Typing “college application,” “scholarships,” and “college essay” into a search engine can provide one with so many results, yet very little advances into the college admissions journey. As a result, the large amounts of information often cause students to feel extremely overwhelmed and lost when starting college research. Taking this into consideration, I have narrowed down the 5 best college application resources to help any lost student get started.
If completely lost, visit Khan Academy’s college application page to gain access to their step-by-step college admissions process walk-through, condensed into videos and articles. Their content addresses the overall admission process and lists what students are expected to bring forth in their college resume. Khan Academy takes a step further by addressing the college decision process through short 2 minute videos.
College Board’s Big Future is a search engine and portal that was designed to provide users with information about various universities and colleges students might be interested in. The portal provides resources and background information for nearly 3,500 schools, helping students narrow down their college search. Moreover, the portal is commonly used to research information about popular majors, AP credit, and college’s waitlist statistics.
Tiktok user and MIT alumni Gohar’s Khan is another great resource when looking into college admission. Through his social media platforms, he condenses information in regards to the SAT/ACT, college essay, and college admission process into 1-minute videos. His short videos have amassed over 31 million likes and helped numerous students get into MIT, Colombia, Princeton, Brown, and Cornell University. Under his NextAdmit website, he has uploaded templates to help students get a head start into the admission process, including brag sheet, FERPA request, additional Info, research email, and essay templates.
Youtuber TheKathPath provides weekly videos that serve to help students apply to college. Her content encircles college essay writing and college lifestyle. She has also dedicated a website, KeyPrepCollegeApps, to provide college prep counseling and essay assistance to high school seniors. Features of the website include a FAQ page, answering common college questions some may have throughout the admissions process. Her content and service have helped thousands of students receive admission from Vanderbilt, Stanford, UCLA, Cornell, Colombia, Northwestern, Princeton, and more.
College Navigator is an easily accessible website, provided by the US Department of Education, that enables users explore schools according to the student’s needs. Search criteria that narrow down the college search include academic major, location, size, tuition, exam score, and athletic and music programs. In addition to its features, the website also provides resources and publications that correlate to college admissions.
College season is definitely not a straightforward procedure. It can be extremely difficult for students to undergo the process without the proper resources and counseling. With this in mind, take advantage of the list above and overcome the college admissions stress free!
Evelyn Kim, Grade 12,
Cerritos High School
