Preparing for College

Related Databases

College Blue Book »
This guide to occupational programs, two- and four-year colleges, and distance learning programs allows users to search for programs by subject area or location and also provides listings of educational scholarships, fellowships, grants, and loans by category.

LearningExpressLibrary »
LearningExpressLibrary offers online practice tests, review courses, and online books to help users improve their math or writing skills or prepare to take a placement or certification test. Some of the tests covered include the ACT, GED, SAT, and TOEFL. Also of interest are LearningExpressLibrary's downloadable ebooks, which include titles such as Acing the SAT 2006, SAT Math Essentials, and SAT Writing Essentials. Find these titles and many more in the "e-books" section.

Scholarships, Fellowships, and Loans »
This listing of scholarships, fellowships, loans, internships, work study programs, and other education-related financial aid allows users to identify programs of interest by a wide-variety of criteria (field of study, place of residence, place of study, applicant characteristics, etc.).

Helpful Websites

ACT Assessment »
The ACT (American College Testing) Assessment organization is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides more than a hundred assessment, research, information, and program management services for education and workplace development. This site offers advice to students on what to expect in each subject category of the ACT test, how to build writing skills, test day procedures, sample essays and scoring information.

Chicago Public Schools Information from the Department of Postsecondary Education »
This comprehensive Chicago Public Schools site offers information from the Department of Postsecondary Education regarding college decisions and their impact on your life, ranging from participation in hobbies to future earnings and health. The site provides advice and guidelines for steps students can take from freshman through senior year to make college a reality (from recommended courses to financing college).

City Colleges of Chicago »
The City of Chicago has seven colleges across the city offering credit programs, continuing education programs, as well as ESL, GED and Adult Education classes.

College Rankings »
This site provides rankings of colleges, along with cautionary notes and a discussion of the ongoing controversy over rankings.

Financial Aid »
An informative site about scholarships, loans, financial aid applications, interest rates, etc.

High School Ace »
An educational web site for high school students created by Wanda G. Wojcik and Dyann K. Schmidel.

Peterson's Online High School Student Planning Guide for College »
Learn where to start, prepare for tests, find a school and pay for college on one of the most comprehensive web site for educational information.

Princeton Review »
The Princeton Review web site provides suggestions to students for improving test scores, finding a college and applying for financial aid.

Student Gateway to the U.S. Government »
This site offers tips for planning and paying for your education; choosing a school; studying abroad and more.

Think College »
The U.S. Department of Education offers information on how to prepare for college, estimate college costs, apply for federal aid and more. Includes links to other government sites including questions to consider when choosing a college or technical school.