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Blue Valley West High School > Teacher Websites > College Planning 
Blue Valley District College Readiness Website
 

NAVIANCE Instructions  (Naviance is available to all grades)

NAVIANCE College Planning site  (sign in here)

College Planning for Selective Schools presentation

Planning for College booklet

Deciding Where to Go

There are thousands of post-secondary schools in the USA alone. Choosing where to apply and ultimately what college to attend can seem like a daunting task. Fortunately there are some excellent tools to help you decide.

One of our favorite tools is the College Board's Advanced Search engine. It allows one to sift colleges based on numerous criteria, such as size, location, average test scores, programs available (such as debate, athletics etc.)

There are some wonderful resources available to help in your decision-making process. Here are some of our favorites:

  • Rugg's Recommendations : A printed list of colleges recommended on the basis of strength in a specific major (Available in BVW Career Center).
  • The Fiske Guide : A printed report on various facets of college life at most well-known colleges and universities (Available in BVW Career Center).
  • Insider's Guide: Similar to Fiske's, although a bit more risqué in their assessments (Available in BVW Career Center).
  • The College Finder: Sorts colleges and universities who are strong in a variety of characteristics (Available in BVW Career Center).
  • U.S. News: Colleges Edition : Thoroughly researched rankings of college quality, but be aware of the criteria they use to rate schools. You may not agree that things like percentage of faculty with Ph.D.s or library holdings are important to you when finding the right school.
  • Looking Beyond the Ivy League: A discussion of the merits of alternatives to the country's best-known schools (Available in BVW Career Center).
  • The Templeton Guide : Profiles 405 exemplary college programs in ten categories that inspire students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives, as well as 50 college presidents selected for their leadership in this area.

8 Steps for Learning Disabled Students Who Want to Go to College--US News and World Report

Tough Questions to Ask on Your College Visit