College Resources

Articles About College & School Rankings

• The Order of Things: What College Rankings Really Tell Us | The New Yorker
• A Roundup of All Those College Rankings | The Atlantic
• It’s Time to Tell Your Kids It Doesn’t Matter Where They Go to College | TIME magazine
• The Right Way to Choose a College | The Wall Street Journal
• NPR Series on Applying for College | Read or listen to a series featuring 2007 high school graduates who share their experiences in the college application process.
• Bad Data | National Association of Independent Schools

Find a College

• 10 Things to Know About Getting Into Your Dream College | New York Times
• American Association of Medical Colleges
• Art Colleges
• College Board | College, career and financial aid database
• Colleges That Change Lives A non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process.
• eCampusTours.com | Virtual tours of selected university campuses.
• Florida private colleges and universities
• Hillel.org | The Foundation for Jewish Campus life; useful advice and information for prospective student and parents.
• My College Options | Match student goals and interests (including academics, co-curricular activities, location preferences, and attitudes) with the offerings of 3,500 accredited post-secondary institutions in the United States. Backed by NAIS and NACAC.
• My Majors | Helps students identify majors that fit them best.
• National Catholic College Admission Association | Information about Roman Catholic Colleges.
• The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) | Read news, learn about being a student athlete, find a college, gather information about D-I, D-II, and D-III colleges and universities. Prospective D-I and D-II student-athletes will need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center no earlier than late spring of their junior year. Eligibility Center, Members by Division, NCAAStudent.org
• Study in Canada
• Unigo | A free online college guide and community.
• Zinch | Allows students to interact with college admission officers.

Application Forms

Common Application | http://www.commonapp.org
The Common Application is an online form students use to apply to colleges across the country. The Common Application is used by about 400 colleges in 42 states including schools that are small and large, public and private, highly selective and relatively open enrollment.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association | NCAAStudent.org and Eligibility Center Prospective D-I and D-II student athletes will need to register with the NCAA Eligibility Center no earlier than late spring of their junior year. You will be required to send the NCAA Eligibility Center your SAT or ACT scores direct from the testing agency.

Articles About SAT / ACT

• 3 Ways the Optional SAT Essay Builds Writing Skills | US News and World Report

Scholarship Information

NOTE: Never to pay for a scholarship search or application!

• FASTWEB | One of the best sources of scholarship information anywhere
• Florida Bright Futures Scholarships. See the FINANCIAL AID section at the bottom of this page
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund | The Scholarship Programs page of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the nation’s largest provider of college financial aid for Latino students.
• Sallie Mae | Sallie Mae offers one of the largest, free scholarship searches on the web.
• GoCollege
• Raise.me
• Scholarships.com

Financial Aid Information

College Answer | College Answer has interactive tools to analyze the affordability of schools, compare financial aid award letters and search for scholarships.

College Comparison | Compare up to five colleges based on long-term costs.

CSS PROFILE
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® is the financial aid application service of the College Board. Some universities, graduate and professional schools and scholarship programs use the information collected on the PROFILE to determine eligibility for non federal student aid funds. See list of participating institutions and programs.

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) | Families can file the FAFSA beginning October 1 of the student’s senior year in order to qualify for need-based grants (free money) and loans. Click here to visit a FAFSA website offering tips on completing the FAFSA.

FINAID

Florida Bright Futures
This Florida Lottery-funded scholarship rewards students for their academic achievements during high school by providing funding for them to pursue postsecondary educational and career goals in Florida. Seniors will complete the application for Bright Futures in their advising groups under the guidance of College Counseling beginning January of the student’s senior year.

Service hours are required to be tracked for the purposes of the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. Tampa Preparatory School does not require service hours for graduation.

Students must log their service hours via their SCOIR account. Students are introduced (or reintroduced) to this online account each school year beginning in the second semester of their freshman year.

US Department of Education College Affordability and Transparency Center
College Scorecards in the U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center make it easier for you to search for a college that is a good fit for you. You can use the College Scorecard to find out more about a college’s affordability and value so you can make more informed decisions about which college to attend.