Planning your College Search
Where and How to Start:
- Begin by taking your own personal inventory. You can make the best use of your time by knowing what you are looking for in a college.
- What college-related considerations are most important to you and why? Here are some, but not all, of the factors you might want to consider: location, academic programs, student diversity, social life, sports programs/ activities, job. Graduate school placement record, size, internships, facilities, reputation, class size, student/ faculty ration, family tradition, and scholarship/ financial aid.
- Write down your own list of what is important to you with the most important item at the top.
- Update and review your list regularly and make adjustments as your priorities change.
This sheet can give you some guidelines for searching for colleges.
Sources for Information about Colleges and Universities:
- Personal sources: school counselors, teachers, family, graduates, friends
- National Publications and magazines as well as websites
- Collegeboard website
- College Publications: websites, viewbooks, catalogs, videos, program descriptions, financial aid brochures
- School Visits and College nights
- Individual college representatives – including their visits to WKHS
Websites that can assist with the college search:
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Accredited Colleges Online
A list of available, accredited online programs.
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Association of Independent Colleges & Universities
Ohio's private colleges and universities
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Best Online Colleges
A list of top best online schools
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Campus Safety
This website helps students search for information specifically related to campus safety.
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Campus Tours
Videos and picture tours of many universities.
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CAPPEX Search Engine
College search, reviews, and scholarship information.
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Coalition for College Access
Technology platform for applying to member universities.
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College Board Quick Start & MyRoad
Collegeboard.com's college and career planning website.
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College Data
Information and tools for college planning
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College Information for Students with Disabilities
Information to assist students with disabilities in searching for colleges.
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College Navigator
From the US Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, this website gives you access to a full scale, national college search with customized side-by-side comparisons
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College Personality Quiz
This website assess various categories to help you pick the best college environment for your personality.
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College Portraits
This site provides basic, comparable information designed for anyone to learn more about 4-year public colleges and universities.
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College Results
This website provides a clear and easy way to find out a college's retention and graduation rates.
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College Scorecard
US Department of Education website that provides statistics about colleges such as graduation rates, retention rates, alumni annual earnings, and much more.
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Colleges of Distinction
Information about colleges that excel in undergraduate education.
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Colleges that Change Lives
Colleges that Change Lives is dedicated to the advancement and support of a student centered college search process.
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CollegeXpress
College and scholarship search website
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Common Application
Website used by approximately 900 colleges for applications
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Go College
Resources to guide students on how to finance and succeed in college.
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Guide to the College Admissions Process
Published by NACAC this guide is a great resource for students and parents.
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Guide to Visual & Performing Arts (Teen Life)
The Teen Life Guide to Visual and Performing Arts provides information about opportunities for applying to colleges in visual and performing arts colleges.
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LGBTQ College Information
The National Association of College Admissions Counselors maintains resources for LGBTQ students related to the college search process.
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LGBTQ Friendly Colleges & Student Resources
Information about LGBTQ friendly colleges.
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National Survey of Student Engagement
Data updated annually regarding student educational engagement on college campuses.
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NCAA Eligibility Center
Official website of the National Collegiate Athletic Association
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Niche.com
Niche.com is a website with a range of college search tools and resourcs. They also have an app that students can utilize.
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Ohio Association of Career Colleges and Schools
Links to Ohio's career education
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Ohio Online Colleges
Information about Ohio colleges providing online opportunities.
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Ohio Private Colleges
Information about Ohio's private colleges and universities.
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Ohio Public Colleges
Profiles of the public colleges and universities in Ohio.
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Personal Inventory of College Styles
This website assess various categories to help you pick the best college environment for your personality. We recommend printing the personal college style report which can be accessed free of charge. If you elect to continue on to the optional college specific list, there is a substantial fee.
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Peterson's Search Engine
Information and tools to help you find, get in and pay for school.
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Questbridge
Connecting the world's brightest low-income students to America's best universities and opportunities.
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Unigo
College information and reviews that will help you determine what the school is really like.
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What college majors will match your personality?
Quiz to help you begin considering college majors of interest.
If you know that you plan on transferring from your initial college, these websites may provide helpful transfer information for planning.
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Ohio Board of Regents - Credit Transfer
Ohio Credit transfer information provided by the Ohio Board of Regents.
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Ohio Transfer 36
Replacing the Ohio Transfer Module - Ohio Transfer 36 is a site students and families can use to figure out how classes transfer to the 36 public colleges/ universities in Ohio.
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Transferology
Transferology is a nation-wide network designed to help students explore their college transfer options. Students can answer the question "Will my courses transfer?" by adding coursework, exams, and/or military learning experiences to see how many schools in the Transferology network have matching courses that may be awarded when they transfer. They can also find out what their options are for taking classes over the summer (or whenever) at another school to transfer back to their current school by using the "Find a Replacement Course" feature.