Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different (Paperback)

by Donald Asher (Author) "Simon's Rock is one of the few schools in the nation to seek out students who have not finished a high school curriculum..." (more)
Key Phrases: cross apps, cool colleges, narrative evaluations, New York, Deep Springs, University of California (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Profiling more than 40 innovative and unorthodox schools, COOL COLLEGES is the only guide that reveals which colleges don't require SAT scores, which ones don't give grades, and even which ones are totally free--as well as which ones reject more than 90 percent of their applicants. Independently minded students are sure to find the college of their dreams, whether they want to take classes outdoors, design their own degree, or explore other ways to get the most out of their education.

From the Publisher
* An in-depth look at the best-kept secrets in higher education for outstanding and unusual students, providing an insider's edge to getting accepted.
* Fully revised and updated with the most current information, including the latest on free colleges, the scoop on top-ranked institutions, and a new chapter on the rise of eco-schools.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 2 edition (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580088392
• ISBN-13: 978-1580088398
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,464 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most unique college guide. Highly recommended., December 1, 2002

By	John H. Hwung (Fair Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different (Hardcover)

Read this college guide togther with books such as "Colleges that Change Lives", "Beer and Circus", and "The Distinctive Colleges". You will see that the opinions expressed in this book is quite on the mark. This book should be regarded as a college guide to college guides. Plus, it tells you the representative colleges from each categories such as the scholarly colleges, the "great books" colleges, etc.

U.S. News and World Report's College Guide is pretty silly. It tells you how selective a college is. I.e., how good are the incoming students to each college. Well, we don't want to know how healthy are the patients that are admitted to a hospital. We want to know how much the hospital is going to do for a patient. Likewise, a college guide should tell us how much a college is going to do, educate, mentor and enable a student. Choosing a college is like buying a product. I want to know what that product will do for me, not how well I am.

Buy this book. It is highly recommended!

88 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool book! Must Read when choosing a college (parents, too!), October 17, 2000

By	Carolyn K. "Mrs. Hoagie" (Hoagies' Gifted Education Page) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different (Hardcover)

Cool Colleges is not only fun to read, it's full of the kind of information I wish I had when I was picking a college!

What's the difference between an Ivy League and the other top tier universities? How about the seven sisters? What schools invite young high school students to go to college instead? What are the top public colleges and universities in the country? Which colleges can you attend for free? What schools have the strongest educational environment (to the point of being called 'short' on social opportunities?)?

This book will answer these questions, and tons more. And best, it's FUN to read! I couldn't imagine a college selection guide being a "can't put it down" book... but this is one!

They aren't kidding in the subtitle: "for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different." This book has colleges for all of those, and everyone else, too!

Plus lots of college application and life hints: don't take up the credit card companies on their card offers, and get into debt before you even get a job!, do write a good essay, but don't 'borrow' one from the Internet, which majors earn the most (but don't pick just for the money!), and more.

And there are even references to other Cool Books to read while selecting your college, including a good traditional college selection guide that lists more than just the basics, a good book to dispel the 20 greatest myths about college, and other good books to help you along the way.

Read Cool Colleges first!

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a look for its different perspective, August 31, 2002

By	Balto Reader "bils" (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different (Hardcover)

I considered giving it 3 stars, because it's mostly filler, but it was... well, "cool", and it provides a fresh perspective on colleges that might be quite valuable for some kids and their parents.

The author's basic concept is to look beyond the popular reputation of colleges and the "U.S. News" type of surveys. There are lots of essentially unknown places that would be very rewarding for the right kind of student. Some people are hung up on whether their friends have ever heard of the college; this book encourages people to get over that status-oriented thinking.

The college featured in this book that struck as unbelievably cool is Deep Springs, on a huge ranch in the high desert of Eastern California. The students (all 26 of them!) not only run the ranch, they also run the college... interviewing applicants for admission AND for faculty positions. It's only a 2-year school, and the students go on to top-tier schools (Ivies, Berkley, Swarthmore). And it's totally FREE!

But back to the book.... It's very disorganized (clearly intentionally so), and could have been pared down to less than 100 pages of actual content. Buy it if you are obsessive about college research (like me!), but borrow it if you have the opportunity.