Updated: August 2023
Finding and Applying
April 15, 2023: "The College Data You Probably Can’t Find, but Definitely Need" from The New York Times. "Fed up with the lack of clear college pricing and other data, these parents hacked the information they needed into usable tools and guides." Four websites to check out:
LOWELL COLLEGE COUNSELING CENTER
A FEW VIDEO RESOURCES
ESSAY WRITING TIPS
LISTS AND LISTS OF COLLEGES
QUICK LINKS FOR PUBLIC CALIFORNIA COLLGES AND UNIVERSITIES
APPLICATION QUICK LINKS
RESOUCES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)
Finding and Applying
April 15, 2023: "The College Data You Probably Can’t Find, but Definitely Need" from The New York Times. "Fed up with the lack of clear college pricing and other data, these parents hacked the information they needed into usable tools and guides." Four websites to check out:
- College Kickstart
- MeritMore
- Moore College Data
- College Tables
- And The U.S. Department of Education's website CollegeScorecard.ed.gov
- National Center for Education Statistics
- "Build your own College Rankings" The New York Times
- Note: If you need access to The New York Times, you can do so for free from the San Francisco Public Library, details can be found HERE.
LOWELL COLLEGE COUNSELING CENTER
- Presentation from the Lowell College Counselor "Lowell Juniors: College Presentation" December 2022; and the Event Notes and answered questions from this presentation.
- Where are they know? Where did our 2023 Graduates go? Where did our 202 Graduates go?
- Contact information for the Lowell College Counselor, Ms. Aguirre: AguirreM1@SFUSD.edu
- The Volunteers in the Lowell Counseling Center, called the VICCI ( Volunteers In College and Career Information) Volunteers, offer guidance, essay reading and more. Don't know where to start your search? Need help narrowing down a list? Want a another set of eyes on your essay? Email the VICCI volunteers at lowellviccisf@gmail.com
A FEW VIDEO RESOURCES
- Coalition for College YouTube Channel has videos on selecting colleges, interviews with admissions directors, advice about essay and much more. All free. The Coalition for College is a member organization of more than 150 colleges and universities, with a shared commitment to access, affordability and student success.
- Road2College YouTube Channel has videos on all aspects of the college search, application and financial aid process. They do have a fee for their extra products but the videos are all free.
- How to build a college list AND consider the financial obligation.
- Lowell April 2022, PTSA Webinar: Holistic Admissions use Password: 0zazG#3#
ESSAY WRITING TIPS
- From the College Essay Guy: 35+ Best College Essay Tips from College Application Experts
LISTS AND LISTS OF COLLEGES
- U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Search and compare colleges: their fields of study, costs, admissions, results, and more.
- Western Undergraduate Exchange: The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 members, through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students. Click here for the full list of participating WUE schools!
- Colleges that Change Lives: Colleges That Change Lives, Inc. (CTCL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process.
- Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023, The #1 Best Selling College Guide Book
- Big Future: Based on your own scores, Big Future will help you find reach, match, and safety colleges so you can build a balanced college list. Service is free.
- Other sources recommended by the Lowell College Counseling Center: SCOIR, College Board MatchMaker, Niche, Campusreel, and Princeton Review
- Campus Pride: LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- I'm First (First Generation to College)
- NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Athlete
- Studying in the UK
QUICK LINKS FOR PUBLIC CALIFORNIA COLLGES AND UNIVERSITIES
- California State University: CSU East Bay and San Francisco State University give priority to SFUSD students.
- California Community Colleges
- University of California (UC)
APPLICATION QUICK LINKS
- Common Application: You can create a Common App account even if you don’t plan on applying for another few months or another few years. You can answer questions in the Common App and build a college list at any time.
RESOUCES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
- Fair Test Schools (List of Testing Optional Schools)
- UStrive is an online mentoring platform that connects students to qualified mentors who provide guidance through the college admissions and financial aid process, as well as the transition into college, through college, and into their careers. Watch their introduction video here
GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)
- Unweighted GPA is measured on a scale of 0 to 4.0. It doesn't take the difficulty of a student's coursework into account. An unweighted GPA represents an A as a 4.0 whether it was earned in an honors class, AP class, or lower-level class.
- Weighted GPA is often used by high schools to better represent students' academic accomplishments. Weighted GPA takes into account course difficulty rather than providing the same letter grade to GPA conversion for every student. Usually, weighted GPA is measured on a scale of 0 to 5.0, although some scales go higher. An A in an AP class may translate into a 5.0 weighted GPA, while an A in a regular-level class will give you a 4.0 weighted GPA. Many schools also have mid-level classes (such as honors classes) where the highest weighted GPA you can earn is a 4.5.
- GPA Calculator
- How do the UCs calculate GPA Learn more here.
- Cal State University (CSU) Calculator
