College Preparation

Worried about how to pick the right university, the right major and how to pay for it all?  Here are a few resources to help you out as you get ready to graduate high school and move on to the college of your dreams.

Databases

• Georgia Career Information Center

  This database is a useful tool for learning about careers, and includes an undergraduate school sort feature to help you create a list of schools which match your interests.

  
• Learning Express Library

  Provides many assessment tools so students can select a subject and grade level and take practice tests to help improve their skills for school.

  
• RB Test Prep

  Using a "test-grade-review" methodology and a proprietary online, video-based delivery platform, RBdigital Test Prep offers the knowledge and strategies proven to maximize test scores.

  
• Scholarships, Fellowships and Loans

  Provides comprehensive information on sources of education-related financial aid sponsored and administered by private organizations and companies. Covers a variety of programs in all educational areas, including area and ethnic studies, business, computer science, education, liberal arts, medicine, physical sciences, theology and religion, and more.

Catalog Links

• Accepted! 50 Successful College Admission Essays
  

  Your college admission essay is a critical ingredient to getting accepted. But do you know what colleges want? This book shows you with a step-by-step essay-writing workshop and over 50 successful essays.

  
  
  
• Admission Possible: The "Dare to be Yourself" Guide for Getting into the Best Colleges for You
  

  When It Comes to College Admissions, Dare to Be Yourself Applying to college isn't just about your GPA, test scores, or how many activities you've done. It's about finding colleges that fit you as a student and a person. And the secret is: that's what the colleges want as well. adMISSIONPOSSIBLE is not your ord read more >>
  
  

  When It Comes to College Admissions, Dare to Be Yourself Applying to college isn't just about your GPA, test scores, or how many activities you've done. It's about finding colleges that fit you as a student and a person. And the secret is: that's what the colleges want as well. adMISSIONPOSSIBLE is not your ordinary admission guide-this book is designed tohelp you be just a little bit different, just a little bit better, than everyone else by focusing on who you are and what you love. adMISSION POSSIBLE takes the stress out of the admission process by providing you with the most useful hands-on advice on everything you need to know and do to make the application process go smoothly-a step-by-step action plan, filled with worksheets, charts, resume and essay samples, questions, directions,and timelines. 

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• The Best 377 Colleges
  

  What makes The Best 377 Colleges the most popular college guide? *DIRECT QUOTES FROM STUDENTS that give insight into each school's unique character, classes, financial aid, social scenes, and more *ONE-OF-A-KIND RANKING LISTS that reveal the top 20 colleges in 62 categories based on how students rated their school's dorms, professors, food, athletic facilities, and financial aid *DET read more >>
  
  

  What makes The Best 377 Colleges the most popular college guide? *DIRECT QUOTES FROM STUDENTS that give insight into each school's unique character, classes, financial aid, social scenes, and more *ONE-OF-A-KIND RANKING LISTS that reveal the top 20 colleges in 62 categories based on how students rated their school's dorms, professors, food, athletic facilities, and financial aid *DETAILED ADMISSIONS INFORMATION that gives tuition, application criteria, deadlines, student to faculty ratios, graduation rates, and the most popular majors *BONUS FEATURES like the "150 Best Value Colleges List," plus unique ratings with all 377 schools scored on Financial Aid, Quality of Life, Fire Safety, Green Ratings, and more! Written for any student or parent mystified by the confusing college admissions process, The Best 377 Colleges provides the facts and information needed to make a smart decision about which of the country's best schools to consider.

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• Bound-for-College Guidebook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding and Applying to Colleges
  

  The Bound for College Guidebook offers information about the school-to-college transition in a complete, organized, and reader-friendly approach not found in any other college admissions guide. Burtnett has assembled frequently asked questions and their answers from school counselors who understand what students need to know during the exploration, decision-making, and application process be read more >>
  
  

  The Bound for College Guidebook offers information about the school-to-college transition in a complete, organized, and reader-friendly approach not found in any other college admissions guide. Burtnett has assembled frequently asked questions and their answers from school counselors who understand what students need to know during the exploration, decision-making, and application process between high school and college. Armed with this guide, the college-bound student is better able to navigate the school-to-college transition.

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• Campus Visits and College Interviews : A Complete Guide for College-Bound Students and Their Families
  

  How to get the most out of your campus visits, and get the stress out of your college interviews. Updated to give the pros and cons of college Web sites and "virtual visits," and reformatted with easy-to-use charts and checklists, this quick and handy guide will help you get the right impression during your visit and make the right impression during your interview. It tells you the read more >>
  
  

  How to get the most out of your campus visits, and get the stress out of your college interviews. Updated to give the pros and cons of college Web sites and "virtual visits," and reformatted with easy-to-use charts and checklists, this quick and handy guide will help you get the right impression during your visit and make the right impression during your interview. It tells you the best times to visit; what to look for while you're there; what questions to expect during your interview; what questions you should ask; and more.

