Fiske Interactive - A College Guide for the iPad

For more than 25 years, millions of parents, counselors, and college-bound students have turned to The Fiske Guide to Colleges for an independent perspective on the distinctive personalities of the best and most interesting colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain.

Now, the Fiske Interactive College Guide brings you every aspect of the book—plus much more—in an app!

Check out the video! (It’s only 78 seconds long) http://www.sourcebooks.com/next/apps/fiske-interactive-college-guide.html

Fiske Interactive allows you to go beyond the book and streamline your college search with the following resources and tools:

• Plan your college tour with built-in Google map function
• Find school deadlines and application dates
• Email admissions departments directly from the app
• Browse each college website
• Check out comparable campuses (“overlap schools”)

Fiske Interactive also allows parents and students to quickly and easily organize their top choices using lists and notes:

• Flag schools for a second look
• Categorize the schools you are interested in by using the “Safety Schools,” “Probable Schools,” and  “Reach Schools” list feature
• Add notes to each school

Fiske Interactive includes the hallmark Fiske Profiles that provide a candid, authoritative look at the academic climates and extracurricular scenes of 310+ colleges and universities. The app allows you to browse through the guide with a swipe of your finger, view photos of each campus, or search by your chosen criteria, including state, campus location, enrollment size, academic program, Fiske rating, or just a keyword.

It’s the next best thing to being on campus.

You’ll quickly find the Fiske Interactive College Guide to be your most trusted, on-the-go companion, bringing much-needed calm and sanity to one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make.

Fiske Interactive ($19.99) is available exclusively for the iPad.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

The College Application Process

This is the first in a series that I will be posting in the next week regarding College Admissions and things to consider as you prepare for College....Enjoy!

The senior year of high school is a year of wonder and experiences. For many, it is also a year of fear and anticipation, especially in regard to the mystical vale of secrecy behind the college application review process.

Using my previous experience as a Director of Admissions at the University of Wisconsin - Manitowoc and an Admissions Counselor for Miami University (Oxford, Ohio), I will try to demystify this process and give you some helpful hints.

Most application materials for universities include an:

1. Application
2. Application fee
3. Official High School transcript
4. Test Scores (ACT or SAT)
5. List of extracurricular activities
6. Essay (recommended usually, but required for some), and
7. Letters of recommendation (recommended usually, required for some).

When preparing to apply to schools it is a good idea to have these seven organized so that they are easy to retrieve. Doing this will lessen the burden when you do apply.

Most colleges/universities will have deadlines by which materials must be postmarked. Some make decisions on applications between certain dates. Some are “open,” accepting and making decisions on applications year round. Check deadlines with colleges and make sure you meet those deadlines. Only after all materials are received can the admissions review begin.

The review process usually will constitute a thorough read by an admissions officer, many times one who is assigned to your high school or district/regional area. This person will look at everything you send and evaluate you on these materials. Each university/college has their own unique system that they use to evaluate students. Some use a point system where you will receive points for varying criteria such as academic rigor, involvement, GPA, test scores, etc. Many specialty schools (e.g. Kendall College of Art & Design, Center for Creative Studies) expect certain academic criteria, but they base a large part o their admission decision on the talents or abilities that a student brings to that certain area.

On a final note, the review methods used by a college/university many times are veiled in secrecy, where generality is key and little detail surfaces if not inquired about. Also, the review methods today merely scratch the surface of the types of evaluation instruments that colleges/universities use today. Saying this, I advise you all to inquire about the particular review process that you college of choice uses. This will ease confusion and tension and make you the information-savvy customer.

By taking little steps toward understanding and making yourself informed, the admission process at a college/university becomes known, and the mystery within the process begins to wane. Become informed and you will not be sorry.

If you have any questions about this or other topics, feel free to contact me at dadofdivas@gmail.com and I will do my best to answer the questions you have.

Scholarship Search Should Begin in the Junior Year of High School

This is the fourth in a series that I have been posting over the last few weeks regarding College Admissions and things to consider as you prepare for College....Enjoy!

“Show Me the Money!”

Though this is a phrase known mostly for its presence in the movie “Jerry Maguire,” this is a consistent sentiment that arises from students as I meet with them daily. As students and parents move closer to the end of their high school career, finances for the future take the forefront, whole other important considerations, at times, get left behind. It would not be the first time a student tells me that their college choice was made because of the school’s supposed affordability. This is the nature of our society today, as a college education gets more expensive, more students are trying to find the best buy for their dollars, and this is not necessarily negative phenomena.

I say this because the nature of higher education today is conducive to working with students, helping them to finance their options. This is especially true with schools that have higher endowments, which many times surround the private institutions. Yes, these schools are also the ones with price tags of more than $20,000 per year, but one must keep in mind that if a student has proven him/herself in high school, the financial rewards will usually be great. This is why I ask students if they are considering out-of-state options because there are many institutions out-of-state that would equally compare financially with an in-state college or university.

Scholarships are the other way students tend to look as they try to pay for their college education. Searching for scholarships should start as early as possible, if not in a student’s junior year, then definitely in the beginning of their senior year. I say this because there are many scholarships available to students, but many, if not most, take time to fill out and complete. Starting in the junior year allows a student to prepare for deadlines that may be early in the senior year, and lessens the time burden in the senior year.

Searching for scholarships is not difficult and either a student or a parent can find many if they can put in the time. Most scholarships are readily accessible to you through the media of the Internet, and there are many free search sites that will allow you to find scholarships that are right for the particular student. If you have access to the Internet you can find most of these scholarship sites. If you do not have access to the Internet, talk to your guidance counselor today to find out how to access scholarship information. For more information on this topic or if you have questions that you would like addressed, do not hesitate to email me at dadofdivas@gmail.com .