My College Guide» Online Tools

Starting Your College Search? Use Social Media To Research!

admin — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:11:35 +0000

Starting your college search? Find out what they're talking about on Twitter! Photo Credit: YourEyes

Now that fall is upon us, the college search is ramping up for seniors across the country. Soon, you’ll need to schedule college visits and admissions interviews. But first, you have to decide which colleges you really want to go after!

And while your mailbox is no doubt filling up with glossy brochures, a college’s social media channels can tell you a lot more about the day-to-day happenings at the school. And that? Can give you a good feel for which colleges might be right for you—before you ever step foot on campus!

But how do you find out where the universities in your college search live online? Easy! Check out the lists of colleges using social media we’ve assembled below!

Colleges and Universities on Twitter

Special Interest Colleges and Universities on Twitter

Colleges and Universities Who Blog

Who did we miss? What are your favorite college search social media channels? Let us know in the comments below! And don’t forget, we’ll be bringing you can’t miss tips and tricks to help you get into college all year long, so subscribe to our blog today!

“Top 10″ List – Your College Search Just Got Easier!

admin — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:21:45 +0000

Got questions about getting into college? We have the answers.

Summer is fast winding to a close, and when it does, the college search process will heat up for millions of students across the country. Worried about how to start? Trying to simplify your search? Are you even ready?

To help you get prepared, we’ve created My College Guide’s “top 10″ list based on our most popular college search posts!

Why are they popular? Easy, they provide helpful information on finding the college that’s right for you, figuring out the college admissions process and identifying ways to pay for college.

Let’s get started.

1. Got a pet that you just can’t stand to leave behind? In You Can Take Them With You: Pet Friendly Colleges and Universities, you’ll see which colleges and universities are pet friendly.

2. Need help paying for college? Who doesn’t? Colleges for Low Income Students: Free Tuition, No Loans, and Full Rides provides a list of colleges that offer full rides or free tuition.

3. Looking for a college scholarship? Think the scholarship options are limited? There’s more out there than you think! Be creative, think outside the box and check out our Super List of College Scholarship Websites.

4. Wish you could get advice about getting college scholarships? Read tips about finding scholarships from the pros in Fastweb, Scholarships.com, Super College: Scholarship Tips From Pros in the Know.

5. Trying to get through the financial aid process? Worrying about all the forms to fill out for college funding? Learn about the financial aid process from the people behind the scenes at the University of Michigan in our post, College Tuition and Financial Aid Explained at the University of Michigan.

6. Searching for affordable colleges? Need to find a college that’s affordable with or without financial aid? We’ve got you covered. See our list of 8 of America’s Most Affordable Public Universities.

7. Want to get an edge on the competition for admission to your dream college? Check out 3 Ways to Get into Your First Choice College (Besides Getting Good Grades) and discover things you can do before you ever fill out a college application to help you get the attention of college admissions officers.

8. Nervous about those upcoming college interviews? Read 5 Tips to Help You Prepare for Your College Interview and learn what you need to know to succeed.

9. Want to make sure admissions officers remember your name? Learn how to stand out from the pack with How to Increase Your Odds After Sending in Your Application.

10. Worried about the economy? Want to get a job right out of college? Then you should read The Most Employable Majors: 5 Concentrations That Will Land You a Job Straight Out of College.

We’re always sharing more information on getting into college, paying for college and college help, so subscribe to our blog today and stay ahead of the curve!

If you’re looking for answers to specific college and career readiness questions, Ask The Guru.

Photo courtesy of Ninja M.

Six Blogs To Follow As You Prepare For College.

admin — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 12:19:58 +0000

Do you know where to find the best college info?

The first thing you’ll notice when you start looking for college information online is this—there are a whole lot of websites to weed through. Finding the good sources can be a little bit challenging!

If you’re nodding your head right now (or rubbing your aching temples), we have some good news. We’ve done the researching for you! Read on to learn about six of the top college blogs around.

College information from inside sources.

Want the best advice about getting into college? Ask a college counselor! These two blogs have the inside scoop on what it takes to make it through the college admissions process:

Get Into College Blog—Penned by a professional college counselor in New York, this blog gives you tips and tricks for getting into college. Read about how to ask for college recommendation letters, how to write college essays and more.

Great College Advice—Written by educational consultants, this talented team of insiders has the scoop on everything from college essays that worked to financial aid.

College advice from your peers.

Learning from professionals is great, but to find out what getting into college is really like, you need to talk to fellow high school and college students. These two blogs are among the best:

Teen College Education—At this blog, you’ll hear from high school students, college students and professionals—but the content is written for and by teens. Learn about everything from the best way to get textbooks to the right amount of extracurricular activities.

Campus Splash—With a channel devoted exclusively to high school students, you’ll learn everything you need to know about getting into college. Read about preparing for college applications, mastering the essay and more!

