<p>Hi all, </p>
<p>I am a mentor to two freshmen girls who want to be the first in their families to go to college. I've looked at a lot of books recommended on this site, but I have a few gripes. So many of them seem geared toward students aiming for the Ivy League. Many also seem to presume a lot of background knowledge is already there which I don't think my students have. </p>
<p>Any suggestions? Thank you!!</p>
<p>One book I like is “Admission Matters” which really covers the nuts and bolts of the whole process from understanding what fit is, understanding financial aid, what to do/ask on a campus visit, the role of testing, etc. You can see the table of contents at [Table</a> of Contents](<a href=“http://www.admissionmatters.com/tableofcontents.html]Table”>Table of Contents) or peek inside it on Amazon. There are undoubtedly many other books that would also serve your purpose.</p>
<p>Agree w/mikemac, Admission Matters is excellent and not exclusively directed at admission to highly selective colleges. I found it at my local library, so you might want to give that a try.</p>
<p>The best book I’ve come across–better and more thorough, I think, than “Admissions Matters”–is “College Admission: From Application to Acceptance, Step By Step”, by Robin Mamlet and Christine Vandevelde. Great nuts-and-bolts advice, down-to-earth, realistic, not so anxiety-inducing like the “guides” pushed by the likes of Michelle Hernandez and Katherine Cohen. And the only book I know of that helps you (as it says) step-by-step with the Common App sections. Very up-to-date, too. Published 2011.</p>
<p>There are some good online resources as well. The Federal Government provides:
[Prepare</a> for College | Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://studentaid.ed.gov/prepare-for-college]Prepare”>http://studentaid.ed.gov/prepare-for-college)
As well as a good college search engine: [College</a> Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics](<a href=“http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/]College”>College Navigator - National Center for Education Statistics)</p>
<p>The college board also has a good site called BigFuture
<a href=“https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/[/url]”>https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/</a></p>
<p>I haven’t looked at these in depth, but they are geared for first gen students -
[First</a> In the Family](<a href=“http://www.firstinthefamily.org/]First”>http://www.firstinthefamily.org/) They seem to have their own books and videos for sale plus a few free resources.
[FirstGenerationStudent.com</a> | Help for First-Gen College Students](<a href=“http://www.firstgenerationstudent.com/]FirstGenerationStudent.com”>http://www.firstgenerationstudent.com/)</p>