No Drama College Counseling
Taking the drama out of college admissions since 2003
CRYSTAL REED
College Counselor
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Serving clients via email,
Zoom, phone, and text.
For reviews, visit my listings on Yelp and Angie's List
The following resources will help you take charge of your own college admissions process. It's a good idea to check in with a professional anyway to make sure your college list and your timeline are on track, but these links will allow you to do a lot of prep work yourself. Why would you want to do it yourself? To save money! To feel like you're in the driver's seat of your own destiny!
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Remember--NO DRAMA. Don't buy into society's hype about this being too hard for you to handle. You can do this.
(Everything here is free unless it has a "$" next to it)
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Coursera online class: How to Apply to College
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List of links for SAT tips and resources
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)--Do not use any other link or website to fill out a FAFSA
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Smart Scholar FAFSA Guide (resources for understanding the FAFSA)
NACAC (National Association for College Admission Counseling)
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Compass Guide to College Admissions Testing ('18-'19)
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CollegePoint (free online college counseling)
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FairTest (list of test-optional colleges and colleges that weigh standardized testing very lightly)
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College Scorecard from the U.S. Dept of Education
Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success (new "competitor" of Common App; has more functions for college search process than Common App but fewer universities are affiliated at this time--mostly schools in New England)
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Varsity Tutors (free online classes and assessments)
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Virtual college tour sites:
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YouTube channel: Crimson Education
Assist.org (California only--explore majors and transfer options at UC and CSU schools)
Information about online degree programs
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Information about transferring from AffordableColleges.com
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"How to Transfer" from UniversityHQ
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Financial Literacy for Students from Annuity.org
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Avoid predatory lending by Dead Street Capital
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Online degree search by College Degrees Online
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Ergonomics for College Students
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Podcasts of interest
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$ AdmitSee (see successful college essays and applicant profiles for any college of your choice; one free per week, pay for more)
$ College Aid Consulting (financial planner specializing in college-related savings and strategies)
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Credit information for youth (for children or for college students)
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If you have a favorite website or a request for a certain type of link to be added to this page, please let me know via email.
Check out my article from the California Dept of Education/CalSTAT's summer 2015 issue of "Special EDge"
Fair Opportunity Guide
created by Harvard students
LD and ASD Students Guide to Transition
created by Closing the Gap
What colleges should be doing to support students on the Autism Spectrum
created by Rochester Institute of Technology