“The College Solution helps readers look beyond over-hyped admission rankings to discover schools that offer a quality education at affordable prices. Taking the guesswork out of saving and finding money for college, this is a practical and insightful must-have guide for every parent!”

—Jaye J. Fenderson, Seventeen’s College Columnist and Author, Seventeen’s Guide to Getting into College

“This book is a must read in an era of rising tuition and falling admission rates. O’Shaughnessy offers good advice with blessed clarity and brevity.”

—Jay Mathews, Washington Post Education Writer and Columnist

“I would recommend any parent of a college-bound student read The College Solution.”

—Kal Chany, Author, The Princeton Review’s Paying for College Without Going Broke

“The College Solution goes beyond other guidebooks in providing an abundance of information about how to afford college, in addition to how to approach the selection process by putting the student first.”

—Martha “Marty” O’Connell, Executive Director, Colleges That Change Lives

“Lynn O’Shaughnessy always focuses on what’s in the consumer’s best interest, telling families how to save money and avoid making costly mistakes.”

—Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher, FinAid.org and Author, FastWeb College Gold

“An antidote to the hype and hysteria about getting in and paying for college! O’Shaughnessy has produced an excellent overview that demystifies the college planning process for students and families.”

—Barmak Nassirian, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

For millions of families, the college planning experience has become extremely stressful. And, unless your child is an elite student in the academic top 1%, most books on the subject won’t help you.

Now, however, there’s a college guide for everyone. In The College Solution, top personal finance journalist Lynn O’Shaughnessy presents an easy-to-use roadmap to finding the right college program (not just the most hyped) and dramatically reducing the cost of college, too.

Forget the rankings! Discover what really matters: the quality and value of the programs your child wants and deserves.

O’Shaughnessy uncovers “industry secrets” on how colleges actually parcel out financial aid—and how even “average” students can maximize their share. Learn how to send your kids to expensive private schools for virtually the cost of an in-state public college...and how promising students can pay significantly less than the “sticker price” even at the best state universities.

No other book offers this much practical guidance on choosing a college...and no other book will save you as much money!

• Secrets your school’s guidance counselor doesn’t know yet

The surprising ways colleges have changed how they do business

• Get every dime of financial aid that’s out there for you

Be a “fly on the wall” inside the college financial aid office

• U.S. News & World Report: clueless about your child

Beyond one-size-fits-all rankings: finding the right program for your teenager

• The best bargains in higher education

Overlooked academic choices that just might be perfect for you

....read more

Target the schools that best match your interests and goals! The Complete Book of Colleges profiles all of the four-year colleges in the U.S. (more than 1,600!) and is the key to a successful college search.

Complete Book of Colleges is packed with all of the information that prospective applicants need to know, including the details on:

·Academics
·Admissions requirements
·Application procedures
·Tuition and fees
·Transferring options
·Housing
·Financial Aid
·Athletics
…and much, much more!

Fully updated for 2010, the Complete Book of Colleges contains all of the latest information about each school. Its unique “Admissions Wizard” questionnaire is designed to help you find schools that meet your individual needs. With competition for college admission at an all-time high, count on The Princeton Review to provide you with the most thorough and accurate guidance on the market. ....read more

The college years are a time of noble pursuit of knowledge, self-betterment -- and unending peril! Students are at risk from the moment they receive their acceptance letters. Fortunately, the authors of the phenomenally best-selling Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series have come to the rescue, offering all-new, hands-on, step-by-step instructions for surviving the worst that higher education has to offer, on campus and off. Learn how to identify a party school, engineer a hookup, survive the spins, and escape a stadium riot. Discover the best way to sleep in class, pass a test you haven't studied for, avoid the freshman fifteen, and pull an all-nighter. With practical advice for avoiding laundry and identifying unsafe institutional food, along with an appendix of excuses for missed deadlines and a back-up diploma, this is truly required reading for all college students -- and a perfect high school graduation present. ....read more

What makes The Best 371 Colleges the most popular college guide?

The Best 371 Colleges is a comprehensive college guide written for any student or parent mystified by the confusing college admissions process. This essential college-planning guide, from the experts at The Princeton Review, provides the facts about the best schools in the country, popular college ranking lists, and the information needed to make a smart decision about which schools to consider.

Revealing answers from college students cover each school’s unique character and give you extensive insight into their classes, financial aid, social life, and everything in between. Students are the experts, after all, and we talked to 122,000 of them!

•One-of-a-kind college rankings reveal the top colleges in 62 categories based on how students at the schools–the real experts! –rated their colleges. The ranking lists include:
-Top Professors  
-Best Financial Aid
-Best Career/Job Placement Services
-Best Classroom Experiences
-Top Party Schools
-Dorms Like Palaces 
-Best Athletic Facilities 
-Best Campus Food
-Most Politically Active Students
-Most Diverse Student Population
-Class Discussions Encouraged
-Best College Newspaper 
-…and many more!    

