Ready to learn a little more about the whole college process? Here are our college counselors' top picks for books and articles to get you started.

Books

Fiske Guide to Colleges (Edward Fiske): Updated annually, this is one of the very best narrative guidebooks to the most selective 300 colleges in the country.

Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College (Loren Pope): The author, a retired education editor for the New York Times, makes a compelling case for liberal-arts colleges and profiles 40 outstanding schools -- most of which accept more than half their applicants.

Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late-Blooming, and Just Plain Different (Donald Asher): This book will alert you to a whole range of schools you've never considered before -- from work colleges to Great Books programs.

The College Handbook (College Board Publications): Updated annually, this is one of the most comprehensive, fact-filled college guidebooks around.

The College Admissions Mystique (Bill Mayher): This guide deals with each step of the process in an upbeat, straightforward way.

High-School Planning for College-Bound Athletes (National Association of College Admission Counselors): This is a very useful pamphlet for parents, student-athletes, and counselors.

Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That's Right for You (Loren Pope): This book invites you to sit back, take a deep breath, and consider what kind of college you really want to attend -- whether or not it's the most selective one you can possibly get into.

Articles, Blogs, and Online Materials

Science at Liberal Arts Colleges: A Better Education? (Thomas Cech): The author, a biochemistry professor, weighs the pros and cons of science education at small liberal-arts colleges and large research universities.

Holding College Chiefs to Their Words (Ellen Gamerman): The Wall Street Journal dares ten college presidents to answer essay questions from their schools' applications. (It's not easy for them, either.)

NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete: Another very useful pamphlet for parents, student-athletes, and counselors.

The Choice: Check out the New York Times' college-admissions blog!

Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation: Two Harvard admissions directors and a psychology professor discuss high-school stress, the need for down time, and the merits of deferring enrollment -- otherwise known as taking a "gap year."