Here at Noodle, we try to offer helpful advice and resources for students and parents who are dealing with the college application process. We know it's an important decision and it can be hard to know if you're doing the right thing, asking the right questions, or reading the right literature.

There are thousands of books published every year for parents and students, chocked full of advice on admissions, essays, financial aid, standardized tests, you name it. We know it's hard to sort through the heap, so we decided we'd start drawing your attention to the literature we liked best.

One book we like is a recent guide from John Carpenter called Going Geek: What Every Smart Kid (and Every Smart Parent) Should Know About College Admissions. John's book is full of good advice and is geared toward the students he affectionately calls "geeks."

Why do we like it so much? John encourages every type of student to embrace their individuality, passions and idiosyncracies then teaches them the best way to present these things to admissions officers.

Unlike some admissions guide books, there is no assumption that each student is similar.

It is distinctly written for the kids who aren't the "norm": the ones who devour philosophy books in their spare time but still have a low GPA or have a perfect SAT score in math but will be the first-generation in their family to attend college. Because who is the norm anyway?

No student is "normal" and every one has a unique challenge, talent or circumstance when it comes to applying for college. What this book does beautifully is teach students and parents how to present the best sides of who they truly are to admissions committees by embracing their individuality.

The book begins with an exploration of GPA and moves on to subjects such as how to get the most from high school teachers and counselors, how to deal with the SAT's and how to write your application essay. The author, John Carpenter agreed to share some of his ideas with us and will be guest blogging for us for the next several days with excerpts from his book.

Check back over the next week for some great advice!