•Learn what you can do in high school to prepare yourself for admission to a selective college  
•Get all the application essentials–tuition, admissions criteria, deadlines, phone numbers, addresses, demographics, student/faculty ratios, and most popular majors–for quick reference and easy comparison when you’re narrowing down your choices
•Green college ratings help readers find out if schools are environmentally friendly
•Special section on great colleges for the 15 most popular majors
•An Index of Schools by Cost allows you to search all colleges in the book by price  

 What the media is saying about The Best 371 Colleges from The Princeton Review: 

“The offbeat indexes, along with the chattily written descriptions of each school, provide
a colorful picture of each campus.”–The New York Times

“The most efficient of the college guidebooks. Has entertaining profiles larded with quotes from students.”–Rolling Stone

“A great book…it’s a bargain.” –CNN

“Our favorite college guidebook.” –Seventeen

“Provides the kind of feedback students would get from other students in a campus visit.” –USA Today ....read more

Now fully revised—the perennially popular guide to choosing the right college

Prospective college students and their parents have been relying on Loren Pope’s expertise since 1995, when he published the first edition of this indispensable guide. This new edition profiles 41 colleges—all of which outdo the Ivies and research universities in producing performers, not only among A students but also among those who get Bs and Cs. Contents include:

• Evaluations of each school’s program and personality
• Candid assessments by students, professors, and deans
• Information on the progress of graduates

This new edition not only revisits schools listed in previous volumes to give readers a comprehensive assessment, it also addresses such issues as homeschooling, learning disabilities, and single-sex education. ....read more

The best college guide you can buy. —USA Today

The #1 bestselling college guide, from the top name in college admissions!

For more than 20 years, this leading guide to more than 330 colleges and universities has been an indispensable source of information for college-bound students and their parents. Hip, honest and straightforward, Fiske Guide to Colleges 2010 delivers an insider's look at the academic climates and the social and extracurricular scenes at the best and most interesting schools in the US, plus Canada and Great Britain. Includes:

• Fiske's exclusive academic, social, and quality-of-life ratings
• The 40+ schools that deliver the best education at the most reasonable costs
• Lists of each school's strongest majors and programs
• Candid tips from each school's current students
• A self-quiz to help students understand which college is right for them
• Vital information on how to apply
• Overlap listings to help students expand their options

FISKE: THE INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS
Why do students, parents and high school counselors trust and recommend Edward B. Fiske and the Fiske Guide to Colleges more than any other guide? Quite simply, they're fiercely independent:

• An author in touch: The incredible write-ups for more than 330 schools come not from a corporation, but from the former education editor of the New York Times, one of the leading experts in college admissions.
• No hype from the colleges: The Fiske Guide accepts no consulting, advertising or other fees from colleges and has no outside consortium of colleges working on its behalf.
• Nothing to sell: There are no counseling, essay-writing, tutoring, consulting, or other services Fiske Guide is trying to sell; just great information about great schools.

(20090712) ....read more

College students (120,000 of them) reveal what life is really like at the nation's top schools. This must-have guide gives you college rankings like no other and covers all the essentials -- from academics to social life to financial aid, and everything in between. We also provide you with all the basics: admissions criteria, deadlines, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and more.

The unique ranking lists in The Best 368 Colleges report the top 20 schools in 62 categories. Based on how students at the schools -- the real experts! -- rated their colleges, the ranking list titles include:

·Professors Get High Marks
·Best Career/Job Placement Services
·Best Classroom Experience
·Party Schools
·Dorms Like Palaces
·Best Campus Food
·Most Politically Active Students
·Diverse Student Population
·Class Discussions Encouraged
·Best College Newspaper
…and many more!

The Best 368 Colleges also includes lists of great schools for 15 of the most popular undergraduate majors. ....read more

With so many qualified applicants, competition for college admissions is fiercer than ever. Now you can put yourself ahead of the pack by making your application flawless!

When applying for college, good grades and high standardized test scores are not always enough to guarantee admission. What sets you apart, argues Michele Hernández, is the way you describe yourself in your application. But how do you present yourself with flair, and highlight all your talents, skills, and passions, in just a few pages?

A former assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College, Dr. Hernández takes you step-by-step through the entire application process, revealing the details that make or break an applicant. From the multitude of short and longer essays to the myriad of charts, lists, and personal data sections, she offers essential advice, useful anecdotes, and vivid examples. Included are:

• A line-by-line look at the common application
• The truth about the essays, with samples of those that made the grade
• The best way to ask for teacher and guidance counselor recommendations
• When to provide colleges with optional essays and peer evaluations
• The ten common myths and misconceptions of the on-campus interview
• The most meaningful academic subjects, work experience, and extracurricular activities to mention
• Early action versus early decision—the trade offs

With this helpful, savvy book, prospective college students—and their parents and counselors—can now vastly improve their chances of getting into the college of their choice.

“Want to scale the Ivy wall? Michele Hernández gives you the tools to do it. This brisk, no-nonsense book is built on inside dope, and Hernández’s experience allows her to challenge conventional admissions thinking.”
—HARRY BAULD
Author of On Writing the College Application Essay
....read more