Best 368 Colleges, 2009 Edition (College Admissions Guides) (Paperback)

by Princeton Review (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
College students (120,000 of them) reveal what life is really like at the nation's top schools. This must-have guide gives you college rankings like no other and covers all the essentials -- from academics to social life to financial aid, and everything in between. We also provide you with all the basics: admissions criteria, deadlines, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and more.

The unique ranking lists in The Best 368 Colleges report the top 20 schools in 62 categories. Based on how students at the schools -- the real experts! -- rated their colleges, the ranking list titles include:

·Professors Get High Marks
·Best Career/Job Placement Services
·Best Classroom Experience
·Party Schools
·Dorms Like Palaces
·Best Campus Food
·Most Politically Active Students
·Diverse Student Population
·Class Discussions Encouraged
·Best College Newspaper
…and many more!

The Best 368 Colleges also includes lists of great schools for 15 of the most popular undergraduate majors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 832 pages
• Publisher: Princeton Review; 1 edition (July 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375428720
• ISBN-13: 978-0375428722
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.7 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,440 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 stars..... Essential tool for HS seniors, August 7, 2008

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Let me state upfront that our family has completed the college search process, I will be taking my youngest off to college in about 2 weeks. But when I saw this at my local library, I couldn't resist picking this up. The Princetown Review publishes a number of college search-related books, including the "Complete Book of Colleges" and this one. This book is essentially a distilled version of the "Complete Book", and frankly a lot more useful (but for people new to the college process, definitely check that out too).

"The Best 368 Colleges (2009 Edition)" (809 pages) is very similar to last year's edition. After holding the number of best colleges steady at 366 last year, this time there are 4 new "best" colleges and 2 that didn't make the cut anymore. Those new colleges are City University of New York Baruch College, Nazareth College, Prescott College, and University of Alabama at Birmingham. There is a fun-to-browse 62 lists of best/worst, such as "Most Beautiful Campus", "Students Study the Most", "Party Schools", and "Most Politically Active Students" (my daughter will be going to the No.1 ranked school on that list).

The best feature of this guide remains the 2 page layout for each of the colleges, with in-depth information on campus life, academic selectivity (the number of applicants, how many were accepted, and of those how many actually decided to attend), tuition and room/board costs, etc. Another aspect that is very helpful is the "Survey says" sidebar, in which the essence of the university is distilled from the college students themselves, and "The Inside Word" segment on how tough it really is to gain admission.

The proof is in the pudding: of the many college guides out there, my daughter spent more time with last year's edition than with any other. This book is not the first place to start the college search, but once your son or daughter has narrowed down his/her colleges of choice, and assuming those colleges are featured in the "best 368", this book clearly is the best resource, the last step before a campus visit, and can be used again following the campus visits. If I was forced to recommend only one book among all the college search guides, this book is it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great help in the college search, October 6, 2008

By	S. A. Bledsoe - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I used this book five years ago to figure out which college best suited me. There may be many colleges listed, and as I bought the book early in the 10th grade (I was dying to go to college) I did read basically every review, but you can also quickly narrow down the colleges that are best suited for you, such as by knowing that you want a small campus, liberal student body, and a high ratio of professors to students. I bought the book in my senior year as well and then passed the books on the underclassmen that I thought might make use of them. I loved the book, and it really help me, as a girl from Ona, WV, learn about schools across the country and pick the right one.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource..., August 6, 2008

By	Kevin P. Slattery (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a good guide to use once you've narrowed down your college choices a little. Then you can read just about the ones you want to. I don't think I could make it through alphabetically but if you already have a fairly good idea which schools you are interested in, this book will help you narrow it down.