I’ve been very vocal about my college search obsession for Z.

Some people hire a professional university admissions consultant to guide them through the ins and outs of the process. Me? I’ve unofficially made it my part-time job to learn everything I can.

It all started last year when I met up with a mom I barely knew. We had some mutual friends, and I asked her to meet for coffee so I could pick her brain about college stuff—her kids are a little older than mine, and she had more experience.

Then last October Z and I went to a college fair… and down the rabbit hole we went.

Eventually, I found myself knee-deep in books, websites, and flyers galore. It was daunting. But I’ve sifted through it all and figured out what’s actually been useful. Now, I’ll admit: I’m probably not the best person to give college advice (yet!)—after all, I haven’t successfully launched a kid to college. But I do get a lot of questions from other parents when I mention some of my go-to resources, so I figured I’d share.

Here are my top FREE resources for navigating the college process:

  1. Spreadsheet 

As we started hearing from colleges and trying to compare details, I knew I needed a spreadsheet. Except, I don’t really know how to make one! Thankfully, College Essay Guy offers a great college comparison spreadsheet template that has worked really well for us.

I tweaked ours to include categories that matter most to our family—like “Faith Connections,” where I track active Christian ministries on campus (like Chi Alpha or Cru), “Proximity to Home,” and “Scholarship Opportunities.”

This spreadsheet has truly become the motherboard of my research.

2. Podcasts

I follow three regularly:

Each one brings a different perspective. I have favorite episodes that were game-changers, and other parts I skip. There are way too many to listen to all of them—but here’s the trick: use the search bar in your podcast app. Type in any topic—FAFSA, studying abroad, SAT tips—and it will list all the episodes out for you so that you can get right to what you want to know and it’s all FREE!

 

3. Reddit

I know it’s not always reliable but I have learned so much from reading Reddit forums and Z has too, especially concerning SAT and ACT.I’m not a big Reddit user, so I won’t dive too deep, but know that you can find forums for almost any school or topic.

4. Free Webinars

I have a love-hate relationship with webinars. Some are just long sales pitches—but many offer really solid, free information upfront.

A few I’ve found helpful include College Ninja and College Essay Guy (again). The downside is that they require time—and usually your email address. If that’s not your thing, no worries. Much of the same info can be found on YouTube, but I wanted to include webinars because they’ve been a legit source for me.

5. College Visits

We’ve only done two college visits so far. Z visited one school twice—once for a general tour and once for a more specific “Close-Up” engineering program.

Most people recommend visiting at least three schools. I’d love to fit in one more, preferably something very different from the others. But they’re tough to schedule around school, work, and life—even if they’re technically free, they still cost time and travel.

6. Facebook Groups

I recently joined two Facebook groups:

  • Parents of the Class of 2026 (Z’s year)

  • Parents of the Class of 2025 (so I can stay ahead of the game!)

Just like podcasts and Reddit: THE SEARCH BAR IS YOUR FRIEND. Want to see what people are saying about Ohio State? Search it. Looking for scholarships for nursing? Type it in. Grad party ideas? You’ll find tons of them!

I am a fan of learning from real-life people sharing their real-life experiences.

7. People

This is still my favorite resource. I already mentioned the mom that met with me last year. We also met up with a leader of Chi Alpha student ministry. More recently I asked our youth pastors if they would mind coming over and sharing all of their college information and experience with us. Not only have they been in student ministry, and were in college fairly recently (unlike friends who are my age) but they really know my son and his heart. Their insight and advice is invaluable to me.

Honestly, I ask just about everyone I bump into what college they went to and how they felt about it. I literally asked my dental hygienist at my appointment today. I did! And I got a lot of great info from her.

8. School

Our high school offers so many opportunities—college fairs, counselor meetings, info nights. I’m sure that’s true for most schools, so take advantage of everything your school offers.

Even if you homeschool, there are often college events hosted by local libraries, colleges, or community centers. We’ve made great connections through these.

 

Final Thoughts

I don’t know how all of this is going to shake out.

It may surprise you, but I’m not one of those people who believes college is the end-all, be-all for everyone. I just know that whether it’s Z or one of our other kids, I won’t regret gathering as much information as possible.

After all—knowledge is power.