College Preparation

• Community College Web allows alphabetical, geographical, or keyword searching for over 800 community college home pages in the United States, Canada, and other locations.
• American Universities features links to home pages of colleges and universities in the United States listed by state and also alphabetically by name.
• Web U.S. Higher Education from the University of Texas - Austin, lists links to university and community college web pages.

• ACT: Life Roles: Information for Students from ACT, Inc., the nonprofit educational service organization that sponsors the ACT college admissions test (formerly known as the American College Testing program) includes information from college preparation to securing employment. See also, the ACT home page for other college-related assessment information.
• CollegeBoard.com from the company that brings you the PSAT and the SAT, offers help with planning for college, taking the test, applying for college and paying for your education.
• CollegeForTexans.com from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board includes admission requirements for Texas colleges and universities, costs of Texas public and private institutions, financial aid for Texas students, and links to Texas colleges and universities.
• College Is Possible from the American Council on Education an initiative that focuses on middle school and high school students. Includes information on college preparation, selection, and financing.
• Mapping Your Future sponsored by a group of guaranty agencies who participate in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) includes career, college, and financial aid information.
• Princeton Review, the standardized test preparation company, offers information about college admissions and selecting a college.
• U.S.News.com Education features "America's Best Colleges," e-learning information, and tips on admissions testing, careers, and financial aid.

• The College Board - Taking the Tests from the College Board, a national association of schools, colleges, and other educational organizations features information on the PSAT, SAT, and the Advanced Placement program.
• Starting Points for Students from the Educational Testing Service, a nonprofit educational testing organization provides test dates and practice questions for the SAT, PSAT, TOEFL and other tests.
• The TASP (Texas Academic Skills Program) Home Page from Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the State Board for Educator Certification, and National Evaluation Systems, Inc. (NES®) includes information about TASP, test dates, and sample questions.
• TASP and THEA practice test examples.
• Test Preparation Review is a list of free practice tests such as ACT, ASVAB, GED, TASP, THEA, NCLEX, etc.

• fastWEB! (Financial Aid Search Through the Web) from fastWEB whose mission is "to provide students - free of charge - easy access to timely, accurate and comprehensive information on scholarships, fellowships, internships, grants, and loans" offers a "database of over 600,000 scholarships."
• CollegeNET.com from CollegeNet, Inc. a technology company serving colleges, nonprofits, and other groups allows users to input a personal profile that finds scholarships that meet the criteria set by the user. The database includes some "500,000 private sector awards." Or you can select a category from the search page to view available scholarships.
• Wired Scholar from Sallie Mae, a noted provider of college loans, allows searching for available scholarships, offers college planning advice and provides financial planning calculators.

• Adventures In Education sponsored by the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation explains steps involved in applying for financial aid, career information, and links to related Internet sites.
• Colleges and Financial Aid-TX from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts features an alphabetical/subject index to financial aid sources, costs and aid available from colleges and universities in the state, and fees/dates for admissions tests.
• FAFSA on the Web from the U.S. Department of Education provides an online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• FinAid: The Financial Aid Information Page a major aid web site winning awards from the College Board and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, includes information on aid for international students, loans, scholarships, and other related topics.
• Financial Aid features policies and procedures from the North Harris College Financial Aid Office.
• Financial Aid Made Easy from the Princeton Review, the standardized test preparation company.
• IRS Tax Information for Students answers your questions about tax credits you can claim on your income tax while you are a student. Also check out questions and answers on the Hope Scholarship Credit from the Internal Revenue Service.
• Students.gov the student gateway to the U.S. government, offers an array of links to government information for college students, from planning and paying for college to career development and military service, it's all here.
• Student Guide--Financial Aid from the Dept. of Education provides general information about applying for government loans. See also:
  Free Application for Federal Student Aid Information (FAFSA)
  Federal Student Financial Aid

• Scholarship Scams from FinAid created by Mark Kantrowitz, author of the Prentice Hall Guide to Scholarships and Fellowships for Math and Science offers information on "Common Scholarship Scams" and "How to Investigate Suspicious Offers."
• Six Signs that Your Scholarship is Sunk from Federal Trade Commission offers some sample lines from scams and why they are bogus.

• College Majors and Career Information from Rutgers University, New Brunswick Career Services offers brief information about a field of study, occupations related to that major, potential types of employers, and actual jobs secured by students with that major.
• Major Handouts from Georgia Southern University Career Services provides skills associated with a particular major, sample jobs, and links to related professional associations.
• What Can I Do with This Major? (NOTE: need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these files) from Purdue University Center for Career Opportunities lists detailed information on jobs, employers, and training related to majors plus links to related Web sites.

• College Rankings: U.S. News - edu allows searching or browsing for rankings of over 1,000 universities and colleges. See also their frequently asked questions about their rankings.
• Princeton Review: The Best 345 Colleges Ranked by Students for 2003 from the standardized test preparation company, provides results from college student questionnaires that consider such areas as academics, quality of life, administration, politics, and social life.
• Writing a College Application Essay from the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, a consortium of 14 noted liberal arts colleges provides general tips for essay writing.

• Choosing a College or University from the U.S. Department of State lists several points for selecting a college based on your career goals, personal interests, and extracurricular activities
• Choosing a College that’s Right for You from Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at the School of Business Administration, Stetson University offers several questions to consider based on goals, support services desired, and personal interests.
• Identify Your Criteria from the Minnesota Higher Education Services Office provides factors to consider when choosing a college
• Selecting a College (NOTE: need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these files) from Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District offers a step-by-step plan for choosing a college to attend.
• Selecting a College for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (NOTE: need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read these files) from George Washington University Heath Resource Center covers issues related to college support services for students with special needs.

If you need additional help, please feel free to contact a librarian during open hours.

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