There are many college search tools and they all have their pros and cons. Here are a few of the best:
Scoir: Integrated with Four Rivers systems for transcript and recommendations requests
College Board Big Future: Easy to use search tools to help narrow down your list
Princeton Review: Famous for its lists, which offer many ways to explore
Peterson's College Discovery Center: Curated lists in many different categories
Education Trust College Results: Loads of social justice oriented data and comparisons
National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator: Helpful charts and data
Niche: Includes a "review" section where you can see what students have to say about the school
Unigo: Known primarily as a scholarship search site, but also includes a college search function with student reviews
College Confidential: You can search for lists by GPA, which helps build a list of reach, target, and likely schools.
College Virtual Tours spreadsheet from The College Essay Guy: Massive spreadsheet with links to virtual tours, info sessions, YouTube channels, and more.
Matriculate offers a free college advising program for eligible students (based on GPA and family income). If accepted you are matched with an advisor through the end of senior year.
The Matchlighters Scholars Program pairs highly motivated students from low-income households with experienced college counselors.
If you are an auditory learner or you’ve been bitten by the podcast bug, here are a few that will help you learn from the college admissions experts (search for these by name wherever you listen to podcasts):
The College Essay Guy Podcast: Practical, up-to-date interviews with experts in college admissions and financial aid; essay advice and more
Getting In: Your College Admissions Companion: A real-time podcast following a diverse group of New York–area high school seniors applying to college (from 2015)
The College Checklist Podcast: Source for great information on the college admissions journey.
Don't love podcasts? Sign up to receive these great resources in your inbox:
MEFA Blog: The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority provides free, short bi-monthly newsletters on college admissions and financing.
The College Essay Guy Blog: Everything on the College Essay Guy website is fabulous (and it's not just about essays!); the blog is no exception.
The College Solution Blog: Lynn O’Shaughnessy, author of The College Solution, offers valuable insights.
Colleges That Change Lives: This site, and the book of the same name, highlights colleges that are focused on personalized, student-centered experiences for their students. The list includes forty-four colleges, including local favorites Clark University and Hampshire College. Loren Pope's books, Colleges That Change Lives and Looking Beyond the Ivy League are well worth the read.
The College Essay Guy: A tremendous source of free resources on everything from the essay to the Common App to financial aid. They offer a podcast, a blog, webinars, and more.