Explore some of the resources that I’m continually gathering and adding to. If you find a fabulous resource that you think should be added to this page, please let me know. Click on the links below to take you to the appropriate section.
Decisions, decisions, decisions
Self-assessments
College and career exploration works best when you know and understand yourself better. Here are some free tools to help you do that.
- The O*Net (created for the US Department of Labor) has an interest assessment and related career exploration tool based on John Holland’s “Theory of Vocational Development.” Briefly, this theory maintains that based on your preferences and personal style you can be loosely classified into six different categories: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. College majors and careers can also be organized into these same six categories. If you choose a college major and career from one of the six categories that is consistent with your preferences and personal style, you are more likely to be satisfied with your choice. Take the assessment, record your results, and check-out job matches.
- Combined interests and values assessment
- Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers developed a personality test that is widely used in business, and is also helpful when thinking about careers. Take a version of this assessment and record your personality type
Exploring careers & majors/graduate concentrations
Once you know more about yourself it’s a good idea to explore how your interests, skills and work values relate to majors and career choices.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a great source for learning about careers and the job outlook for various professions. Check it out!
- In the My Next Move web site, use the “Search Careers with Key Words” option or the “Browse Careers by Industry” choice to learn more about a specific career including the knowledge, skills, abilities, personality traits, technology you might use, required education and job outlook or careers that interest you
- What For Work has awesome job descriptions
- My Future is produced by the US Military and helps you explore career options, including those available through the military
- My Majors is useful if you want to know what sort of classes a given major requires, some schools that offer the major and possible careers and salaries
- Some students pick a major they feel passionate about and figure out what career options they have afterwards. This site from the University of North Carolina Wilmington “What Can I Do With a Career in…?” offers great suggestions, plus key words and skills you could outline in your resume, and trade organizations that pertain to the major
- RoadTripNation has a great assortment of career videos.
- Even if you are not from California I think you’ll like CA Career Zone. You can skip the assessment section if you already did some of the assessments listed above, but I do suggest you use the “Explore Job Families” section to check out potential careers and watch videos and the “Get a Reality Check” section to think about your future budget
- Career One Stop is sponsored by the US Department of Labor and is a great resource for self-assessments. This skills inventory is valuable if you already have some amount of work experience. If so, do the skills inventory and record your results
- Job shadows are a great way to explore careers of interest. Here are some job shadow tips.
- If you are considering nursing programs, Top Registered Nurse is an awesome resoource and has a great feature that allows you to look at the nursing programs in every state. Check it out! I also like this Nursing Carrer Guide for People With Disabilities.
College exploration (undergraduate and graduate)
There are many options for online college (undergraduate) searches and building your college list. Here are some of my favorites:
- College Navigator from the National Center for Education Statistics
- College Data
- Big Future by The College Board
- CollegeXpress is a robust search tool
- The U.S. Department of Education offers their scorecard
- Education USA: the place for international students to learn about US colleges
- College Results: A quick reference tool of the graduation rates of colleges you are considering
- College Insight: from the Institute for College Access and Success, offers clear info about affordability, diversity and student success
Virtual college tours
Finances or a busy schedule may make it unrealistic for you to visit some of the colleges you are considering. Virtual college tours are the next best option if you can’t be there in person. The pandemic caused most universities to upgrade their virtual tour options. Whenever possible, sign up for a virtual tour through the college’s website. If you sign that way, up the college has a record of your attendance which they count toward demonstrated interest (proof that you are seriously considering attending the school.)
- Campus Reel has student-produced virtual tours
- Campus Tours offers interactive maps and links to school-produced videos
- The College Tour
In-person college tours
Seeing a college yourself is the best way to get a feel for the campus and determine whether it is a perfect fit for you. When possible, visit while school is in session so you can sit in on classes, meet some students and professors, attend a sporting event of performance, eat the dorm food, and perhaps arrange an overnight stay in the dorms with a student host. Here are some resources for making the most of your college visit:
- Big Future’s campus visit guide
- IECA “10 Ways to Test Drive a College“
- Guide to Visiting Colleges courtesy of Oregon Episcopal School
- The National Association for College Admission Counseling provides great resources for student. Check out their advice regarding campus visits and their visit checklist
Admission interviews
If you are a junior or senior on a college visit, you may get the opportunity to have an admissions interview. If an admissions interview is part of your agenda, practice in advance with your college counselor or volunteer interviewer with whom you feel comfortable. How to Nail Your College Admissions Interview from FastWeb. Be sure to send a thank-you note after your interview!
Minority / under-represented / LGBTQ+ friendly schools
First step is to examine the school’s diversity statements and resources, particularly in this era of avoiding commitments to inclusion. Review their mission statement and official diversity and inclusion policies. Check for the presence of a Center for Diversity and Inclusion or a similar office.
What to look for on a campus:
- Student and faculty composition:
- Are there a significant number of minority students and faculty members?
- Are student ambassadors or student leaders from minority groups active on campus?
- Student organizations and events:
- Does the college have active student organizations for various minority groups?
- Does the college host cultural events and programs?
- Support systems:
- Are financial aid, grants, and work-study opportunities prominently advertised to help with costs?
- Are there mentorship or support programs specifically for minority students?
If you are lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender, or simply want to be at a school that is open and accepting of these students, then check out these resources that review LGBTQIAP+ campus culture:
- The Consortium of Higher Education LGBTQIAP+ Resource Professionals provides a list of schools that have a paid LGBTQIAP+ center staff person.
- Check out the LGBTQIAP+ friendly Campus Index.
- Campus Pride promotes leadership opportunities and event organizing.
