<p>I volunteer in an ASPIRE program at a local public high school, where my job is to help students stay on track for the sort of post HS training they want - 2yr, 4yr college, trade school, etc. We also spend much time helping students through the college application process - testing, college search, app, FAFSA, scholarship hunt, the whole ball game.
This is our second year and we have some grant funds to buy some books for student use.
What would you buy?
We're serving everyone from beautician school to IB diploma kids going to ivy league schools and the entire office is run by parent volunteers in a low-income, 1900 student school.
I can't wait to hear your wisdom!</p>
<p>Colleges that Change Lives, The Fiske Guide and Winning the Heart of the College Admissions Dean were my favorites for college admissions. Don't know about the rest.</p>
<p>Second vote for Fiske.</p>
<p>Ditto on the above suggestions. We also liked Princton Review "the Best 357 Colleges.</p>
<p>And good food for thought is in Asher's "Cool Colleges" guide. It is a bit dated, but is interesting, especially for kids that don't seem to fit in other spots.</p>
<p>The College Board has a book of "College Majors" that might be useful for your project.</p>
<p>I would also buy a couple books on 'what to expect at college', 'and letting go' for parents. We read a ton of these, so I don't have specific titles.</p>
<p>Also: 'Get a Jump- What's Next After High School' by Peterson's.
Has all the after school choices, not just college. Goes into career planning, etc.</p>
<p>"Hidden Ivies" -- reviews schools that offer high quality educations but aren't in the traditional "Ivy League"</p>
<p>and a book entitled something like "What college kids say about colleges"</p>
<p>There's an ARCO book about Performing Arts College Programs which applies to theater, music and creative writing programs. You won't find it covered well in the regular college books.</p>
<p>Depending on your h.s. demographic, think about pursuing a book about Historic Black Colleges (google the words to see, or maybe someone from CC knows a name).
We used Hillel Guide to Jewish Life on Campus in our household, but that info is on the net now. If there's anything like that to help focus any ethnic population that you serve, it might be helpful in your school.</p>
<p>Since you're in a volunteer-staffed program, ask the school if they'll let you write out to graduated seniors to see if the parents would donate their old books, but only take them if they're 1 or 2 years old, IMHO.</p>
<p>Great suggestions! The only ones I already had on the for sure list were 357 best colleges, and CTCL, but of course there are loads of books and we'd like to not waste money on ones that aren't helpful.
Also, we probably will use whatever we get for more years than we should, so a few that are less likely to be easily dated would be good.
Thanks for the idea of writing to graduates - while it would take awhile, it could be an annual project.</p>
<p>10 Real SAT tests</p>
<p>LOL cheers, you said what I didn't have the nerve to.</p>
<p>Improving the old SAT score could be the single most influential thing a student does in the college admissions process. In many cases, just 100 points opens up a whole new world. If a high school junior had 20 hours to spend doing "something" towards the college application process, I'd suggest bumping up the SAT score, assuming he isn't already scoring in the stratosphere (and he's doing all the other stuff right).</p>
<p>"On Writing the College Application Essay" by Harry Bauld.</p>
<p>The book I find most useful when helping students get started with their college planning is College Match by Steven Antonoff. It's not a "how to get in" book. Rather, it's a book of self-tests that help students figure out what type of college will be the best fit and what their admissions profile is. It is especially useful when working with a group of students. It costs $10 and if you contact the publisher directly, you can get a bulk discount. </p>
<p>Antonoff has another book called The College Finder which is an invaluable tool in my counseling office. It is simply a book of lists that makes it easy to look up all sorts of weird requests (which college has an archery team?). Rugg's Recommendations of the Colleges is another counseling tool I couldn't live with out. It has lists of colleges with strong programs in different majors, and each list is divided by the selectivity of schools, so it is a terrific tool for counseling kids with all types of admissions profiles.</p>
<p>For a good "how to" book, Admissions Matters by Sally Springer and Marion Franck. is my personal favorite. It doesn't purport to give students "secrets" - it just is a clear guide to every step of the process. I particularly like it because it's written for kids applying to all types of colleges, not just the "top" ones. </p>
<p>Since your high school is low income, don't forget the books on financial aid, scholarships, and "best deals" - The College Board has several very good financial aid and scholarship books, and there are a number of "best deals for college" books out there as well.</p>
<p>There are some other specific college counseling books that I think everyone counseling students should have on hand - if you PM me, I'll be happy to give you a list of resources.</p>
<p>Oh, those sound good, carolyn.</p>
<p>I've been hearing we don't have enough young people entering the trades and wonder what we should be doing about this. Plumbers, electricians, building contractors make good livings and we need them very much. I don't think we're providing much encouragement for our young people to enter these fields.</p>
<p>We liked Admissions Matters and the Yale Daily News Insider Guide, plus Fiske and Princeton Review.</p>
<p>Fiske, Ruggs, and the Yale Insider</p>
<p>I really enjoyed reading *The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College *by Jacques Steinberg. It's an inside look at the year in an admissions office. (Wesleyan).</p>
<p>Paying for College Without Going Broke by Kalman Chany (The Princeton Review). A new edition comes out every October.</p>
<p>The College Admissions Mystique, by Bill Mayher is a good book for parents and students alike. It's not a new book, but still very relevant.</p>
<p>I really liked Students' Buide to Colleges, The definitive Guide to America's top 100 Schools Edited by Jordan Goldman and Colleeen Buyers. For each school, they interview at length three or four very different students who honestly answer questions about campus life, professors, the kinds of students who go there, etc. 100 isn't that broad, but for what it covers it does it in a unique style.</p>
<p>Two books I've read and recommend:</p>
<p>Letting Go: A Parents Guide to Understanding the College Years, by Colburn and Treeger</p>
<p>Almost Grown: Launching Your Child from High School to College, by P. Pasick</p>
<p>I found both comforting and thought-provoking. It gave me assurance that I'm on the right track. Both are on Amazon for around $10 each.</p>
<p>Agree with the 10 Real SATs. Best use of <$20 for a would-be college student. If Xiggi had a book, I'd put that in your library, too.</p>
<p>About a year ago, I read Rock Hard Apps and The Truth About Getting In by Katherine Cohen -- she's too off-putting and self-promoting for my tastes. If anyone wants to know where the hype and hysteria come from in college admissions, this is the place to find it. </p>
<p>If you have a computer iwhere you can load links for parents, some links to the federal financial aid guides, EFC calculators, etc. would be a great resource, too.</p>
<p>U.S. News and World Report - Premium On-line
Rock Hard Apps
Papa Chicken's list of Common Data Sets on CC
Collegeboard Online
Yale Insider's Guide
CC parent's forum</p>