TOP PICKS | 23 TOOLS

Career and College-Prep Apps and Websites

Part of making students ready for college, career, and life involves helping them realize their unique talents and the value they can bring to their workplace and community. Some of the tools on this list help students self-reflect on their own strengths and interests, as well as browse the wide variety of careers and jobs available to them. Other tools help students build portfolios to show their work, search and connect with universities, earn scholarships, jump-start the college application process, and learn good test-prep habits.

Top Picks

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Careers and Interests

VJS Junior

Get kids excited about careers with videos and interactive animation

Bottom line: This video-heavy platform is best used as a supplementary activity to get students to explore their interests and related vocations.

Grades: K–5 Price: Paid The per-student price is based on enrollment or number of students you want to serve. The company will provide a customized quote upon request.

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Thrively

Cool assessment targets kids' strengths; sprawling content overwhelms

Bottom line: A great starting point for conversations about students' strengths; skip some of the digital content.

Grades: K–12 Price: Free, Paid Thrively Starter is free. Classroom Pro is $59 per year and includes additional assessments, playlists, courses, analytics, and PD. School Pro is $799 per year and adds SIS integration.

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Mindprint Learning

Expert feedback and tools designed for individual learner profiles

Bottom line: This impressive tool uses normed digital assessments to create a specific learning profile and provide authentic tools for individual learners.

Grades: 2–12 Price: Free, Paid There's select free content. Starts at $10 per student for assessments; contact for details.

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TryEngineering

Helpful but aging engineering career site caters to all

Bottom line: This one-stop shop is best used for helping teachers plan engineering lessons and getting students involved with the community.

Grades: 3–12 Price: Free

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KidsThinkDesign

Projects inspire creativity; a place for kids' sharing would boost fun

Bottom line: A go-to site for teachers looking for well-presented project ideas; kids will need opportunities to share work locally.

Grades: 4–12 Price: Free

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Engineer Girl

Female engineers give girls career advice on this visually appealing site

Bottom line: Empowering tool encourages girls to explore engineering but is mostly static and best-suited for choosing courses and looking at colleges.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free

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Roadtrip Nation

Outstanding site motivates kids to follow dreams, work hard

Bottom line: Incredibly inspirational, fun, and helpful guide for kids trying to figure out a sustainable, happy future.

Grades: 6–12 Price: $20-$25 per student $25 per student for the high school "Experience" curriculum, including workbook; $20 per student for the middle school "Exploration"

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VirtualJobShadow

Resource-filled career and college planning site can feel overwhelming

Bottom line: Teachers and students willing to invest some time will find tons of resources in this one-stop shop for nearly all things career-, college-, and interest-related.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Paid The price per student is based on enrollment or number of students served. The company will provide a personalized quote upon request.

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Couragion

Individualized STEM career exploration targets students' values

Bottom line: Students identify career values and use them to evaluate STEM options.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Paid Annual education subscription starts at $15 per user. Volume discounts are available upon request.

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Pairin

Robust personality survey for students results in real-world insights

Bottom line: For educators who have the time, drive, and buy-in, this program is a great data-analysis and character-development tool.

Grades: 8–12 Price: Free to try, Paid Pairin offers discounts to educational organizations, and a more robust program is included in the subscription price. The educational subscription includes discounts for multiple users, training for staff, student and teacher tips, a curriculum focused on 55 social skills, teacher professional development, and at-risk analysis.

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Portfolios, Scholarships, and College

Pathbrite

Create, organize, assess sleek digital portfolios

Bottom line: A simple PBL tool that promotes digital literacy and lets kids create flexible, accessible digital portfolios.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free

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Bulb

Slick portfolio tool has cool features, limited feedback options

Bottom line: A neat tool for publishing online, possibly better suited to teacher content creation than student publishing.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free, Paid The basic version is free. For $9 per user per year, teachers can get more space and added features. Schools can contact the developer for district pricing.

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Credly

Great how-to content, flexible features boost digital badge tool

Bottom line: A useful tool for issuing digital badges.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free, Paid Free; $1,495 per year for the Premier plan, which includes expanded features.

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C'reer

Free app helps kids refine career search, connect to universities

Bottom line: For students who are unsure where to begin, this app helps jump-start the college and career application process.

Grades: 8–12 Price: Free

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Great for some college-bound kids; too much pressure for others

Bottom line: While it offers resources for kids headed to college, it's hard to envision them actually wanting a LinkedIn profile.

Grades: 9–12 Price: Free, Paid

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RaiseMe

Proactive tool lets students earn scholarship money in high school

Bottom line: This tool takes some mystery out of the financial aid process, and the ability to earn early may motivate financially strapped or otherwise reluctant students to dream bigger.

Grades: 9–12 Price: Free

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The College Fair

Useful app for students beginning the college admissions process

Bottom line: Guides high school students (and teachers and counselors who want to help them) who are unsure about how to navigate the search for the right college.

Grades: 10–12 Price: Free

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Scholly

Find scholarships, preview college essays with pay-to-search tool

Bottom line: An approachable tool that empowers students to face the overwhelming task of financing their college educations.

Grades: 11–12 Price: Free, Paid Paid accounts are $2.99

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SAT and Test Prep

Quizlet

App to find, create, use digital flashcards; website is better

Bottom line: A convenient way to find, create, and review digital flashcards, which have all the advantages and disadvantages of paper flashcards.

Grades: 6–12 Price: Free, Paid For $1.99 per year, users can upgrade to Quizlet Go to remove ads and gain access to premium themes.

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SAT

Trustworthy, practical SAT prep from the makers of the test

Bottom line: Kid will gain confidence as they review practice tests, videos, and SAT advice.

Grades: 8–12 Price: Free, Paid Online practice questions, study tips, and a practice test are available for free on the site. Students can also purchase the "Official SAT Online Course" for $69.95 or choose from several study DVDs and books for $21.99-$31.99.

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Albert

Flexible, interactive test-prep practice for high school and beyond

Bottom line: A variety of question types and on-the-spot analytics help teachers individualize test-prep practice.

Grades: 7–12 Price: Free to try, Paid $11-$59 per subject for individuals; $325-$500 for classrooms with 40-100 students; $1,250-$1,750 plus $5 per seat for schools.

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