College Search Links
College Guides
- Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges
A large, objective, factual guide to thousands of schools. A good
source for information on Canadian schools (despite the title).
- Comparative Guide to American Colleges, Cass, James and Max Birnbaum
This detailed guide is unusual in that it discusses the climate for academic
achievement and unique attributes of a college as well as presenting figures on
admission, the number of graduates who go on to graduate school, etc. A large
but valuable book. Colleges are listed alphabetically, not by state.
- The College Handbook (College Entrance Examination Board)
This book is published by the folks who brought you the SAT. It is very
complete, unbiased, objective, and somewhat dry. Organized by state and includes
both 2- and 4-year colleges.
- The K & W Guide to Colleges for the Learning Disabled,
Kravets, Marybeth and Imy F. Wax, (The Princeton Review)
The best resource for information on services for students with learning differences.
- Peterson’s Four Year Colleges
Another large, factual guidebook. Organized both by state and alphabetically.
- Hillel Guide to Jewish Life on Campus, Cernea, Ruth F., ed, (The Princeton Review)
Known in college counseling circles as "the blue book," this guide offers
information on Hillel organizations on college campuses. Also available
at http://www.hillel.org.
- The Fiske Guide to Colleges. Fiske, Edward B
A subjective guide updated annually, but with plenty of valuable information.
This book has a reputation for being a reliable guide with a solid two page overview
of schools. Try to ignore the stars if possible, and stick to the narrative.
- The Best 331 Colleges, Franek, Robert, (The Princeton Review)
While not all-inclusive, this book provides student opinions as well as objective
data. Remember that interviews with three or four students can never tell the whole story!
- Rugg’s Recommendations On The Colleges, Rugg, Frederick E
This guide is organized by major or specialty area. His opinion is based on years
of experience, but remember, it is his opinion.
- The Insider’s Guide to Colleges, The Yale Daily News
Yale students put this guide together each year. It's a wee bit subjective—just
read the entries on Harvard and Yale.
The College Visit
Once you’ve developed a broad list of schools, you should think about
seeing some of them in person. Even if you don’t end up applying to some
of these colleges, you will find it helpful to see different campuses. By
the end of the summer between your junior and senior year of high school,
you will have mastered the college visit, including everything from finding
the school to discovering how to give an effective campus tour while walking
backwards. College visits can (and should) be extremely productive and
informative, but you will need to do a little bit of preparation in order to
get the most out of a visit. The following are meant to serve as guidelines
only, but they may be quite helpful.
When to visit?
Although summer vacation may be the most convenient, summer visits
may not give you the most realistic view of a campus. Upstate New York
looks quite different in July than in February, for example. Perhaps
more importantly, far fewer college students will be on campus during
the summer than during the school year. Try to visit a few schools
during February or April vacations, but long distance travels may have
to wait until the summer. Once you’ve identified your top choices, you
may want to visit during the fall of your senior year, especially if
you can stay overnight.
What to see and do?
The basic rule of thumb is to do as much as the admission office offers.
Call ahead to find out what options are available. Go on a campus tour
(usually led by students, who are excellent sources of information), listen
to the information session, pick up literature and other materials, and if
available, schedule a personal interview. If classes are in session during
your visit, make every attempt to sit in on a class. If you can stay
overnight, that’s even better (although most schools will make you wait until
senior year). Be sure to talk to students (don’t be shy!) and professors if
they are available. They’ll be glad to talk to you, but be careful not to
base your opinion of an entire college on the comments of a few students or
faculty members.
How to keep track?
Even if you only see one or two schools a day, you need to devise a plan
that will help you keep track of each school. After a week of visits, most
brick buildings, ivy-covered walls, computer labs, and grassy fields tend to
blend together. Take notes, make a chart, bring a video camera—whatever
will help you differentiate one school from the next. It is generally NOT a
good idea to visit more than two schools a day. Take your time, and enjoy
what else the area has to offer.
How do you prepare for an interview?
The interview now plays a relatively marginal role in the admission
process. For some schools, the interview is used solely as an informational
tool for both the student and the school. Other schools may use the interview
to learn more about you as a person than they might in the actual application.
Many schools no longer use the interview as an evaluated piece of the admission
process. Nonetheless, if a school offers an interview, make an effort to
schedule one.
Be sure to be rested and relaxed for the interview. Dress well but comfortably;
as always, you want to be yourself. Admission officers will want to have a
conversation with you, as opposed to simply drilling you with questions. Come
with questions of your own—you will always have an opportunity to ask
questions at the end, and part of preparing for an interview is thinking of
good questions to ask.
What will they ask you?
You may be asked about your academic record, extracurricular interests,
summer activities, hobbies, and the like. The interviewer will want to learn
more about you than a piece of paper may say, so strive to have a conversation
instead of a press conference. Most importantly, be yourself.
What kind of questions should you ask?
Your questions should reveal the fact that you have actually done some
research on the college prior to your visit. Feel free to bring notes into
the interview, but try to ask questions that cannot be easily answered in a
guide book or course catalog. Some useful questions might include the following:
- What are the most important campus issues to students at this school?
- What is the most popular department or major?
- What is the most popular course?
- What do students think is the most challenging course? Department?
- How many introductory courses are taught by faculty members and how many are taught by graduate students? (If applicable.)
- How has the college changed in the last five years?
