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Recommended College Planning Resources fromTopTestPrep.com

Career Search

The following site will help you in your college search.

www.careerkey.org

Test Registration

As the time for testing looms on the horizon, you should be mindful of deadlines and registration

requirements. Almost equal numbers of students took the ACT and the SAT during the most recent

admission cycle. Check the following sites for more information about tests, dates and registration

deadlines.

www.ACTStudent.org (ACT, PLAN)

www.CollegeBoard.com/index.html?student (SAT, PSAT, AP, CLEP)

List of Standardized Test Optional Colleges

The rapidly growing list of accredited, four-year colleges and universities that do not require the

submission of ACT or SAT scores as part of their admission requirements is nearing 750! You can

see the entire list at:

www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm

ACT/SAT Conversion Charts

The ACT and SAT are very different college entrance test. Now that every college in the country will

accept either test result, you might be interested in an approximation of how your result equates with

scores on the “other” test.

www.collegeboard.com

Formula for U.S. News & World Report College Rankings

Check this link to learn more about how the editors at U.S. News & World Report arrive at their 

results.

www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/about/weight_brief.php

Alternative to Rankings

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) conducted annually by the Indiana University

at Bloomington provides a comprehensive overview of outcomes for participating institutions. To

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learn more about this resource, visit their site and go to the “Students and Parents” page.

http://www.nsse.iub.edu/index.cfm

Scholarship Searchs

Looking for scholarships? The following sites will give you access to scholarship information and

help you assess your viability as a candidate to receive merit awards.

www.FinAid.org

www.FastWeb.com

www.Internationalscholarships.com

Financial Aid

It you are looking for guidance in completing the financial aid process or you have received a

financial aid award and aren’t quite sure what to make of it, these sites provide a good orientation to

the terms, the construction of financial aid award letters and how much assistance you are actually

receiving.

www.FinancialAidLetter.com (”decode” financial aid awards)

www.FinAid.org (comprehensive resource)

www.fafsa.ed.gov (complete/submit FAFSA to determine eligibility for federally-administered need-

based aid)

profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp (complete/submit Profile to determine eligibility for 

institutionally awarded need-based aid)

Generic Application Forms

Interested in exploring application options that will allow you to complete one form from which you

can generate applications to multiple colleges? The following links take you to websites for two

membership organizations that provide such opportunities.

www.commonapp.org

www.universalcollegeapp.com

National Association of College Admission Counseling (NACAC)

NACAC is the professional association of which most colleges and universities are members. This

site includes a comprehensive orientation to the college process for students and their parentscovering topics such as college preparation, scholarship scams, international student resources and

online resources.

www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/Students/

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Athletic Recruitment and Admission

If you are an athlete who is eager to continue competing in college at any level, scholarship or non-

scholarship, you need to be aware of the rules that govern the manner in which you may be

recruited and considered for admission. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) are the two associations of which most

intercollegiate athletic programs are members. Visit their sites to make sure you are aware of the

rules before you become too heavily involved in the recruitment process.

www.ncaa.org (go to Academics & Athletes)

naia.cstv.com

If you have any questions about any of these sites, don’t hesitate to call or contact us about getting

college counseling.

Get help today TopTestPrep.com’s admissions consultants and private tutors.

They have private tutors in Washington DC, tutors in St. Louis and Admissions Consultants around

the country to help you get into top schools.