College Search Resources

You do not need to know what you want to be when you grow up in order to go to college.

• Presentation with audio recorded at October 25, 2012 college workshop for parents.: 

When should I take the SAT and/or ACT?


Month	Test	Who should take?
September	ACT	College-bound seniors
October	SAT	College-bound seniors
October	ACT	College-bound seniors
November	SAT	College-bound seniors Juniors who are done with world language may choose to take that Subject test with listening
December	ACT	College-bound seniors
December	SAT	College-bound seniors
January	SAT	College-bound juniors
February	ACT	College-bound juniors
March	SAT	College-bound juniors
April	ACT	College-bound juniors
May	SAT	College-bound juniors Juniors in AP Bio, Physics, US History, Calc AB, Spanish may choose to take up to three of those subject tests
June	SAT	College-bound juniors Freshmen still strong in Hebrew should take Hebrew Subject test Underclassmen in AP or GT Bio, Physics, Math, World History, or US History may choose to take up to three of those subject tests
June	ACT	College-bound juniors

• Pikesville HS Library's SAT prep Livebinder site
• Pikesville HS Library's College Fit Livebinder site
• Use College Navigator to generate a list that can be exported to MS Excel.
• Search for colleges using Google Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/0gubF
• If you are interested in athletics, check out academic rankings of the colleges in the BCS top 25 or the NCAA Basketball tournament.
• For those who value attending college where the Queer community is accepted and embraced, use the Campus Pride index.

• Do Colleges care about Gifted and Talented?
• College exploration links in one page
• Jewish students are encouraged to search for colleges that have Hillel organizations on campus so that they have cultural resources should they wish to take advantage of them.

• List of HBCU's and even an HBCU common app
• List of colleges with a reputation for being supportive of students with Asperger's.
• Rational perspective on elite colleges and college "fit", by ISCA and IACAC
• Great advice from an admissions counselor from Lasell College.
• If you can't find your major in Maryland, use your in-state tuition elsewhere with the Academic Common Market.
• If you plan to transfer enrollment (or even just credits) from one Maryland college to another, you are strongly advised to consult with the ARTSYS, which allows you to see what credit you would be awarded for a course at your first institution.
• Participate in online chats, watch on-demand videos, and even search for scholarships at CollegeWeekLive.
• Dr. Nancy Berk's College Bound podcasts are available for download.
• Some colleges also offer online matriculation. See Maryland's options.
• Lots of higher education data is avaliable at http://college-insight.org/ 

Questions to ask on a college visit

Questions to ask at a college fair:

Shake hands. Look the representative in the eye. Do you use SAT and the ACT in your admissions decisions? Is there a preference? Do you require or recommend SAT subject tests? Which ones? What grade point average range do you typically admit? How much emphasis do you place on academic rigor, like honors and AP courses? What types of merit and/or need based scholarship programs are available? What resources are available when students need academic assistance?  Do you guarantee on-campus housing for freshmen? How likely is it for a student to be in “temporary housing?” How large are your typical freshman-level classes, like Introductory Chemistry/Biology, English Composition, and Accounting? What opportunities do students have to participate in recreational sports? What type of class schedule do you look for in an applicant's senior year?

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Planning your college visit schedule

Alphabet soup - what are all these different degrees?

Initials	Formal Degree Name	Description
Community College, two-year degrees
AAS	Associate of Applied Science	2-year, technical focus
AA	Associate of Arts	2-year, with plans to focus on an artistic bachelor degree
AS	Associate of Science	2-year, with plans to transfer to a scientific bachelor degree
Four-year degrees, either start at college or transfer from community college
BS	Bachelor of Science	4-year scientific focus
BA	Bachelor of Arts	4-year artistic focus
BFA	Bachelor of Fine Arts	4-year in performing or visual arts
BSW	Bachelor of Social Work	4-year social work training
Graduate degrees that require at least a four year degree for admission
MSW	Master of Social Work	1-2 year advanced training in social work
MS	Master of Science	1-3 year advanced training in a science
MA	Master of Arts	1-3 year advanced study in an art
MEd	Master of Education	1-3 year advanced training in education
MBA	Master of Business Administration	2-3 year advanced training in business administration
MFA	Master of Fine Arts	2-3 year advanced training in performing or visual arts
JD	Juris Doctor	3 year degree in law
MD	Medical Doctor	4 year degree in medicine
DO	Doctor of Osteopathy	4 year degree in osteopathic medicine
PsyD	Doctor of Psychology	4-7 year degree in clinical psychology
EdD	Doctor of Education	3-6 year degree in education
PhD	Doctor of Philosophy	3-8 year degree in advanced study of a chosen field, usually to prepare to teach at the university level

In addition to following college admissions offices on twitter, learn what not to do by following AdmissionsProblems on twitter or facebook. Also, participate in tweetchats: #campuschat (First Wed of each month at 9pm), #collegebound uschat

Recommended Reading

The College Solution by Lynn O'Shaughnessy College Bound and Gagged by Nancy Berk Colleges that Change Lives by Loren Pope College Admissions for the 21st Century by Robert Sternberg