College Selection Information
When looking for post-high school educational options be sure to thoroughly research your options. Talk to your parents, neighbors, peers, teachers, the College and Career Specialists, as well as your school counselor for ideas. Network with past graduates from your school, access local alumni associations for schools you are interested in, and most importantly VISIT if you can.
A podcast worth a listen - "College Should be a Match, Not a Prize"
College Credit Information
A Dual Credit page is available through the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. This resource allows students to research how their high school IB and AP scores will apply as college credit at various public and private institutions in Washington State. Alternatively, credit policies can be found at most university admissions websites by typing 'IB Credit Policy' into the search bar on the admissions page.
College Comparison Tools
There is much discussion of late about the rising costs (and value) of college. While it is generally undeniable that people with college degrees make more money than those without, it certainly does not mean that those same people lead happier, more fulfilling, or impactful lives. To that end, the monetary cost of college is only one factor that should be weighed in the overall decision of post-HS planning. There are many, many factors that are often intangible and/or hard to compare between colleges. At the least there are two tools available that may help quantify and compare the overall cost and return on investment (ROI) of college tuition.
The Georgetown Rankings - This tool allows you to see college graduation rates, debt to income outcomes and net present value of attendance. This site also gives you access to various reports on career clusters growth or decline by state.
The Department of Education Rankings - This tool gives access to most of the functions of the Georgetown rankings (minus the narrative reports on job sector analysis) but does a much better job of providing granular details about colleges, their number of graduates by major, as well as the ability to compare outcomes for like majors at different institutions.
College Admissions Process Guide: This open source (but copyrighted) guide is compliments of an IB parent. While there is a great deal of practical advice within, it is imperative that families seek information from multiple sources throughout their search process.