College information from news organizations.

If you want to be in the know about all the latest and greatest news pertaining to college, you’ve got to follow the professionals. Blogs to subscribe to include:

USA Today College—Whether you want inspiration for finding the perfect job or links to colleges making the best use of social media, USA Today has what you need—and more.

Huffpost College—Whether you’re looking for the latest news about the best paying jobs straight out of college or more light-hearted opinions about what college Harry Potter would choose, the Huffington Post should be among your go-to sources for college information.

These are just a few of the many great college blogs that abound. Is your favorite on the list? What sites would you include?

Stay tuned to hear about more of the best college blogs on the net. Subscribe today!

Photo courtesy of Christina Welsh.

How To FInd the Best Buys In College Education.

admin — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 23:07:12 +0000

Do you know how to find the most affordable colleges?

If you’re like the vast majority of college bound students, you’re probably worrying about the high cost of a college degree.

Yes, college tuition is a big expense—but how big and how much you may need in loans or grants depends on the school you choose. The good news? Comparing tuition costs for a college degree just got easier.

As the New York Times reported yesterday, colleges and universities across the country are now required to report their college tuition numbers, including costs for room and board to the Department of Education. And they, in turn, are making those numbers available to everyone on a new website.

The College Affordability and Transparency Center lets you generate a number of different reports, all designed to show you what colleges cost the most and which have the lowest college tuition—both before and after college loans, grants and scholarships.

So where is your college money going to go the farthest? Below are the most affordable schools in the United States:

Top Five Public Universities With the Lowest Net College Tuition

Sitting Bull College, North Dakota
Escuela de Artes Plasticas de Puerto Rico
South Texas College, Texas
University of Puerto Rico – Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
The University of Texas – Pan American, Texas

Top Five Private Non-Profit Universities With the Lowest Net College Tuition

Universidad Teologice del Caribe, Puerto Rico
Talmudical University – New Jersey, New Jersey
Colegio Pentecostal Mizpa, Puerto Rico
Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary, Texas
John Dewey College – University Division, Puerto Rico

These are just two examples of the vast amount of comparative information available on the College Navigator website. So if finding the best deal on college tuition is important to you, spend some time with it. You might be surprised at what you find!

Don’t miss out on the latest information about college tuition! Subscribe to our blog and stay up to date!

The Easiest Way To Earn Savings For College.

admin — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:24:41 +0000

Sales are even better when they're earning you savings for college.

Did you know that earning savings for college can be as easy as pulling out your credit card and making a purchase?

It’s true! By signing up for Upromise and shopping with its partners, you can get up to 25 percent back on the purchases you make. Even better, the college savings you earn are tax free!

Sounds crazy, right? But don’t worry, Upromise is completely legitimate—in fact, it’s the brainchild of the people at Sallie Mae (which runs federal student loan programs, among other things).

So, how does it earn you savings for college?

First, you have to create an account. That involves giving them some basic information, including which debit/credit cards you want to use to earn college savings. After your registration is complete, there are three super easy ways you can start getting savings for college:

Use the Upromise portal to shop online at any of their 800 partner sites
Download eCoupons onto your shopper cards and use them when you shop at your local supermarkets and drugstores
Register as a Preferred Diner and eat at participating restaurants

Even better? You can invite your friends and family to be part of your Upromise account, too. When they do, you’ll earn additional college savings every time they shop!

Keeping track of your college savings.

Wondering where all those savings for college go? The answer is anywhere you want them to!

Upromise gives you four ways to use the college savings you earn:

Have your college savings deposited in a 529 college savings account
Have your savings for college deposited in a high-yield savings account
Use your savings to pay down a student loan
Receive your college savings directly in the form of a monthly check

Cashing in on the savings for college you earn with Upromise.

The college savings in your Upromise account can be used for whomever you designate as the beneficiary – your children, a friend or family member, or even yourself! It also never expires, so whether you’re saving for a two-year-old or a fifteen-year-old, the money will be there when you need it. Plus, you can use it however you see fit – for tuition, books, even room and board!

So if you could use some easy savings for college, open a Upromise account. You’ve got nothing to lose – and a whole lot of college savings to gain.

And don’t forget, you’ll get all the latest advice on saving for college on our blog, so subscribe today!

Tools of the Trade: Online Distance Learning Checklist

admin — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:00:05 +0000

Bring on your desire to begin your online distance learning – but you’ll need more than motivation to finish your online degree program! Check out My College Guide’s list of online distance learning tools of the trade. Figure out what you already have and what you need to know before you officially enroll and before that first day of class!

Your online distance learning checklist!

Online Distance Learning: Personal Checklist

Textbooks – For some online distance learning programs, your textbooks will be available completely online. For others, you will have to go to an outside source or your school’s online bookstore. You can cut costs if you consider purchasing new or used college textbooks! Make sure you plan ahead in case you need to buy or rent your college textbooks!

