Here is a list of some web sites that might be useful, helpful, or just fun as you think about colleges, scholarships, financial aid, and careers. All of these sites contain information that is free of charge; some of them also offer further services for fees. You may also want to be cautious about giving up some of your private information when you "register" on some of these sites. Most offer you the option to uncheck a box in order to not receive email advertisements.
COLLEGE INFORMATION: GENERAL
College Board - SAT information and registration, CSS Profile information (see Financial Aid), a variety of other college resources
ACT - ACT online registration and information
The Education Condervancy - site dedicated to the return of sanity in the college admission process; a must-read for students and parents
Athletic Aid - information for student athletes about the recruiting process
NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association site; information about registration for students who are capable of playing NCAA sports in college
College Navigator - college search site sponsored by National Center for Educational Statistics
The Princeton Review - tips, advice, college search
College Quest - the Peterson's site, with tips, advice, college search
CollegeSource Onoline - more than 14,000 online college catalogs
CollegeView - the Hobson's site, with tips, advice, college search
The Common Application - online and downloadable Common Application site
Education Portal - original articles and videos for researching schools, degree programs, careers, and online courses
Embark - college info, online applications, tips
GreekPages.com - info about fraternities and sororities on college campuses
CollegeNET - online application system plus college search, etc.
My College Guide - take the advice from this source with several grains of salt, and watch out for out-of-date info
Number2.com - free online SAT preparation
Satprepplan.com - free online SAT preparation
Colleges That Change Lives - information about the colleges featured in the book Colleges That Change Lives
GoCollege.com - a little of everything, including college search and practice SAT and ACT tests
COLLEGE INFORMATION: SPECIFIC COLLEGES
To find specific college websites, try www. (type in the name of the college).edu; in some cases, the name of the college may be abbreviated, but your computer's search engine will find it for you.
University of California
ASSIST - statewide student transfer information for California students
CSUMentor - California State University information (links to individual campuses)
CaliforniaCollege.edu - information about all types of colleges within California, plus financial aid and more
UC Berkeley
UC Davis
UC Irvine
UCLA
UC Merced
UC Riverside
UC San Diego
UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Cruz
Foothill - De Anza
San Mateo County Community College District (Cañada, College of San Mateo, Skyline)
National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education
UTours - information of Canadian Universities
SCHOLARSHIPS AND FINANCIAL AID
Fastweb - a free scholarship search site
College Board - information about the CSS Profile student financial aid application for many private colleges; online calculator to determine Expected Family Contribution
CollegeData - a great deal of info about what it will actually cost to go to college; provided by a bank, so you will find offers for credit cards, etc., but you can ignore them!
FinAid! - comprehensive financial aid information
CalGrants.org - information about Cal Grants
www.collegegoalsunday.com - lists free College Goal Sunday events where students and parents can go for assistance in filing the FAFSA
EdFund - information about student loans
FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
MALDEF - Mexican American Legal Defense Fund site; includes information about scholarships for undocumented students
ParentPLUSLoans.com - information about the federal PLUS (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students) program
Ron Brown Scholar Program - minority scholarship information
Sallie Mae - information about student loans and financial services for education, link to scholarship search
StaffordLoan.com - information about the federal Stafford Loan program
StudentsScholarshipSearch.com - free scholarship search program sponsored by student loan program
Hispanic Scholarship Fund - scholarship information for Hispanic students
CAREERS AND JOBS
Bridges Transitions Inc. - planning for your future; check in the Career Center for info about how M-A users can get more out of this Web site
Education Online Search - information about career programs and online classes
SUMMER PROGRAMS AND TIME OFF
AmeriCorps - sponsored by the Corp. for National and Community Service
City Year - sponsored by the National Youth Corps
Dynamy - information about an internship program
gapyear.com - creative ways to take time off
Global Service Corps - adventures and volunteer projects abroad to make a better world
NOLS - sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School, an organization that develops outdoor and leadership skills
Outward Bound - expeditions as learning and adventure education
SCA - Student Conservation Association - service and internship opportunities in conservation
Seamester - academic voyages for high school grads and college students
Semester at Sea - voyage opportunities for undergrads
Study Abroad - country, college, and course advice for students who wish to study abroad
takingtimeoff.com - a companion Web site to the book of the same title
Landmark Volunteers - a summer service organization for high school students
Where There Be Dragons - learning opportunities through "rugged, creative, and engaging" expeditions off the beaten path
YFU - Youth for Understanding International Exchange (opportunities abroad for high school students)
MISCELLANEOUS
Apex Learning - links with information about online courses
