College Admissions Resources
College admission can be a tricky process. We have assembled a comprehensive list of additional resources to help walk you through the process.
Profiles of American Colleges - This book has a checklist that allows a student to quickly mark schools that meet her/his criteria.
Compact Guide to Colleges - This is relatively inexpensive and easy to carry. All of Barron's publications provide a relatively informal look at institutions.
Available from:
Barron's Educational Series
250 Wireless Blvd
Hauppauge, NY 11788
Tel: 1-800-645-3476
Email: info@barronseduc.com
Web site: http://www.barronseduc.com
Choosing A College: The Student's Step-by-step Decision-Making Workbook - This workbook provides assistance to students as they begin their college search, helping them decide what they want in their college experience and how to get it.
The College Handbook - Published annually, this is an authoritative guide to 3,000 two and four year colleges. It includes information on more areas of interest than any other handbook including enrollment, freshman class profiles, campus locations, special academic programs, freshman and transfer admission, tuition and fees, financial aid, student activities, athletics, housing, and an index of majors. It is particularly helpful for those interested in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sports.
Available from:
The College Board
45 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
Tel: 212-713-8000
Web site: http://www.collegeboard.com
College Match: A Blueprint for Choosing the Best School for You - This publication has interactive worksheets to help students determine personal and academic needs and how to find colleges that meet those needs.
Available from:
Octameron Press
PO Box 2748
Alexandria, VA 22301
Tel: 703-836-5480
Fax: 703-836-5650
Web site: http://www.octameron.com
Peterson's Guide to Four-Year Colleges - Published annually, this book covers majors in 435 fields and the colleges that offer them. The information is arranged in two sections. The first contains detailed factual profiles of colleges including background facts, enrollment figures, faculty sizes, admission and graduation requirements, expenses, financing, special programs, career services, housing, campus life and student services, sports, majors, and degrees. That information is provided by college admission directors in response to Peterson's Annual Survey of Undergraduate Institutions. Schools pay to be in the second section of the book. It focuses more on quality of life, including campus environment, student activities, and life-style. Each two-page description is prepared by officials of the school it covers.
Available from:
Peterson's Guides
P.O. Box 67005
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Tel: 609-896-1800; 800-338-3282; 609-896-1800, ext. 5660 (for ordering)
Email: customerservice@petersons.com
Web site: http://www.petersons.com
America's Best - This is a special section of U.S. News and World Report published annually in October. It describes the top 125 schools rated by student selectivity, faculty quality, and academic resources. Schools are ranked as national universities, national liberal arts colleges, comprehensive colleges, small comprehensive colleges, and regional liberal arts colleges. You can order reprints of the most recent article.
America's Best Colleges - This separate annual publication reprints stories from the special report as well as including a comprehensive directory of more than 1,300 schools across the nation.
Available from:
U.S. News and World Report
2400 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20037
Tel: 202-955-2000
Money Guide: Best College Buys - An annual publication from the editors of Money Magazine, this guide analyzes the costs and programs at 1,010 four-year schools.
Available from:
Time, Inc.
P.O. Box 30626
Tampa, FLA 33630-0626
Check your library or bookstore for the following books.
Comparative Guide to American Colleges, by James Cass and Max Birnbaum - This guide takes a slightly different approach to college selection based on original research and data from student leaders, college presidents, and deans of students. It contains specific information on current costs, scholarships and loans, admissions requirements, academic opportunities and special programs, intellectual, social, and cultural environments, computer programs, facilities, and religious and racial composition of student body.
The Fiske Guide to College, by Edward B. Fiske - Compiled by the former educational editor of The New York Times, this book presents a broad picture of life on the campuses of more than 300 colleges and universities. It ranks institutions on a scale of 1 to 5 on academics, social life, and quality of life and is updated annually.
The Insider's Guide to the Colleges, by the staff of the Yale Daily News - Students from coast to coast tell what their colleges are really like, particularly the social setting; readers must remember, however, that these are subjective reports. Includes advice on how to impress interviewers, how to score points on the essay, and how to make an application stand out. It is best used in conjunction with a more standard guidebook.
Lovejoy's College Guide, edited by Charles T. Straughn and Barbarasue Lovejoy - This book provides an index to majors and entry requirements at two and four year colleges plus information on 500 careers that correspond to university curricula, sports scholarships, and SAT score profiles. It contains a good selection on financial aid, including where to write for the most up-to-date information on government student loan programs.