Time – You are a busy working adult. Are you ready for the challenges of balancing work and leaving time to study for school? Every online distance learning institution is different. Find out how many hours on average you will be expected to set aside for schoolwork and see how you can fit that into your schedule.

Tools of The Trade

Computer – A busted computer is not going to make your online distance learning experience an easy one! If you have a computer that is prone to crashes and lags, that won’t make your college experience very enjoyable. You’ll need something that will let you take quizzes and tests without getting you locked out! Some financial aid options will go towards the expense of a new computer or laptop. Fill out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and see what how you qualify.

Reliable Internet – Do you have internet access? While the thought of heading to the library or stealing from your neighbor may sound appealing, not having access to the internet won’t work as an excuse for when you can’t turn in your research paper! You may want to consider getting your own internet service. Free up your time and make life a little bit easier on you (Psst! Even your browser can help with your online distance learning experience).

The Joys of Technology

Tech Support – Things happen. If there’s a glitch in the site or you can’t access a needed page on your college’s website, you’ll need the assistance of tech support! See if there’s an email address or working phone number that you can hang on to “just in case.” It’s reassuring to know good to that there’s somewhere to go for help!

Image Courtesy of Flickr, Theen … / Theen Moy.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For more than 20 years, My College Guide has provided information to help students find the best college degree and career for them. Get information on online distance learning and find the right career for you!

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Balance Your University Online Degree Program: 5 Firefox Add-ons

admin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:00:30 +0000

Balancing work and family with your university online degree program can seem overwhelming. That’s where your web browser can come in handy! Using a web browser like Mozilla Firefox can help you get organized and improve your distance learning study habits — so you don’t fall behind in your work, online studies, or family commitments.

aretadobem / Areta do Bem

My College Guide collected together a sampling of add-ons that can help you do every day tasks faster and more efficiently. From list-making add-ons to the way you read, we’ve got the lowdown on what your browser has been missing!

Time Saving Add-ons

WebMail Notifier – You don’t have time to waste! Keep from updating your inbox constantly and receive an instant update message instead. Using WebMail Notifier, you can find out if your Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, or other email account has received new messages—so you can spend more time working in your university online degree program and less time clicking through windows.

AutoPager – Instead of clicking ahead to read more of an article, AutoPager will load it up for you! Get what you need without a bunch of waiting around. AutoPager works on the sites that you use most: Yahoo, Google, Digg, and even the New York Times. Spend more time on your university online degree program and less time waiting!

List-Making Add-ons

ReadItLater – If you find yourself becoming distracted by the latest on Mashable and LifeHacker when you should be searching for research paper resources for your university online degree program, you might want to use this extension! Simply click the checkmark and it is saved so you can easily ReadItLater—without cluttering your bookmarks with something you may never need to see again.

list.it – Composing the perfect discussion post for your online classes but suddenly remembered you need to pick up a gallon of milk? Don’t stop while you’re ahead! Instead, consider using list.it so you can simply write down a little note to yourself right from your browser. Fast, easy—and sure beats digging out the paper and pencil!

…And Then?

Stylish — So this one won’t save you time, but it sure will perk up your browsing experience! You’ll be spending more time online now than ever in your university online degree program. Why not make your browser (and then some) a bit more Stylish? The Stylish add-on enables you to customize some of your most used sites (Yahoo, Facebook, Google, etc.) with skins and themes.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For more than 20 years, My College Guide has provided information to help students find the best college degree and career for them. Get information on the right university online degree program and career for you!

Subscribe to our blog via RSS or email and stay on top of everything college!

Traits of a Successful Distance Learner or Is Online College Right For You?

admin — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 12:30:51 +0000

If you’ve been wondering if online learning is right for you: you aren’t alone! It’s a convenient choice for busy adults wanting to earn an online bachelor’s degree and a viable option for students with health concerns who can’t attend a traditional college. However, distance learning doesn’t mean “easy” – here are a few things to keep in mind as you weigh whether or not online college will work for you.

derekGavey / Derek Gavey

Independent – Chalk it up as one more reason why high school is different from college, in that college professors don’t really do a lot of hand-holding when it comes to getting your work done and turned in. Some won’t ever mention due dates (they will be on the semester’s syllabus) – which closely resembles the way online college works.

Internet Connection – This might sound like a no-brainer, but if you don’t have either a stable internet connection or any internet connection at all: forget it! There are no excuses in college and being unable to turn in your assignment because your internet went down again or because you couldn’t make it to the library’s computer just won’t cut it. The speed of your internet connection is important too – if it takes hours to upload or download the smallest document, you might want to upgrade your internet. In fact, some online college programs have computer system requirements!

