Customer Reviews

The College Finder, Revised Edition

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This helpful guide ranks American colleges and universities on a wide variety of dimensions: admissions, academics, quality, social, internationalism, careers, athletics, enrollment, and cost. This information can clearly help a college-bound student look for an academic setting that will meet her/his needs. For example, colleges with accessible faculty (e.g., Rice & Grinnell) would be perfect for students who like one-on-one attention. On the other hand, some students might be more interested in the top party schools (e.g., Tulane & Arizona State). Other lists are just fun, such as "College Towns with Excellent Pop Music Scenes" (e.g., Seattle & Austin).

However, one major debit exists; although some lists are clearly referenced (e.g., U.S. News's Best National Universities), others are attributed simply to "experts," without explication of the source. For example, the "Top Schools for Chemistry" doesn't clarify from whom or how the rankings were derived. Whether the rankings were solicited from college administrators or experts in the field of chemistry makes a big difference. In other words, I wouldn't simply rely on these listings to pick a school.

Overall, I'd recommend this book for students looking for the right college or university. However, it shouldn't be the primary book they use. Also add a basic college guide that includes stats about each school.

By presenting a range and variety of categories that are both unusual and informative, this book assists the prospective student in defining particular schools of interest as well as increasing the number of schools to be considered. Due to its breadth, this is primarily a good book for conducting an initial screening of schools of interest. We encourage further research be undertaken before completing actual college applications.

The 3rd edition is now available through Wintergreen Orchard House [...]. These very valuable lists now number over 600 in Steve's most recent edition released October 2008!

This book is terribly outdated making it useless for todays college shopper. Last updated in 1999 with many observations and details about the schools gathered from many years before. Not helpful at all since so much changes so quickly with college rankings and evaluations.

This book was very helpful for me. It showed me what to look for when I look for a college, such as location. If you are unsure about which college to go to, read this book.