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• CLEP: The College-Level Examination Program
  

  Kaplan CLEP offers the most comprehensive review and strategies for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).  The CLEP allows students to demonstrate that they have the acquired college-level mastery of course content in 34 d read more >>
  
  

  Kaplan CLEP offers the most comprehensive review and strategies for the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).  The CLEP allows students to demonstrate that they have the acquired college-level mastery of course content in 34 different subject areas, allowing them to opt-out of basic courses and save money.  Kaplan CLEP features: Overview of the main set of tests: English Composition, College Mathematics, Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences/History.  Includes 15 practice tests with complete answer explanations.

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• The College Application Essay
  

  Maximize the opportunity to convert your college application into a powerful personal statement. This book provides the steps and samples you'll need to craft memorable and effective essays that say "Pick me!"

  
  
  
• College Financing Information for Teens : Tips for a Successful Financial Life
  

  This guide outlines college preparation steps from 8th grade through the senior year of high school. As well as financial information, it includes advice on planning college visits, pursuing online education, joining the Peace Corps, and avoiding scholarship scams. The largest section of the volume explains the variety of available US feder read more >>
  
  

  This guide outlines college preparation steps from 8th grade through the senior year of high school. As well as financial information, it includes advice on planning college visits, pursuing online education, joining the Peace Corps, and avoiding scholarship scams. The largest section of the volume explains the variety of available US federal grants and loans and a comprehensive directory of financial aid resources is included.

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• Cracking the ACT: with DVD
  

  If you need to know it, it's in this book. Cracking the ACT, 2012 Edition has everything you need to master the ACT exam, including: • Access to 3 full-length practice tests with detailed answer explanations--2 in the book and 1 online • Comprehensive and engaging review of content covered in all five sections of the ACT, including rhetorical skills and reading comprehension fo read more >>
  
  

  If you need to know it, it's in this book. Cracking the ACT, 2012 Edition has everything you need to master the ACT exam, including: • Access to 3 full-length practice tests with detailed answer explanations--2 in the book and 1 online • Comprehensive and engaging review of content covered in all five sections of the ACT, including rhetorical skills and reading comprehension for English, geometry and trigonometry for Math, and experiments for Science Reasoning • Detailed walk-through of how to write great essays • Strategies for turning complex algebra into simple arithmetic • Practice questions and explanations in every chapter • Online lessons and tutorials for more practice

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• The Gay and Lesbian Guide to College Life: A Comprehensive Resource for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Students and Their Allies
  

  For all students, college is a time of exploration, a time to find oneself and come to grips with ones self-identity. Featuring real-life stories, this handbook addresses the specific challenges that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students face during their college years.

  
  
  
• Gruber's Complete SAT Guide 2012
  

  For more than 30 years, Dr. Gary Gruber has been the leading authority on the SAT and test preparation. Now in its 16th edition, Gruber's Complete SAT Guide has proven the effectiveness of structured SAT preparation by raisin read more >>
  
  

  For more than 30 years, Dr. Gary Gruber has been the leading authority on the SAT and test preparation. Now in its 16th edition, Gruber's Complete SAT Guide has proven the effectiveness of structured SAT preparation by raising thousands of students' SAT scores. Rather than just trying to 'beat the test,' Gruber's method builds core knowledge necessary for the test as well as providing strategic advice, giving students a critical approach to solving the questions they miss most often. Featuring 5 full-length practice tests, targeted sections on Math, Critical Reading, and Writing, plus exclusive strategies for finding the right answers in less time, Gruber's Complete SAT Guide has all the tools college-bound high school students need to earn top scores. 

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• Guide to College Majors: Everything You Need to Know to Choose the Right Major
  

  Choosing an undergraduate major is a difficult decision that impacts a student’s college years and future career path.Guide to College Majorsincludes the most current information possible on over 350 of the most popular majors. Perfect for high school students who want to plan ahead and for college students in the process of choosing a major! Every profile of a major includes: · read more >>
  
  

  Choosing an undergraduate major is a difficult decision that impacts a student’s college years and future career path.Guide to College Majorsincludes the most current information possible on over 350 of the most popular majors. Perfect for high school students who want to plan ahead and for college students in the process of choosing a major! Every profile of a major includes: · An overview of the major · Career options and salary potential information · Tips on the best high school prep work · Sample college curriculum for the major · Fun facts and interesting trivia

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• In! College Admissions and Beyond : The Experts' Proven Strategy for Success
  