Organized – There’s a lot of work involved in online college, probably much more than you are planning on. To keep it all straight, you are going to need to be able to stay organized, to get done what needs to get done, and to stay on top of upcoming deadlines all at the same time. Your organizational ability will keep you from falling behind.

Typing Speed – Okay, so no one will tell you that you need to be a speedy typist to enroll in college classes online, but it definitely helps! If you type one letter at a time, you may want to consider learning how to type before you enroll. It will save you plenty of grief in the long run!

greenasian / Chrystal Parsons

Time Management – As an online learner, it’s a likely assumption that you’ve got more going on than just college classes, like a career, health, and/or family concerns. Knowing how to manage your time and having or improving study habits will play a big role in your online success! You will have limited time to get things done and possessing the ability to figure out what needs to be done first (and do it efficiently) will go a long way in reducing your stress (and improving your grade).

Motivated – Can you hit the books (or ebooks) without someone reminding you that you need to? If procrastination is a word frequently used to describe you, you may have trouble in an online environment. With no one telling you what to do or how to do it, you’ll need to find ways to stay motivated on your own.

College Summer Reading Lists from College and University Libraries

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:30:33 +0000

Between One Book One Twitter and pre-college summer programs, you’ve got a few things to keep you busy — but why not take a look at summer college reading lists? These college bound reading lists will give you a better idea of the intellectual mind-set waiting for you at college – and, simply put, these are good books! My College Guide got in touch with college librarians to get their top picks for summer.

Ian Lamont

But first, let’s take a peek at a summer library reading program or two at the college level. Unlike the summer reading programs you enjoyed when you were a kid, you won’t be getting stickers, candy, or other prizes for finishing a book, but there will be plenty of great books to choose from! Bates College, for example, puts together yearly reviews of books based on staff and faculty suggestions.

The University of California Berkeley creates an annual themed reading list. The 2010 theme, Education Matters, includes titles like Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi and Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas. You can also take a look at the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions Reading List or Swarthmore Colleges Summer Reading List for even more recommendations.

The Boise State University Albertsons Library assistant professor, Memo Cordova, shares that the campus has a “1st Year Read” (now called “Campus Read“) book selection each year, with incoming freshmen receiving a free copy of that year’s selection.” How cool is that?

benuski

“This year,” said Mr. Cordova, “it was Ann Patchett’s Run . Last year, it was Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. This year’s selection [Fall 2010] is William Kamkwamba’s The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.” Right from the start, incoming college students share something in common!

The fantastic librarians at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill University Library sent along a list of their personal favorite books you most likely haven’t read in high school – but that you might want to borrow and read sometime before college welcome week! Their list includes:

Margaret Atwood The Handmaid’s Tale
Rachel Carson Silent Spring
Junot Díaz The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Anne Fadiman The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Neil Gaiman The Sandman
Atul Gawande Complications, Better
Tracy Kidder Mountains Beyond Mountains, Homecoming
Thomas Kuhn The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Gabriel Garcia Marquez One Hundred Years of Solitude
David Foster Wallace Consider the Lobster

The Robert W Woodruff Library that serves Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College, and Spelman College, promptly shared this list of good reads, too! Their summer reading suggestions include:

Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart
Saul Bellow Seize the Day
Edward Bellamy Looking Backward: 2000-1887
Kate Chopin The Awakening
Michael Dorris A Yellow Raft in Blue Water
Laura Esquivel Like Water for Chocolate
Sinclair Lewis Main Street
Toni Morrison Sula
Chaim Potok The Chosen
Richard Wright Native Son

That should keep you busy for the rest of the summer! Many colleges and universities have special college reading lists – hop on the library website to find more. That leaves just one question: what’s your favorite book?

Virtual College Tour in Higher Education: Second Life Style

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:30:08 +0000

alice_burgess

My College Guide discovered a slew of Second Life campus tours on YouTube – and we thought you might like to see them. You won’t believe the ways in which the college campus has been reinterpreted within these virtual worlds!

Check out the Washington State University Second Life virtual college tour with an appearance from the WSU Mascot Butch T. Cougar himself. There’s also Florida International University that mimics the Miami, Florida campus – right down to the palm trees.

You’ll find the University of Kentucky, Saint Paul College’s tour that shows off The Pavilion (a meeting place with video screens and virtual Coke machine), as well as Ohio University and several learning kiosks. But YouTube has even more, like East Carolina University, Texas State University San Marcos (with drivable golf carts and boats), San Jose State University, and ECPI College of Technology.

A trip to a Second Life virtual college campus won’t replace an actual college campus visit — but you can check out college coursework, student Second Life projects, and even sit in on lectures, speakers, and events – while having a little fun, too! Take a look at how the college and university campus is transformed into this virtual world in recognizable (and sometimes not so recognizable) ways. Watch Texas A&M’s Second Life Campus on YouTube or watch it below.