This page offers information and links to help you look ahead as your child plans for college success and support her/his efforts to improve academically.

Recommended Sites

http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/checklist.jsp  The U.S. Department of Education's COLLEGE PREPARATION CHECKLIST for parents of students from Kindergarten through high school. It's a very comprehensive site.

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Prepare/index.html The U.S. Department of Education guide, "PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR COLLEGE A Resource Book for Parents" - comprehensive and great

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/GettingReadyCollegeEarly/index.html Though it's listed as a site for Middle and Junior High parents, this U.S. Department of Education site has lots of good information for parents of high school students, too.

http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/plan/0,,703-0-0-0,00.html  The College Board's excellent site on preparing your student for college - everything from how to encourage good homework habits to helping your child choose a college.

http://www.collegeispossible.org/ College is Possible is a web site developed by The American Council on Education. It includes a very good Preparing for College section.

PSAT Test Dates and info - JUNIORS MUST TAKE THIS TEST at their high school in October. Scores are used to determine eligibility for scholarships and other good things!

ACT Test info - UB offers ACT Prep sessions free of charge early second semester! Juniors who complete the prep sessions, including a practice test, will earn a fee waiver (worth $26.) We strongly recommend that juniors do not take the early test but spend this time working on preparation with UB and be prepared to take the April test. The later you take the test, the better your chances of achieving a good score on the first try! (Each UB student may use a UB fee waiver only once.) Parents - please work with us to make sure your student attends UB prep sessions and takes this very important test!

Check out UW-System school majors.

Homework Help

http://school.discovery.com/parents/ The Discovery Channel has a website for parents with articles about how to know when to contact your child's teacher, making the most of parent-teacher conferences, encouraging creativity and more.

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/parentingadvice/a/homework_help.htm About.com's Pediatrics pages has advice for parents on parents helping with homework including how to encourage good homework habits.

http://www.collegeboard.com/parents/article/0,3708,703-704-0-21275,00.html The College Board's advice to parents about helping encourage good homework habits in your students.

Study Skills and the Ten Traps from the University of North Carolina - good advice from a great university.

Career Preparation

http://www.careersandcolleges.com/ A virtual guidance counselor, advice for new college students and parents, lots more.

Career planning - from Mapping Your Future.org. Now's the time to get started! Excellent site - good resources.

Career planning - with a special section for high school students, including career planning tests.

Choosing a College

http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool/Search.asp College Opportunities OnLine (COOL) provides a great way to search by region, cost, major and other criteria. 

Apply to a UW-System School online!

CollegeNet - info about colleges, majors, applications.

College Link - many free searches for majors, applications, financial aid, etc.

Peterson's College Quest - from the publishers of those comprehensive college guides. Requires free registration.

Embark (used to be College Edge) - offers college exploration and much more.

College Express has lots of college info - especially info about private colleges.

Funding a College Education

http://studentaid.ed.gov/students/publications/FYE/index.html Info from the U.S. Department of Education.

Financial Aid info- "This award-winning site has grown into the most comprehensive annotated collection of information about student financial aid on the web." Free and comprehensive.

Parent Involvement

http://www.nea.org/parents/  This link, from the National Education Association, includes NEA guides for parents on topics such as understanding testing, helping your child with reading, math, and science, and getting involved in your child's school. It also links to research that links parental involvement with student achievement and other resources to help you make the most of your child's school years.

http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/standards/pfistand5.asp  This is the National Parent-Teacher Association's National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement. 

http://www.ncpie.org/ The National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education has links to research and programs that encourage parent involvement.