Parent Resource Network – College and Career Resources
Comprehensive College & Career information, including on the topics of College and Career Planning, Financial Aid, Testing and more can be found in the Guidance and Student Support sections on each of our individual high school websites and also on the College & Career Planning webpage on the FUHSD District website.
School Site College & Career Centers
About College Fit
- Five myths about the Ivy League
- The Value of Fit: Helping First-Generation Students Find Their Path After High School
(registration required to access webinar) - Malcolm Gladwell discusses how student persistence increases relative to their peers. (Select a college for fit – not because it’s elite.)
- Colleges that Change Lives – The Good, the Bad and The OMG of College Admissions. A video of Maria Furtado’s presentation from October 17, 2019
- Challenge Success – Why College Engagement Matters More Than Selectivity
Books recommended by FUHSD Parents
- Where You Go To College Is Not Who You’ll Be, An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni, pub 2015. Recommended by FUHSD parent, Deanne S. This book makes a point of helping students consider what college fit actually means.
- The Stressed Years of Their Lives, Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years, by Janet Hibbs and Anthony Rostain. This book is a sobering look at the current mental health crisis going on in our colleges and universities. When parents tell their children in elementary school that they are working to get into Stanford, or another Top 20 school on the US News and World Report Rankings, a disservice is done. Recommended by FUHSD parent, Deanne S.
- Ready or Not: Preparing our Kids to Thrive in an Undertain and Rapidly Changing World, by Madeline Levine Ph.D. Recommended by FUHSD parent, Deanne S. An examination into how today’s parenting techniques fail to set our childrenn up to succeed in the world of tomorrow – and how we can reverse course.
- The Meritocracy Trap: How America’s Foundational Myth Feeds Inequiality, Dismantles the Middle Class, and Devours the Elite, by Daniel Markovits. Recommended by FUHSD parent, Deanne S.
- GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth. Recommended by FUHSD parent, Deanne S. The author shows anyone striving to succeed that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent, but a special blend of passion and persistence.
- How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare your Kid for Success, by Julie Lythcott-Haims. Recommended by FUHSD parent, Deanne S. “For parents who wanto to foster hearty self-reliance instead of hollow self-esteem” – Daniel Pink.
- Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students, by Denise Clark Pope. Recommended by FUHSD parent, Deanne S. This book offers a revealing and troubling view of today’s high school students and the ways they pursue high grades and success.
- The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids, by Madeline Levine Ph.D. Recommended by FUHSD parent, Deanne S.
College and Career Planning Resources
Many of the school CCC websites have career research tools
- Vault – tool for researching companies and jobs
- O*NET Online – tool for researching careers
- What’s Your Passion – an article about gaining clarity about your interests
- Making the Most of your LinkedIn Profile
- 9 Top Networking Tips
- College and Career Planning for People with Social Anxiety Disorder
College Admissions during Covid
College Testing Information
- College Board (includes information about the SAT and PSAT)
- Preparation for the SAT
- Khan Academy Free Test Prep
- ACT Information
- Online Test Preparation for the ACT, SAT, AP Tests and more
Recommended Books for Navigating the College System
- Fiske Guide to Colleges
- The Portable Guidance Counselor
- I Can Write An Extraordinary College Essay: A Step-by-Step guide based on an Admissions Officer’s experience evaluating Essays
- Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice
Searching for Scholarships
Selecting and Getting into College
- Naviance Overview
- How to Use Naviance as a Search Tool
- Santa Clara County Libraries – College Resources
- The College, Career and Life Readiness Framework (includes competency profiles for grades 6 – 12)
- EBSCO Learning Express – Links to Career Preparation, College Admissions Test Prep, and other skill building resources
- What’s your Dream School Really Like? 15,000 real videos, tours and experiences from 300+ college campuses. (Registration required.)
- College List Hacking: Better Fit, Less Time, More Fun
- New Report: To Retain College Students, Look to Academic Support and Campus Activities
- Getting In: A College Coach Conversation. A weekly podcast that discusses a variety of admissions and college finance topics.
- College Selection Guide – a useful tool to help you select a college that’s right for you
- Finding the Right College at the Right Price During Covid-19 (recorded webinar of a Foundation event on October 27, 2020)
- Study.com – How to Apply to College: The Ultimate Guide
- Leap2College – Guiding your way to college (This service was created by several Lynbrook HS students)
Resources for First Gen and Low Income Students
- ScholarMatch offers online resources for first gen students – tools, guides, and milestone tracker to start your college journey today.
- ScholarMatch also offers virtual college advising for first gen students.
- College Raptor – 8 Awesome Organizations that help Low-Income Students Get to College
- Virtual Advising Guide – a resource for first gen and low income students