Resources to Consider

Please note that these are resources I’ve become familiar with over the years. I did not spend much time curating this list and I am unable to accommodate any requests to add to it. Thank you for understanding.

Websites

College search sites: There are many out there and I cannot say that I would endorse any one over another. If your school uses Scoir, Maia, Naviance, or any other online college counseling platform, you can use their built-in research tools. Otherwise, here are a few to consider: BigFuture by CollegeBoard, Cappex, CollegeData, Niche.

Fastweb: Many college search sites also have scholarship search tools, but this is one of more well-known scholarship sites. Be sure to look through their articles section which has lots of helpful information. Keep in mind that the most significant financial aid will come from the colleges themselves.

Challenge Success: Formed in 2007 and affiliated with Stanford University Graduate School of Education, their mission is to redefine success by broadening its scope and to “implement research-based strategies that promote student well-being, equity, and engagement with learning.” In 2018, they wrote a white paper titled, “A ‘Fit’ Over Rankings: Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity,” which addressed perceptions of fit and what rankings actually measure.

Making Caring Common Project: The mission of this Harvard University Graduate School of Education project is to teach concern for others and the common good to young people. They have developed research projects and initiatives that are also relevant to the college experience.

Books

Bruni, Frank. Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2015.

Barnard, Brennan and Clark, Rick. The Truth About College Admission: A Family Guide to Getting In and Staying Together. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2019.

Fiske, Edward. The Fiske Guide to Colleges. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2021 (updated every year).

Tough, Paul. The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019.

Zakaria, Fareed. In Defense of a Liberal Education. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.

Books not directly related to college admission, but possibly applicable

Pink, Daniel. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. New York: Riverhead Books, 2011.

Cain, Susan. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. New York: The Crown Publishing Group, 2013.

Deresiewicz, William. Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life. New York: Free Press, 2015.

Duckworth, Angela. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. New York: Scribner, 2018.

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2008.