Top Ten Websites for High School Students Exploring Colleges and Majors

Let's say you are a high school student who is pretty certain that college is the Next Step, but are unsure of where to actually go or what to major in. Sound familiar? Do you feel frantic and organized like the cat in the GIF above? Maybe you feel overwhelmed and like you have no idea where to start... Well, there are a number of helpful websites out there that could assist you with this dilemma! I have put together a list of what I consider to be the Top Ten websites for students like you who are exploring colleges and majors, as well as scholarship opportunities. This can be a stressful time and a big decision, so don't worry about looking through each of these websites all at once. Many are fairly similar, so please explore at your own pace and form your own opinions about which are most helpful! Please access these websites by clicking the hyperlink within the name.

1. BigFuture on CollegeBoard (5 out of 5 stars!)

In addition to providing ACT, SAT, and other test prep, this website has a plethora of knowledge and information to share about the college admission process. Furthermore, this website has a search tool that allows users to search for colleges, learn about majors, and explore careers. By ranking your preferences, users may learn more about what aspects of a University are important to them, as well as which schools best meet their criteria. Finally, this website is extremely user friendly for students just beginning their college and major search. 5 out of 5 stars!

2. US News and World Report (5 out of 5 stars!)

The Higher Education section of the US News and World Report reviews all of the institutions of higher education in the United States. You can search a school’s name to learn more about a specific University including its location, costs of attendance, national or regional ranking, and academic programs. Alternatively, users could find schools through the “advanced search” engine and see a list of schools that meet their preferences, similar to the preference ranking feature on Big Future CollegeBoard. 5 out of 5 stars!

3. College Majors 101 (4 out of 5 stars!)

This website allows students to explore different college majors and discover more about how their interests may apply to an academic program. In addition to listing majors, this website also shows users videos of real college students in these majors, provides information on which schools have these majors, and also lists employers that hire these majors. 4 out of 5 stars!

4. My Next Move (4 out of 5 stars!)

My Next Move is affiliated with O*Net OnLine, a resource we use daily in the Career Center at Florida State University. This website allows users to learn more about specific occupations (such as tasks, skills, and knowledge), where they may find educational opportunities to train themselves for these occupations, and salary for these occupations based on zip code, state, and national data. Specifically for high school students who may be unsure about what they would like to pursue as a career or college major, the Interest Profiler feature of My Next Move allows users to take a brief assessment that will assign them a Holland Code (RIASEC) to discover more about occupations and educational opportunities the free assessment feels fit the test taker. 4 out of 5 stars!

5. Unigo (3 out of 5 stars!)

Unigo is a website that has college, major, scholarship, and other student information. Users may read real college student reviews of schools that are self-proclaimed to be “real, unfiltered, no-BS”. Additionally, college students may use this website as a tool to search for jobs and internships. High school students specifically may use Unigo as a tool to search for colleges by school name, state, or major. 3 out of 5 stars!

6. Cappex (4 out of 5 stars!)

By creating a free profile on this website, users gain access to national college and scholarship information. Students may benefit from building their profile on Cappex by selecting majors and schools they are interested in to easily search and compare them later. Students may share these profiles with family, guidance counselors, teachers, or even colleges if they choose. Another helpful feature of this website is the articles section which can provide useful tips, advice, and answers to some common questions high school students may have. 4 out of 5 stars!

7. College Navigator (3 out of 5 stars!)

Although this website may not be as user friendly or visually appealing as the others on this Top 10 List, College Navigator provides valuable information about college admission data, cost and financial aid, and other statistics. As this website has a lot of information that may be easy to get lost in, I encourage high school students to use this tool to learn more about specific colleges, rather than using it to explore their college and major options. 3 out of 5 stars!

8. College Confidential (3 out of 5 stars!)

You may remember this website from appearing on my last Top 10 List as a blog resource for high school students. College Confidential is making a reappearance on the list for this week as it also provides valuable college information regarding admission, major choice, and classes through a forum. Coming soon, this website will add a search engine tool that students may use to search schools and majors that fit their interests, goals, and skills. 3 out of 5 stars!

9. Peterson’s (3 out 5 stars!)

Peterson’s is a valuable resource for high school students seeking knowledgeabout colleges and academic programs, as well as a resource for college students considering graduate school. If students are unsure about the schools or programs they would like to research, they may also benefit from using this website’s “Get Matched” tool to explore schools based on their preferences. Additionally, this website also includes a scholarship finding feature. 3 out of 5 stars!

10. Fastweb (4 out of 5 stars!)

While Fastweb also provides information similar to the other website’s on this list about colleges, what really makes this resource stand out is its use as a way to find college scholarships. When high school students use Fastweb in conjunction with other college websites on this list, they may fill out a profile and see which scholarships they are eligible for and fit their criteria. As a scholarship searching tool, I highly recommend this website. 4 out of 5 stars!