College 101: Applying to College

Accepted at over 1,000 colleges and universities worldwide, this site allows you to submit one application to a number of schools. It also now allows students to roll over their accounts from year to year so students can fill out important data about extracurricular activities and achievements as they happen. Get connected with everything you need to apply to college, research financial aid and scholarships, and get advice from counselors, advisors and mentors.

This post to the US News & World Report Higher Education blog gives tips from admissions staffers from across the United States on what NOT to do when applying to college.

Free resources from College Essay Guy. Topics covered include 'Where to Apply' (guide to developing a balanced list of 8-10 schools, plus how to decide whether or not to apply early); 'Application Pre-work' (resources for brainstorming everything you'll need for your college application); 'Personal Statement' (Everything you need to write a personal statement that matters); 'Supplemental Essays' (Write beautiful supplemental essays with these strategies, how-to guides, and example essays); 'The ' Rest of the Application' (Comprehensive guides for some of the most underrated parts of the college application); 'Financial Aid' (Calculating the true costs of college); 'After You Apply' (What to do once your application is submitted); 'Other Important Things' (A few other important things to keep in mind); 'More Resources for More Students' (More guides and resources for students with specific interests, identities, and backgrounds - including Art School, Drama School, Athletes, and LGBTQ+).

Ten suggestions to help with having a good topic and effective writing on your college application essay: (1) Be concise; (2) Be honest; (3) Be an individual; (4) Be coherent; (5) Be accurate; (6) Be vivid; (7) Be likable; (8) Be cautious in your use of humor; (9) Be controversial (if you can); (10) Be smart. Author: Jonathan Reider, director of college counseling at San Francisco University High School, formerly senior associate director of admissions (and humanities instructor) at Stanford University.

Supplemental essays are additional pieces of writing required by many highly-selective universities, and they can be just as revealing and important as your personal statement. Read on for how-to guides with essay examples & analysis on tackling these essays for some of the most popular colleges and universities. Presented by College Essay Guy.

This site has suggestions for helping students write their personal application essay. Free features include: Dos and Don'ts; Top 10 Mistakes; myEssay.com Brainstormer ( a questionnaire to help you come up with the perfect topic); Understanding the Question; and Sample Essays (a selection of real admissions essays, with brief comments from myEssay.com. NOTE: This is a commercial website, offering an 'Essay Review Service' for $59.95 and 'eBook downloads' for $2.95.

Practical advice for high school juniors and seniors on the college application process, from 'Organize your info' to 'Understand timelines, requirements, and deadlines' and more.. Blog post by Maureen Brown. Presented by Challenge Success

A blog post for parents by Denise Pope. She writes about the importance of parents thinking about the value of preparing students in four general areas, all of which are backed by research on what students need to be successful in college, career, and life in general: (1) Academic skills, (2) Life skills, (3) Positive coping skills, and (4) Social and emotional skills. The tendency is for parents to only think about the academic quadrant, but the other three areas that correlate with success in college and beyond. Presented by Challenge Success.