Books:
The Price You Pay For College by Ron Lieber
This is a must read for all parents thinking about college.
https://ronlieber.com/books/the-price-you-pay-for-college/
Soundbite by Sara Harberson
Ms. Harberson is a fantastic resource if you decide to go it alone or if you just want to learn more about the college admissions process.
The Fiske Guide to Colleges by Edward B. Fiske
This book has been around for over four decades and is a great place to start if you have a junior in high school. They look at over 300 colleges and provide a short essay on each. They also list popular majors, acceptance rates and on and on. And they are pretty accurate! They focus on “rating not ranking” and help students find their best fit college.
https://www.amazon.com/Fiske-Guide-Colleges-2025-Edward/dp/1728295556
Websites:
NACAC: https://www.nacacnet.org/
Big Future: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/
Khan Academy: https://www.khanacademy.org/
Colleges That Change Lives: https://ctcl.org/
Podcasts
Admissions Beat with Lee Coffin
Lee Coffin is the head of admissions at Dartmouth. With this podcast he shares tons of insider information on college admissions. He also has access to wonderful guests.
Your College Bound Kid
Mark Stucker leads this podcast. I like that it is down to earth and is sort of the opposite of the one above. It’s not as polished but very real.
The College Essay Guy Podcast: A Practical Guide to College Admissions
Ethan Sawyer is easy to listen to and full of great guests and college admissions information. I prefer his podcast to his website which can be a bit overwhelming. Starting in January, 2024, he recorded a nine part series called “What Colleges Want” which I recommend.