One of the things I hope to do here at Apply with Sanity is check out the books available to help you through the process and try to give them an honest assessment. Last week I did what a lot of high school students (or their families) do: I went to my local Barnes & Noble book store and went through the 20 or so books they had on the shelf for admissions guides.

But first, before you buy or borrow any other book out there, start with the Guide to the Admissions Process, from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. It's thorough, it's well written, and it's free. Just click here for an instant PDF download!

Here's exactly what you'll find in the guide

After you've gone through this one, which won't take you really long, figure out what you still want help with and what you might buy a book to tell you. But start with the free stuff from the experts.

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