The Smart Girl's Guide to College: A Serious Book Written by Women in College to Help You Make the Perfect College Choice [Paperback]

Cristina Page (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

A collection of no-nonsense essays written by young women in college covers all the factors involved in choosing the right college, from location to racial issues to course offerings, and shows how to find out more inside information. Original."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"I know what you're going through," is how The Smart Girl's Guide to College begins, and throughout this witty and honest book the same sympathetic, big-sisterly voice prevails. Editor Cristina Page proceeds from the assumption that (as she herself experienced) most college-bound students can't make an informed decision because they don't know the right questions to ask. To that end, she includes a handy questionnaire to fill out when considering a college, plus a list of resources for more information. But this is not your typical college guide: instead of providing short, less-than-enlightening summaries of life at individual schools, most of the book consists of 27 fascinating firsthand accounts from college women around the country. Wisely, Page lets these students speak for themselves, and the result is measured, eloquent writing about one of the most difficult decisions a young woman can make. A black student writes about her life at a predominantly white school; a freshman feels lost in the crowd at a large state university; and an Idaho woman weighs in on the advantages and disadvantages of attending college close to home. Women's colleges, religious colleges, the Ivy League, even military academies--no option is left unexplored in these unusually thoughtful and candid accounts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 221 pages
• Publisher: Noonday Pr; 1st edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374525145
• ISBN-13: 978-0374525149
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,854,705 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This totally rocked, November 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Smart Girl's Guide to College: A Serious Book Written by Women in College to Help You Make the Perfect College Choice (Paperback)

This book gave me a clear picture of different college environments. It doesn't really endorse any particular school, so you get an unbiased, gut-wrenchingly honest and uninhibited view. It dispelled a lot of stereotypes and helped me realize what I was looking for in a school. Truly, if you buy this book, you must be smart.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and unique source of qualitative information, February 27, 2004

By 

Gaetan Lion - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Smart Girl's Guide to College: A Serious Book Written by Women in College to Help You Make the Perfect College Choice (Paperback)

This book does not give you the data that most other college guides give you. But, it fleshes out the implication of your choices much better than most guides. Let's face it, the college experience can't be translated into just numbers, student ratings, and occasional student sound bites alone. Looking at the numbers alone, one could easily select the best college on paper, and end up being miserable because the qualitative fit of was completely wrong. This guide will help you big time reducing the chance of you making such a "qualitative fit" error.

I have studied over ten college guides. This one is rather unique. It is focused strictly on the women's experience from a qualitative standpoint. It conveys its information through narrative essays written firsthand by the women attending specific colleges. These essays are typically focused on a single issue relevant to students and even more so to women.

These essays are presented in pairs describing in detail various dimensions of the college selection process. For instance, there are two essays covering the small liberal arts college vs. large state university decision. This is a pretty crucial decision to make. To help you out make that decision, one woman writes an excellent essay of what it is like attending Whitman (excellent liberal arts college in the Northwest). Another woman writes an equally excellent essay about the very large state university, U of Kentucky. At no point, do these young authors make any comparison between the two. They just describe thoroughly their first hand experiences, and all analyze in a balanced way the pros and cons of their respective college selection decision.

The editor, Cristina Page, chooses well a series of decision axis; including not only small liberal arts college vs. large state university, but also:

Urban vs. Rural;
Far from vs. Close to home;
Coed dorms vs. single gender dorms;
Liberal vs. Conservative; and
Greeks vs. Independents.

In each case, a pair of essays dedicated to each opposite point fully describes what is the implication of selecting such a college on your college experience.

Cristina Page makes this wise recommendation that you certainly do not need to read the whole book. But, you can read selectively among the choices you have in mind. Thus, if you are interested in attending a large state university, live in a coed dorm, and be on a campus that has a liberal leaning, you can choose the essays that describe each of your choice aspects in details. Read this way, this guide is really a pretty great college selection guide.

A valuable small section of the book focuses on some of the key questions to ask. These include very interesting questions regarding the politics, vision, experience, and capability of the current President of the school. It includes similar questions regarding the Faculty. The editor also mentions key questions about safety issues, crime record, and health facilities. These questions are often original, and not so often mentioned in other college guides. Nevertheless, they are very important, and will help you out in making a better college selection decision.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is an intelligent, intimate journey to campuses ., December 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Smart Girl's Guide to College: A Serious Book Written by Women in College to Help You Make the Perfect College Choice (Paperback)

I received this book as a Christmas gift,and the purchaser advised she had some difficulty finding it on shelves in her local bookstores. I am so-o-oglad she did. This guide allowed me tovisit with young women who made the adjustments I anticipate making. Theirchoices will strengthen my resolve whenthe time comes. I feel more prepared now for the college interview procedure,and the decision-making process. Thankyou Ms. Page and contributors.