College Exploration and Beyond
Books
Search our catalog online at http://www.vsac.org/LibrarySearch. Patrons may borrow books either by coming to the Resource Center in downtown Winooski, or by making an interlibrary loan request through their local school or public library.
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Best College for You: How to Find the Right Fit and Save Big Money (2010) |
Call # 378.1 Pytel |
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Choosing the Right College 2010-2011: The Whole Truth about America’s Top Schools (2009) |
Call # 378.73 ISI |
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College Exploration on the Internet (2009) |
Call # 378.73 Morkes |
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Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College (2006) |
Call # 378.73 Pope |
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Colleges With a Conscience: 81 Great Schools With Outstanding Community Involvement (2005) |
Call # 378.73 PR |
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Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different (2007) |
Call # 378.73 Asher |
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The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges, 2010 (2009) |
Call # 378.73 Yale |
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Schools That Rock: The Rolling Stone College Guide (2005) |
Call # 378.73 Eliscu |
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Students’ Guide to the Colleges: The Definitive Guide to America’s Top 100 Schools (2005) |
Call # 378.73 Goldman |
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Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting Into College (2009) |
Call # 378.1 Springer |
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Choose the Right College and Get Accepted (2005) |
Call # 378.1 Natavi |
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The Early Admissions Game: Joining the Elite (2003) |
Call # 378.1 Avery |
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Get Into Any College: Secrets of Harvard Students (2007) |
Call # 378.1 Tanabe |
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The New Rules of College Admissions: Ten Former Admissions Officers Reveal What it Takes to Get Into College Today (2006) |
Call # 378.1 Krammer |
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Princeton Review’s Cracking College Admissions (2004) |
Call # 378.1 Katzman |
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Roadmap for College Admissions: Step-by-Step Directions for Success (2003) |
Call # 378.1 Chandras |
College Essays and Applications
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10 Things You Gotta Know: College Application Essays (2005) |
Call # 378.1 Spark |
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101 Ways to Become the Perfect College Applicant (2005) |
Call # 378.1 NY |
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Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice (2007) |
Call # 378.1 Hernandez |
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Essays That Will Get You Into College (2009) |
Call # 378.1 Kaufman |
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Get Into College (2009) |
Call # 378.1 Korn |
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McGraw-Hill’s Writing an Outstanding College Application Essay (2005) |
Call # 378.1 Rankin |
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On Writing the College Application Essay (1987) |
Call # 378.1 Bauld |
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One-Hour College Application Essay: Write Your College Admission Essay Today (2008) |
Call # 378.1 Melnik |
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Princeton Review’s College Essays That Made a Difference (2006) |
Call # 378.1 PRP |
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10 Best College Majors for Your Personality (2009) |
Call # 378.1 Shatkin |
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50 Best College Majors for a Secure Future (2010) |
Call # 331.7 Shatkin |
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90-Minute College Major Matcher: Choose Your Best Major for a Great Career (2007) |
Call # 378.1 Shatkin |
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The College Board Book of Majors (2009) |
Call # 378.73 CEEB |
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The Everything College Major Test Book: 10 Tests to Help You Choose the Major That is Right for You (2006) |
Call # 378.1 Nadler |
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Guide to College Majors: Everything You Need to Know to Choose the Right Major (2009) |
Call # 378.1 PR |
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How to Choose a College Major (2006) |
Call # 378.1 Andrews |
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Princeton Review Guide to College Majors (2008) |
Call # 378.1 PR |
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Getting In Without Freaking Out: The Official College Admissions Guide for Overwhelmed Parents (2006) |
Call # 378.1 Matthews |
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Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years (2009) |
Call # 378.1 Coburn |
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Parents’ Guide to College Life: 181 Straight Answers on Everything You Can Expect Over the Next Four Years (2006) |
Call # 378.1 Raskin |
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The Thinking Parent’s Guide to College Admissions: The Step-by-Step Program to Get Kids Into the Schools of Their Dreams (2006) |
Call # 378.1 Ostrum |
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What Colleges Don’t Tell You (and Other Parents Don’t Want You to Know): 272 Secrets for Getting Your Kids into the Top Schools (2006) |
Call # 378.1 Wissner |
Other College Exploration Topics
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Choices for the High School Graduate: A Survival Guide for the Information Age (2005) |
Call # 373.18 Fireside |
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College Survival (2004) |
Call # 378.1 Gottesma |
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College Unranked: Ending the College Admissions Frenzy — Presidents and Deans Speak Out for Students (2005) |
Call # 378.1 Thacker |
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College Exploration
VSAC provides the following handouts to help with the college exploration process:
- College Selection Process: Factors to Consider describes several factors that may be important to you (PDF)
- College Comparison Chart helps organize your college list (PDF)
- Visiting a College offers advice on arranging a visit, questions to ask, and places to see on campus (PDF)
- Sample Questions for the Admissions Interview offers questions to ask when visiting college admissions offices (PDF)
VSAC provides links to Vermont colleges and universities.