  Two expert college admissions consultants-a mother-daughter team-share their step-by-step, proven strategy for creating an application that stands out and gets you IN! Lillian Luterman and Jennifer Bloom have been helping high school students get into choice schools for more than twenty years. For each student, their method is based on read more >>
  
  

  Two expert college admissions consultants-a mother-daughter team-share their step-by-step, proven strategy for creating an application that stands out and gets you IN! Lillian Luterman and Jennifer Bloom have been helping high school students get into choice schools for more than twenty years. For each student, their method is based on a simple concept: "be alike but spike." Ironically, it's often the "well-rounded student," an ideal many applicants strive for, who gets rejected. This book shows students how to create an individual distinction by identifying a passion and "layering" it-showcasing their interest in many different ways. While guiding students through every step in the application process, this book is enlivened with instructive case studies, charts and checklists, sidebars for parents, and New Yorker cartoons. And unlike most books about "getting in," In!'s lessons do not end at college acceptance. Luterman and Bloom present the admissions process as an opportunity for students to mature, expand their horizons, and discover what makes them tick. This book gets students in, and gives them the tools and confidence they will need for future success.

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• The Naked Roommate, for Parents Only: A Parent\'s Guide to the New College Experience
  

  If your child is starting life in college, there's a surprise around every corner... But that doesn't mean you can't be prepared! The Naked Roommate: For Parents Only is a witty and wise guide to everything you need to know about the college experience. 

  
  
  
• The Official SAT Study Guide: with DVD
  

  The Official SAT Study Guide with DVD is the only book that features official SAT® practice tests created by the test maker. With 1,000 pages and more than 20 chapters, it has everything you need to prepare for the SAT. T

  
  
  
• Panicked student's Guide to Choosing a College Major: How to Confidently Pick Your Ideal Path
  

  Need to declare a major right now? Don't panic. Dr. Laurence Shatkin guides you step-by-step through a self-evaluation and research process that helps you confidently make the right college major decision. First, you'' learn about the key parts of a college major decision. Then you'll quickly and systematically pinpoint  read more >>
  
  

  Need to declare a major right now? Don't panic. Dr. Laurence Shatkin guides you step-by-step through a self-evaluation and research process that helps you confidently make the right college major decision. First, you'' learn about the key parts of a college major decision. Then you'll quickly and systematically pinpoint the best majors for your interests and skills. Next you'll narrow your choices into a personal "hot list." Finally, you'll review college majors of interest along with their related careers to make your best choice. This book introduces and links 120 majors to approximately 250 careers. It includes college major descriptions and specializations, course sequences, and related career snapshots with pay and growth information.

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• Peterson's Master the GED 2013
  

  Peterson's "Master the GED 2013" is a test strengthener that offers the essential test-prep and review material for the high school equivalency diploma test, including practice tests, subject review, and expert tips on how to score high on each GED test.

  
  
  
• What Every ESL Student Should Know: A Guide to College and University Academic Success
  

  This book teaches English language learners about language learning and classroom expectations. It is a compilation of advice, experiences, suggestions, strategies, and learning theories collected over many years of teaching this population. nbsp; What Every ESL Student Should Knowwas written to help English language learners be successful in community college and college classrooms—sp read more >>
  
  

  This book teaches English language learners about language learning and classroom expectations. It is a compilation of advice, experiences, suggestions, strategies, and learning theories collected over many years of teaching this population. nbsp; What Every ESL Student Should Knowwas written to help English language learners be successful in community college and college classrooms—specifically, how to prepare students for expectations and behavior within the classroom and how to help them to be good students, how to participate in class, what to expect from the class, and what to do to learn English. Learning strategies and language theories are presented in brief. nbsp; This text is ideal for orientations or pre-college workshops for international or nbsp; immigrant students.

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Web Links

• CampusTours

  CampusTours shows video tours, photorealistic interactive campus maps and mobile walking tours of thousands of colleges and universities.

• College Navigator

  College Navigator is a free consumer information tool designed to help students, parents, high school counselors, and others get information about over 7000 schools.  It  consists primarily of the latest data from the Integrated Postseondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the core postsecondary education data collection program for NCES – the National Center for Education Statistics.

• FAFSA

  Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at this website. 

• GAcollege411

  An all-in-one student resource for college.  Access college test preparation materials, financial aid information, a student planner, Georgia college search, applications for Georgia colleges and universities, and much more.

• Student Aid

  This website combines information and tools from several of Federal Student Aid’s websites to make it easier for you to get the information you need to make important decisions about planning and paying for college. Federal Student Aid, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation.

• U.S. Department of Education

  The U.S. Department of Education web site provides access to information on financial aid, loans and grants, accreditation and more. 

• University Systems of Georgia: Institutions by Name

  Find a listing and contact information for the colleges and universities that are part of the University Systems of Georgia at this web site.