<p>I'm a newbie and I'm the eldest from a family that has NEVER applied to colleges before. Obviously, I can't ask anyone, or even my parents, for help. I only have a broad overview of what EA/ED are and I don't even know when the latest time I can take the SAT is. What source can I extract all of this information from? Any books, websites, etc.?? Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Obviously, the best website to extract such information is from your fellow CC'ers, duh!!! lol, I'm just yanking your chain.. anyway, I'd advise these websites and books:
~Rock Hard Apps book(if you want to get into a very selective college) or the Truth About Getting In
~College Board.com; practically everything about the SATs are on here. They also have college matchmaker, a really good college search engine, and Myroad/my Organizer, which is free if you've taken the PSAT before.
~Princeton Review.com also isn't too bad about finding info about SATs/ACTs, colleges, majors, etc. </p>
<p>It all just depends on what you're looking for. If you want just a brief overview of all the concepts of applying to college, then I suggest signing up for fastweb.com as well, because in addition to being a scholarship search website (albeit, a mediocre one), it has quite a few helpful articles. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>Nucleus, there is just no way that I can give you all the sources I have used to go through the ENTIRE application process. If I just give you a list of websites and books I'll bet my money that you will be completely overwhelmed and confused and frustrated. This is why I'll go about this slowly. I really enjoy doing things slowly, so don't rush me!</p>
<p>First, I'd advise you to ask yourself a silly question: Why am I going to college in the first place? You are the one who will go to college. It is absolutely essential that you know why you want to go. </p>
<p>Read this: <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/starting-points/156.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/starting-points/156.html</a>.</p>
<p>Come up with several good reasons why you want to go to college. You need to think about this carefully. Ultimately, it comes down to this: You should go to college because it enhances the quality of your life.</p>
<p>Now that you know why you want to go to college, you have to do a critical self-assessment of yourself. This will take time. </p>
<p>What kind of student am I?
What kind of student would I like to become?
What aspects of high school have I enjoyed the most?
What parts of school do I like least?
How do I define success?
Which subjects do you love or hate to study?
Do my grades reflect my ability and potential?
Are SAT scores an accurate measure of my ability?
How hard do I work--not only in school, but in other areas as well?
How independent am I?
What do I want to get out of college? What are my goals in college?
Who am I? What are my abilities? What can I offer to my college?</p>
<p>These are just some questions to get you started. Of course, I can't just give you a list of questions and expect you to know the answer to "Who am I?" just by answering them quickly. You need to spend some time. This self-assessment is critical. Later you'll be finding colleges that will match who you are--think of it as dating. You want to find someone who will match your personality. The same with colleges. Your ideal college is the college that fits you well; it's where you'll excel and have lots of fun and learn lots of new things. That is where the best college for you is.</p>
<p>Okay, I need to take a break. Here are some more resources to use:</p>
<p>-The Complete Idiot's Guide to College Planning by Dr. O'Neal Turner. It used to be The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting into College. There's really very little difference between them. If I had to recommend one book, it would be this one.
-Winning the Heart of the College Admissions Dean by Joyce Slayton Mitchell.
-Looking Beyond the Ivy League by Loren Pope.
-<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=377931">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=377931</a>. Read it, read it, read it! My post is excellent, if I do say so myself. </p>
<p>Off you go! Do your self-examination! What do you want from college?</p>
<p>Next, how do you find the right college for you? There are thousands of schools out there?</p>
<p>You have to decide what you want out of college first. Read <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=377931%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=377931</a> again. It has everything. Also, take a look at the books I recommended on my last post. Now's also a good time to read these articles here: <a href="http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/where-to-start/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/where-to-start/index.html</a></p>
<p>Okay, so read all those books and resources and do more contemplation until you know what you want from college.</p>
<p>So, at this point, you should know what you want from a college and should be ready to start looking!</p>
<p>-<a href="http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/index.jsp">http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/index.jsp</a> (There are lots of mistakes but it's still good)
-Also, tell us what your Important Criteria are. That way we can give you some suggestions. Are you a student with great grades? Okay grades? And so on. What are you looking for?</p>
<p>Wow, thanks guys for all of your advice! Thanks Dchow, I haven't really done enough thinking about myself so I think I'll go do that. :)</p>