VT Guidance Central provides a way to explore college majors and sort colleges by a wide variety of criteria, including major, size, location, specific sports, study abroad, distance learning, and much more — www.bridges.com/vsac
Find links to colleges and universities around the world — http://univ.cc, www.braintrack.com
The following sites offer reliable college, financial aid, testing, and scholarship information:- Mapping Your Future offers information tailored to the needs of middle school/high school students, college students, graduate students, student loan borrowers, and parents — www.mappingyourfuture.org
- Students.gov offers information on preparing for college, studying abroad, internships, financial aid, campus life, and more — www.students.gov/STUGOVWebApp/Public
- Peterson’s offers college search and test prep information — www.petersons.com
- Princeton Review provides test prep and college searching tools, as well as career and financial aid information — www.princetonreview.com/home.asp
- College Board offers a wealth of information on the college application process, college searching, financial aid, and test prep — www.collegeboard.com
- CollegeNET offers college searching, online college applications, and scholarship searching — www.collegenet.com/about
National Association of Independent Colleges & Universities offers UCAN, a database with detailed profiles of over 400 private, nonprofit colleges and universities in the United States — www.ucan-network.org
FindurU offers a unique way to search for schools. Start with a keyword (“lacrosse" or “jazz studies" or “bird watching"), and then refine your search by school type, setting, tuition cost, state, or length of program — www1.finduru.com/finduru
College Navigator, operated by the National Center for Education Statistics, allows you to search colleges using a wide variety of factors, do a side-by-side comparison of schools, export search results to a spreadsheet, and more — http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator
MakingItCount.com offers articles on college-related topics by young people — www.makingitcount.com
Take virtual campus tours online — www.ecampustours.com, www.campustours.com
U.S. News & World Report hosts a series of 2000 video interviews with college students from 175 schools discussing what life on campus is actually like — www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/features/collegeclicktv
NSSE College Student Report gathers information from students about their college experience, including their views about the quality of their education and how they spend their time — http://nsse.iub.edu/html/students_parents.cfm
OPE Campus Security Statistics offers information on reported criminal offenses for over 6000 colleges and universities in the United States — http://ope.ed.gov/security
Amtrack offers discount coupons for campus visits — www.campusvisit.com/amtrak
VSAC’s College Guides and Rankings pathfinder offers helpful books and Web links.
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College Majors
VSAC’s Choosing a College Major handout describes what a major is, why it’s important, and how to choose a major that’s right for you (PDF).
University of Delaware’s Career Services Center runs a site at which students can explore majors, related occupations, and relevant professional associations — www.udel.edu/CSC/mrk.html
University of North Carolina at Asheville offers a “What Can I Do With a Major In?" page with links to PDF documents listing dozens of careers for each major along with information on sample work settings, professional organizations, and internet resources — www2.unca.edu/career/majors.html
University of North Carolina at Wilmington also offers a “What Can I Do With a Major In?" page that includes similar information to the Asheville site, as well as job and internship search links, career planning links, and details on the major skills needed for different types of jobs — www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/Majors
University of Tennessee at Knoxville maintains a “What Can I Do With This Major?" page that looks at dozens of majors, offering details on the types of jobs in different career areas, typical employers, and strategies designed to maximize your career opportunities — www.uwsp.edu/career/majors/default.html
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Financial Aid and Scholarships
VSAC’s Scholarships pathfinder offers several links to scholarship search databases.
