The All-in-one College Guide: a More-results, Less-stress Plan for Choosing, Getting Into, Finding the Money For, and Making the Most Out of College [Paperback]

Marty Nemko (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series; 1 edition
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764122983
• ISBN-13: 978-0764122989
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #284,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

167 of 168 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great! Every student should read it; it really helps., April 25, 1999

By 

[e-mail] "[e-mail]" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You're Gonna Love This College Guide (Paperback)

Getting your kid into a good college is a nerve-racking process for most parents. It certainly has been for us. We have found the customer reviews in Amazon very helpful. That prompts us to distill our ratings of the various guidebooks.

The best short reference on each college is the Princeton Review of The Best (311) Colleges. It gives ratings of academic quality, difficulty of admission, percentage admitted, etc. There is also a brief summary of college life and what each place might be looking for.

Peterson Guide is comprehensive, and has long write-ups for each school. There is a front section for each school, listed alphabetically within each state, and a back section with detailed profiles of selected institutions.

Fiske's guide is interesting, but he basically has something good to say for each school, so careful reading between the lines and for "damning with faint praise" is called for.

The Yale Insider's Guide is extremely subjective, with different students writing various reviews. We did not find it too reliable, except in conjunction with other books.

Likewise for Barrron's Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges. Recent alumni write of their (invariably positive) experiences. Take it with a grain of salt, or read carefully between the lines.

Choosing the Right College by ISN was extremely helpful. Some readers criticized it for being allegedly right wing. We did not find it so. Rather, knowing the point of view of the authors helped us evaluate their observations. Other books do not make their biases explicit. A feature of the book we found particularly helpful was the naming of excellent professors and departments in each college.

Antonoff's College Finder was interesting only in conjunction with other books.

Three books written from the perspective of college admissions officers were very interesting and helpful. They are The College Admissions Mystique, by Mayher, Getting In, by Bill Paul, and most of all A is for Admission by Michelle Hernandez. We strongly recommend that parents and the kids who are the applicants read at least one of these.

Another very helpful book was You're Gonna Love This College Guide, by Marty Nemko. It takes the student through the decision process of big vs. small, urban vs. country, elite vs. the level just below, geography, and so forth. That really got our daughter unstuck in her thinking process.

Loren Pope is another helpful author for those who think that not getting into Harvard is the end of the world.

Three books we did not find to be particularly helpful are Getting Into Any College, by Jim Good and Lisa Lee, The National Review College Guide, by Charles Sykes and Brad Miner (too out of date), and The Real Freshman Handbook, by Jennifer Hanson.

One book we found to be unexpectedly useful was Getting Into Medical School Today, by Scott Plantz, et. al. Even if your child is not interested in medical school, this book puts college in perspective for any post-college program.

We hope readers find our review helpful.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I did love this book - and so did my 17 year old son., August 22, 2000

By 

Abigail Marshall "Parent & Author" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You're Gonna Love This College Guide (Paperback)

The funny thing is, when we first got this book, I thought we would hate it. Quickly glancing through, I saw big print and a whimsical feel that made me think that the book had little to offer when compared to the detailed tomes about college choices and financial aides that we had also ordered from Amazon.

But then I started to read the book, and immediately I realized it was different. This book has plain language and plain sense advice that makes navigating the maze of college admissions & financial aid a lot easier. The author is also refreshingly honest; this includes a few statements that have the ring of truth even though they might not be something we want to hear.

I think that this book, more than any other, helped my son and I to get a clear sense of what his goals and expectations are. It was also something that helped provide a framework for discussion -- it gave us both the same frame of reference so we could really talk about what choices are realistic and what my son's goals are.

The only criticism we have is the last part of the book, which deals with life on campus. That part seemed over simplistic and patronizing. However, I gave the book 5 stars because the rest of the book is invaluable.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This vital guide should be a must for high school students., May 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: You're Gonna Love This College Guide (Paperback)

As a parent of a high school sophomore, this book provided excellent insight and advice as to how begin the college search: the critical advance preparations needed to finance higher education, and even how to help the high school student sharpen study skills, a lesson that is often learned too late if one waits for the college years. The reader is provided with the pros and cons of varying types of college experiences plus a "how-to" guide which is geared to assist all freshmen in adjusting to their new environment. The final checklist (what high school students should be preparing well in advance of college) is a necessary organizational tool that will make the "college process" much less formidable. I would recommend this book to every parent of freshman in high school; the advance preparation that is made possible by this guide are invaluable.