More resources can be found below.

Publications and Guides
  • Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming and Just Plain Different (Donald Asher, 2007; revised as Cool Colleges (Peterson’s Cool Colleges 101 - 2013)
  • Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers (Elaine Loveland, 2013)
  • Fiske Guide to Colleges (Edward B. Fiske and Bruce G. Hammond, 2022) – A much-beloved classic by the former New York Times education editor.
  • The Price You Pay for College (Ron Lieber, 2021) NY Times “Your Money” columnist posits an “entirely new road map for the biggest financial decision our family will ever make.”
  • Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania (Frank Bruni, 2017) - College admissions at elite institutions has become a terrifying and sometimes devastating process, but New York Times columnist Bruni argues persuasively that it doesn’t have to be.
Websites
  • College Board Online (Provides everything you need to know about the SAT and SAT subject tests, including free test prep via Khan Academy.)
  • College Board/CSS Financial Aid Profile (Complete the “Profile” online here – required by some 250+ colleges in addition to the FAFSA.)
  • College Navigator (Comprehensive data base powered by the National Center for Educational Statistics and connected to the College Affordability and Transparency Center.)
  • Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) (A not-for-profit organization founded on a philosophy of building the knowledge, character and values of young people by introducing them to a personalized and transformative collegiate experience. Currently, 45 colleges are affiliated with CTCL.)
  • Common Application (The most popular admission application with nearly 900 participating colleges and universities)
  • Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley (A wonderful source of local scholarship opportunities.)
  • Edvisors (Step-by-step FAFSA tutorial and lots of good information on the financial aid process in layman’s terms.)
  • Excelsior Scholarship (Eligibility for this need-based award includes annual family income of less than $125.000; it covers the annual tuition at CUNYs and SUNYs minus other financial aid awards; Enhanced Tuition Awards are the private college/university version.)
  •  FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) (Complete this required form (available online as of 10/1 of the senior year) used as the basis for all need-based financial aid programs.)
  • Fairtest (Website of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, which includes an up-to-date list of test-optional and test-flexible colleges and universities.)
  • Federal Student Aid (Federal Department of Education website with everything you need to know about college federal aid, including creating an FSA ID so you can sign the FAFSA electronically)
  • Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) (The Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) is a partnership between the State of New York and its independent colleges which provides economically and educationally disadvantaged residents the possibility of a college education. EOP is the public college/university version of this program.)
  • National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) (This professional association hosts national college fairs)
  • New York Saves 529 College Savings Plan (Save for college and reap federal and state tax advantages. You can start an account with as little as $25.)
  • New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (Oversees qualifying/applying for New York’s TAP and Excelsior Scholarships)
  • Posse Foundation (Identifies and trains young people with extraordinary potential who otherwise might be missed by elite schools. It places selected students in supportive, multicultural groups of 10 students — Posses—with mentoring and full- tuition leadership scholarships provided by 58 current partner colleges.)
  • Private College 529 Plan (Prepay tuition up to 30 years in advance of your child entering one of more than 270 private colleges and be guaranteed today's prices tomorrow.)
  • Questbridge (A not-for-profit organization that connects the nation's brightest students from low-income backgrounds with (currently 40) leading institutions of higher education and further opportunities.)
  • Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) (A need-based financial aid program for eligible New York State residents attending a public or private college or university in New York State; annual grants are awarded of up to $5,165; apply via FAFSA)
  • US News and World Report/Most Students Receiving Merit Aid (Don’t put too much emphasis on rankings! This one, however, is quantitative rather than subjective.)