- The University of Pennsylvania has a fabulous Career Planning and Job Search Guide for LGBTQIAP+ Students.
- College Express provides this gay-friendly college list.
- Campus Pride Index of Best Colleges for LGBTQIAP+ Students.
What schools are known for being supportive of other underrepresented students in the US?
- OnlineU.com: College Guide for Underrepresented Students
- OnlineU.com: College Guide for Latinx Students
- Minority-serving institutions have a history of benefiting students who are Black, Hispanic, Latino, Native American, and Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
- Excelencia in Education certified these colleges and universities for intentionally SERVING Latino students and for demonstrating positive student outcomes.
- NPR: Some colleges are targeting a long-neglected group: Hispanic students
- BeLatina.com: Campus Crushing: 10 College Campuses Dedicated To Supporting Latino Students
- LatinoLeadersMagazine: Best Schools for Latinos
- BestColleges.com: These Colleges are Boosting Latino/a Student Success
- Look at resources from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
International Students
Understanding cultural differences in educational systems
It’s important to understand the differences in the educational systems between your home country and the country you wish to go to, as well as differences in titles, requirements, job or academic culture, expectations, bill-paying, financial obligations, how to get id and keep them up-to-date, how to take public transportation or navigate beyond just using your phone maps, how to network, and more..
- This is an interesting analysis focusing on some lesser-known points of comparison in educational systems around the world.
- https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/mexico-the-us-school-systems/81630819#11 This overview comparing the educational system in the United States of America and the United States of México was created by an Idaho Dept. of Ed. employee and provides a mostly accurate starting point for understanding the two countries’ systems.
- More Coming Soon!
Navigating daily life in the United States
- This is the most comprehensive site I’ve found for providing an overview of many aspects of American life that most people don’t even think about But, don’t take it as the absolute truth without comparing it to what you find locally as there is often a great deal of variation from state to state. However, it’s a great starting paint or checklist of things for you to continue to research or to discuss with me.
- Some US universities have very comprehensive sets of cultural tips. Check out https://www.depts.ttu.edu/international/isss/studentlife/GuidetoAmericanCulture/index.php and https://internationalcenter.umich.edu/resources/arrival for starters.
- More Coming Soon!
Research & writing help
Formatting & writing tips
- APA Style (apa.org)
- Grammarly: How to Write a Research Paper
- AmericanPublicUniversity: Tips on Writing a Good Research Paper
- PurdueOWL: Writing a Research Paper
- The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a globally renowned resource that provides assistance with English to students, teachers, professionals, and organizations across the world. Their site includes APA and MLA formatting tips, avoiding plagiarism tips, sample papers, writing resumes and business letters, English as an Additional Language resources, and more.
Tips for application and scholarship essays
Finding your voice:
- An Admissions Dean Offers Advice on Writing a College Essay by Martha C. Merrill of Connecticut College.
- Many supplemental colleges essays ask “Why Our School?” Here’s a YouTube video from the always energetic College Essay Guy that explains how to structure your school specific application essay.
Money, money, money
Financial Aid & Scholarships: College affordability is a challenge for many families. The majority of financial aid and scholarships come directly from the college, or from federal and state government programs, so it’s important to focus your initial efforts there.
Understanding financial aid
Confused between a grant, scholarship and loan? Unclear about merit aid, need-based aid, institutional aid and outside scholarships? These resources can help:
- FinAid.org is the go-to site for clear explanations and aid comparison tools.
- Financial Aid Finder does a great job of explaining the different types of available loans and grants.
- The ECMC Foundation provides my favorite explanations about student loans.
- This is a good resource for understanding the basics of financial aid.
- The US Department of Education provides this college funding information. I especially like the section on loan forgiveness.
- Here are some good financial aid explanations from Turbo Tax.
- Here’s another good FAFSA Resource Guide
Financial planning & aid applications
- The Federal Student Aid Estimator lets you and your parents understand how much the federal government thinks your family can contribute towards the cost of your college education each year. That number is called your “Student Aid Index” (SAI).
- Saving for college early is a great idea if you family can do so. Saving for College is a resource for researching and comparing 529 College Savings Plans.
- CSS profile Many private colleges and universities require an additional financial aid application called the CSS Profile, which is available fall of senior year. If you are applying early decision, be sure to fill it out by November 1 of senior year. At the latest, it is best to complete it by February 1 of senior year. Be sure to check the college’s website because deadlines may differ!
- Here’s a good source for general money management tips.
Scholarship search
Outside scholarships can be a great supplemental resource and there are lots of tools to help you find them. Remember that scholarship hunting is very time consuming, and the best results come when you start early (sophomore year) and devote enough time and effort to the quest.
Many scholarship search sites will bombard you with emails. You may want to create a separate email address just for your scholarship searches, but if you do, be sure to check it on a very regular basis!
- Follow my IG and regularly check out the stories I post where I reshare some of the best posts from other sources who specialize in finding scholarships, or look at the list of profiles that I follow and check them out directly.
- Use the Scholarship Search E-Book to plan your approach and timeline for finding money to pay for college.
- FastWeb is a well-regarded scholarship search site. Register and create a profile, to get personalized scholarship notifications sent to you.
- How2winscholarships.com has many free resources and tips, in addition to selling a vey affordable, downloadable book for parents or students which outlines a plan for you.
- Cappex is another great scholarship search engine.
- MeritAid is a good place to search for merit scholarships.
- Going Merry is a robust scholarship aggregator.
- Here are some scholarships specific to people who are differenly-abled.
- If you are open to joining the military in exchange for scholarship funding, check out the scholarship opportunities related to the Reserve Officer Training Corp: Army ROTC, Navy ROTC, and Air Force ROTC.