VSAC’s Sample Questions for the Financial Aid Office handout lists important topics to discuss when comparing the costs of colleges (PDF).
VSAC’s Web site has information on planning, applying and paying for college, as well as online calculators for loans and expected family contributions — www.vsac.org
Finaid is the most comprehensive annotated collection of information about student financial aid on the Web — www.finaid.org
U.S. Department of Education's information-packed Web site includes a link to the FAFSA online — www2.ed.gov/fund/grants-college.html
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Test Preparation and Information
VSAC’s Testing pathfinder offers a wealth of information on tests, including books and Web links.
VSAC provides the following handouts to help with test preparation:- SAT vs. ACT compares the two major standardized tests used in college admissions (PDF)
- ACT General Test Strategies (PDF) — strategies students can use while taking the test
- SAT General Test Strategies (PDF) — strategies students can use while taking the test
Fairtest.org, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, has compiled a list of more than 755 colleges and universities that have deemphasized the importance of standardized testing in their admissions processes — http://fairtest.org/university/optional
The following sites have information on standardized test dates, registration, and preparation:- ACT — www.actstudent.org
- PSAT, SAT, AP, and CLEP — www.collegeboard.com/testing
- GRE — www.gre.org
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Applying to College
VSAC’s Four Essentials: College Essay Writing Tips handout offers four essential elements for every admissions essay (PDF).
Common App is accepted by nearly 400 colleges and universities — www.commonapp.org
Universal College Application, accepted by over 70 colleges and universities, is a more inclusive alternative to the Common App — https://www.universalcollegeapp.com
College Board offers advice on all parts of the college application process — www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/index.html
Most online college guides, such as www.petersons.com, provide direct links to the online application sections of college admissions Web sites.
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Study Skills
HowToStudy.org offers resources on studying, learning styles, stress management, and subject-specific study tools — www.howtostudy.org
How-to-Study.com offers valuable suggestions on a variety of topics, from listening better to keeping track of assignments — www.how-to-study.com
Study Guides and Strategies offers skills for studying, classroom participation, learning with others, test-taking, writing, math, science, and tech — www.studygs.net
Virginia Tech gives self-help information on a variety of topics, including time management, motivation, and how to read a difficult book — www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html
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Alternatives to College
VSAC’s Alternatives to College/Gap Year Options pathfinder offers dozens of books, Web sites, and ideas for taking time off before (or during) college.
Americorps is the domestic Peace Corps. After completion of one full-time term of service, members are eligible for an education award — www.americorps.gov
Center for Interim Programs helps people of all ages create gap-year experiences through internships, apprenticeships, volunteer positions, and cultural study programs worldwide — www.interimprograms.com
LEAPNow is a source for low-cost internships, volunteer positions, work exchanges, and experiential programs in 126 countries and the U.S. — www.leapnow.org
Student Conservation Association offers opportunities for volunteers, conservation internships, and a year-round leadership program — www.thesca.org
Vermont Youth Conservation Corps is a private nonprofit organization that hires young adults to complete conservation and park management projects on public lands in Vermont — www.vycc.org
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Software Resources
VT Guidance Central is a web-based, personalized, self-guided program that provides comprehensive career, college, and education planning tools
You can use VT Guidance Central as a tool to:
- explore career possibilities
- plan the training you need for specific careers
- search for colleges/universities that fit your desired criteria (e.g., location, size, programs/majors, activities, costs)
- learn about financial aid options
- and much more!
Visit the VSAC Resource Center in Winooski to utilize other assessment, career, and education planning software tools.
Updated: June 2010
Compiled by: VSAC Resource Center, 10 East Allen Street, PO Box 2000, Winooski, VT 05404
Call: 800-642-3177 toll-free, or Burlington area 802-655-9602 • Fax: 802-654-3765 • E-mail: info@vsac.org
The Vermont Student Assistance Corp. was established by the Vermont General Assembly in 1965 to help Vermonters obtain the information and financial resources they need to pursue their education goals beyond high school.
