COLLEGE & CAREER GUIDES

General Information

Best Colleges
College rankings and information to help students choose colleges.

College Factual
College rankings, majors, and scholarships.

ResumeLab
A resource for composing resumes and cover letters that includes many free guides, including guides for high school students and their families about preparing documents for college applications.

U.S. News Best Colleges
U.S. News & World Report rankings and information about colleges nationwide.

Women in STEM

A Guide for Women in STEM: Closing the Gender Gap
An examination of issues faced by women in STEM, ways to close the gender gap, and groundbreaking women in STEM.

Career Guide for STEM
Featuring paths of study, specializations, job options, as well as an interview with a woman with 23 years of experience working in STEM.

College Success for Women in STEM
This resource contains info about scholarships, programs, and organizations helping women bridge the STEM gender gap along with articles and interviews about the topic.

Getting Girls More Involved in STEM
This resource from Syracuse University discusses the history of Women in STEM, career opportunities, ideas for getting girls more involved in STEM. The resource concludes with a section to support parents and educators to help influence girl's interest in STEM topics.

Resources for Women in Computer Science
This guide provides an overview of women in STEM and resources for women interested in careers in computer science and IT.

US Department of Commerce STEM career factsheet
Women only occupy 24% of the nation's STEM jobs, and job openings in STEM industries are projected to grow by over 19% in the next decade.

Women in STEM
An editorial exploration on the state of women in STEM with several interviews from women in the industry and a collection of scholarships.

Women in STEM & The Gender Gap
This guide by Maryville University provides information about the current gender and diversity gaps in STEM university studies and careers, reasons for those gaps, and strategies to help promote inclusion in STEM-related industries.

Financing Your Education

Minnesota's College Financial Aid Programs
An index of scholarships in Minnesota.

Fastweb
A search engine for scholarships.

Explore Engineering Scholarships
An engineering scholorship search tool.

Online College Loan Guidebook
A guide to the student loan process, as well as other resources about online programs.

Preparing for College

College Possible
Mentoring program to help high school students from low-income backgrounds find the right college, navigate the admissions process, secure financial aid, and stay on track to graduation. To check if YOUR school has College Possible, click the link above, then scroll down to “High School Partners”.

Get Ready GEAR UP MN (Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs)
A federally funded program which helps students prepare for life after high school by providing academic support, college and career planning, and financial aid guidance. Check in with your school’s college & career center to see if GEAR UP is at your school.

TRIO Programs
Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, primarily first-generation college students and low-income students. They serve people from middle school all the way through graduate degrees. TRIO programs are hosted by universities/colleges, but may have staff at your local middle/high school. Different grade levels are served by different TRIO programs:

Middle School level: Talent Search (sometimes referred to as ETS - Educational Talent Search)
High School level: Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science
Undergraduate level: Student Support Services (SSS), Veterans Upward Bound, Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs)
Graduate level: McNair Scholars

Click here to find TRIO programs near you!

Engineering Degrees

Educating Engineers
Educating Engineers is a comprehensive website that provides information related to the engineering sector and reviews on nearly 2,000 engineering programs throughout the United States.

Online Engineering Degrees
Engineering fields are projected to grow consistently through 2024. This online engineering degree guide includes information to help students decide if an online engineering degree is right for them.