Resources

Here are some resources that high school students can use for more information regarding the college admissions process! Special thanks to our volunteer, Britney, for providing most of this list 🙂

  • PrepScholar Blog 
    • A free blog written by a professional college application consultant company. Many of the writers on the blog are ivy league/top school graduates. This blog goes over almost everything related to the college application process and things to do during high school (AP exam help, SAT/ACT help, suggested ECs, etc.). If you have a question about the college app process, you’ll most likely find an article about it here.
  • College Essay Guy
    • A free blog written by a professional college app consultant. He also has other free resources as well as a podcast, and he sells books about college apps. His blog is filled with advice on writing supplements for a lot of schools, as well as advice about the Common App personal statement prompts. He has a ton of essay samples from successful students that are helpful to refer to. 
  • Tex Admissions Blog
    • A free blog written by a University of Texas Liberal Arts Honors graduate who is not a professional college app consultant. He mostly writes about applying to UT (personal essay, short answers, honors program), but he also writes about other schools like Rice University and about the Common App. This website also has actual writing samples!
  •  Essay Hell
    • This website is run by a woman who is a journalist, a high school teacher, and a professional college essay consultant. She has a free blog and has written books. She also offers personal consulting services. Her blog has been up for years! There are so many articles on this website that cover every single aspect of college application essays.
  • CollegeVine
    • A free blog run by a professional college application consultant company. It’s similar to PrepScholar where it covers everything related to applying to college. There’s a ton of articles covering specific schools and how to write their supplemental essays. They also have separate sections for each grade level, so high school students not applying to colleges yet will also find this site really useful. 
  • Attend virtual college fairs and info sessions
    • The good thing about COVID-19 is that you can “go” anywhere in the comfort of your own home. Colleges are holding virtual events that are super convenient and can help you get a feel for a college and whether or not the college is a good fit for you.
  • r/ApplyingToCollege, r/chanceme, and College Confidential
    • BEWARE: the communities on these websites are rather toxic as nearly everyone on these forums are aiming for prestigious schools, and many of these people are accomplished and can make you think that you don’t have a chance of getting into those schools. Remember that the people on these forums do not represent everyone applying to colleges! However, you can still find some useful information on r/ApplyingToCollege and College Confidential. r/chanceme is a place where students can ask other people what they think the poster’s chances of getting into certain colleges are. Remember that most people on that subreddit are also fellow high school students who don’t know what the college admissions committees will think when reading your application. However, feel free to use that subreddit to see what other students’ resumes look like and use that to motivate you to try out new things!
  • Breaking Book Barriers
    • This is a student-run organization that aims to provide free standardized test resources for high school students. Students can both donate and request used SAT, ACT, and AP prep books through their website. Just fill out the appropriate form and a team member will get back to you shortly!
  • Ace It!
    • A non-profit organization called “Ace It!” They aim to enable motivated students to reach their full potentials. Especially in the midst of COVID-19, there are many disadvantaged students who don’t have access to many resources when it comes to the college application process. They want to break those barriers and give those deserving students a support system. Ace It! offers virtual tutoring for standardized testing and a consulting service — all free of charge — in order to achieve their dream of equity in education.

We’re going to be constantly updating this page with new resources that we believe every high school student can use! If you have any resources you can personally vouch for, send us a message via our Contact page or email us at throughthevineofficial@gmail.com.

Advertisement