Surveys have shown that although high school counselors and community college transfer counselors play a very important role in helping students identify their educational and college financing options, even more students—especially working adults—turn to the Internet for information and advice on higher education and career preparation.
One of the dozens of helpful websites for both prospective and current college students of all ages is Online Colleges, Scholarships, and Degree Programs (www.college-scholarships.com). As the site’s name suggests, it offers comprehensive information for both students interested in traditional, campus-based degree programs and those who wish to earn a specialized, vocationally-oriented certificate or college degree online.
The goal of the website has always been very simple: to provide high school students and their families, current college students and adults contemplating a return to traditional or online education with as much helpful information and actionable advice as possible.
The most visited pages on the site, not surprisingly, are the ones that lists 70 free scholarship search sites and another that calculates a GPA for any number of grades almost instantly.
The website now receives approximately 56,000-65,000 visitors per month. With more than 1,000 pages, its many lists include colleges by state, colleges by religious affiliation, colleges offering comprehensive programs for students with learning disabilities, colleges for women, traditionally African-American colleges and colleges offering online degrees. Other tools and information on the site include an online student loan repayment calculator and more than 100 articles offering students information in areas of concern to them.
In addition to providing information, the site’s administrators answer dozens of weekly questions about college admission, financial aid, campus life and career preparation.
Dan Rosenfield is the founder of American Educational Guidance Center.
