional processes of letting go. They discuss the college-age child's search for identity, independence, and intimacy; give a succinct and accurate description of how college life has changed over the decades; and provide a year-by-year breakdown of what to expect. Plus, you can read about typical and not-so-typical problems including date rape, crime, eating disorders, drug and alcohol use, and sexual issues. Of special note is the focus on orientation and the freshman year, including the disorientation parents feel once the drop-off has been made.