References for College Planning

Comprehensive Guidebooks and Websites

Application Process

  • Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting into College, Springer, Sally P.; Reider, Jon; and Morgan, Joyce Vining
  • College Board and Big Future (collegeboard.org; bigfuture.org; the site of one of the two major testing companies.)
  • College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov; US Department of Education interactive tool for college and cost information.)
  • Common Data Set (search “Common Data Set, x college”; official admissions and
  • enrollment information.)
  • FairTest (fairtest.org; listing of colleges that that do not require tests as part of the admission process.)
  • Institute on Character and Admission (character-admission.org)
  • Professor Pathfinder’s U.S. College and University Reference Map, Hedberg Maps, Inc.
  • YouTube (search name of college and “university campus tour”)
  • Common Application (commonapp.org)

Subjective Reviews

  • Best Colleges, The Princeton Review
  • CollegeXpress (collegexpress.com)
  • College Finder, Antonoff, Steven R.
  • Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges, Pope, Loren (Oswald, Hilary M., editor)
  • Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different, Asher, Donald
  • Fiske Guide to Colleges, Fiske, Edward B.
  • Inside Honors: Ratings and Reviews of Sixty Public University Honors Programs, Willingham, John
  • MacLean’s Guide To Canadian Universities (https://www.macleans.ca/macleans-university-guide-2020-build-your-own-ranking/)
  • The Other College Guide, Sweetland, Jane; Glastris, Paul; and the Staff of Washington Monthly
  • The Ultimate Guide to America’s Best Colleges, Tanabe, Gen and Tanabe, Kelly
  • Unigo (unigo.com; reviews and tools to aid in college selection)

College Costs and Financial Aid

Topical Resources

Diversity, Inclusion and First Generation

  • Campus Pride (campuspride.org)
  • Consortium of Higher Education/LGBT Resource Professionals (lgbtcampus.org; click on ‘research and resources’: and then – Find an LGBTQA Campus Center’)
  • Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (hacu.net)
  • Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine (hispanicoutlook.com)
  • Historically Black Colleges and Universities (hbcuconnect.com)
  • The I’m First Guide to College (imfirst.org; first generation)
  • Immigrants Rising (immigrantsrising.org; first generation/undocumented students)

Majors, Academic Programs, and Careers

Learning Disabilities

  • Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (chadd.org)
  • College Supports for Learning Differences (CSLD) (collegesupports.com; CSLD offers a subscription service for IECs to help students with learning disabilities (LD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. With a list of over 500 colleges, CSLD provides information about special accommodations and services that each school offers. CSLD has multiple options for pricing: either by information for a single school or a package for an institution/individual.)
  • CollegeWebLD (collegewebld.com; designed for students with learning differences, CollegeWebLD helps students develop a specialized plan and profile to cater to their specific learning challenges. With information about disability and support services at over 500 colleges, CollegeWebLD offers specific information about colleges that are a good fit within the learning differences population. CollegeWebLD offers a free survey as well as a paid “Personal Plan.”)
  • Learning Disabilities Association of America (ldaamerica.org)
  • LD OnLine (ldonline.org; resources and advice on learning differences/disabilities)
  • The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Differences, The Princeton Review
  • Landmark College (landmark.edu/research-training/ld-resources; the Summer Institute offers seminars and graduate courses on Landmark School’s high school campus in Prides Crossing, MA. that are designed to help educators learn about and support students with learning disabilities. Landmark School also offers online courses, and online newsletter, and an excellent list of articles and resources.)
  • Nonverbal Learning Disabilities Project (nvld.org) identifies key components for students with learning and attention issues and focus on when they enter college.

Parent Resources

  • College Parent Central (collegeparentcentral.com; advice, reviews, etc.)
  • College Parents of America (collegeparents.org; general support, travel discounts)
  • College Success Guaranteed 2.0: Five Rules for Parents, Gauld, Malcolm
  • How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success, Lythcott-Haims, Julie
  • Letting Go: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding the College Years, Coburn, Karen L. and Treeger, Madge L.