U.S. News Ultimate College Guide 2009, 6E [Paperback]

Staff of U.S.News & World Report (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1402210817 | ISBN-13: 978-1402210815 | Publication Date: October 1, 2008 | Edition: 6

Featuring complete data on more than 1,400 colleges and universities, U.S. News Ultimate College Guide 2009 is the best source for the information students and parents need most. Equally important, it also includes the essential step-by-step guide to the often stressful process of choosing a college, getting in, and finding the money, plus exclusive lists and indices to help compare the schools.

These lists and customized indices give students and parents what they need to make the best decisions, including:

• The hardest and easiest schools to get into
• Schools that award the most need-based aid
• The best values: great deals at great schools

Step-by-step advice from the nation's leading education writers includes:

• How to choose the right school for you
• What colleges look for in students
• How to find the money to pay for college

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Founded in 1933, Washington, D.C.-based U.S.News & World Report delivers a unique brand of weekly magazine journalism to its 12.2 million readers. The U.S. News education franchise is second to none. Its annual college and graduate school rankings are among the most eagerly anticipated magazine issues in the country.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1776 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.; 6 edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402210817
• ISBN-13: 978-1402210815
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mark 07/24/09, July 24, 2009

By 

Lucas (Smithtown, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: U.S. News Ultimate College Guide 2009, 6E (Paperback)

I bought this book and went to activate the free 10 day pass to the Premium Online Edition and kept getting an error and could not access the site. I tried for 5 days! I called their customer service and spoke ( on two separate occasions) with an extremely rude person! She was zero help and didn't care that I could not access this College Guide. She told me to contact the webmaster and I did and never heard back from them and they actually tell you in an auotmated email not to contact them again that they will get back to you within 48hours. Sure! I called again and got the same apathetic response from customer service that she could not do anything for me. So I returned the book ( it has all dated information anyway) and bought Barron's Profiles of American Colleges which I am very happy with and they give their college ratings in the book!
US News is a total rip-off and they lure you in with free offers that they have no intentions of giving you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Guide, June 14, 2011

By 

Alan Houston "alanhouston-texas" (Houston, Texas, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: U.S. News Ultimate College Guide 2011, 8E (Paperback)

The "U.S. News" approach is to use numbers...and that can be very useful. For example, the book includes a chart of the graduation rate at various colleges. Not surprisingly, more than 90% of Amherst students obtain a degree four years after enrolling. At many public colleges, that number is 30% or 40%. Most public colleges do such a poor job with first and second year students, the majority of them drop out...a sad fact that this book documents.

However, numbers can be misleading. How do you rank one college as the "Number 87" liberal arts college in America and another as "Number 107". That sort of ultra-precise numerical ranking borders on fantasy.


To learn about the personality and flavor of each school, you need to supplement this book with one or two books that focus on those factors...numbers are only a small part of the story.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best College guide on the market, November 4, 2009

By 

A. Chapuis (marietta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: U.S. News Ultimate College Guide 2010, 7E (Paperback)

This is definitively the best college guide on the market. Ranks the school by academics, by financial expense, by retention ratio, by major, by state.... it's all in there. Should you buy just one college guide , that would be the one !