In preparing students for college, high schools serve a dual purpose. They are responsible for providing both a strong academic foundation and the information and support needed to navigate the college application process (Bowen, Chingos, & McPherson, 2009). Ample tools exist to measure and assess students' level of academic preparation for college, including grades and standardized test scores. However, school administrators and staff--notably high school counselors--have few ways to determine their students' readiness to engage in an increasingly complex college application process. Without accurate assessment tools, school agents can make assumptions about how familiar students are with basic information about college, and thus the level and frequency of college counseling needed by individual students (McDonough, 1997; McDonough, 2005). For instance, since information about college is available online and through school-sanctioned events, such as "college night", counselors assume that all students have the same opportunities to make informed decisions about planning for college (Bonous-Hammarth & Allen, 2005) and that any informational gaps will be filled by parents or other family members (McDonough, 1997). In reality, parents without college degrees are less able to provide their children with the strategic college planning advice proffered by college educated parents (Cabrera & La Nasa, 2000; Ceja, 2000; Choy et al., 2000; Noeth & Wimberly, 2002). Meanwhile, many high schools structure their postsecondary advising around the assumption that students are accessing college information and building college-going aspirations in the years leading up to high school. This leaves a lot to chance for first generation college students and immigrant students, whose parents tend to be more hands-off in the college application process (McDonough, 1997). [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]