The Best 331 Colleges, 2002 Edition

As a high school Junior, I've gone through my share of college guides (Fiske, Peterson's, College Handbook, etc) and my final conclusion is that Princeton's 331 Best Colleges is the ONLY general guide you need. Each college gets a full 2 pages in this book, which seems to be just enough. The format is the most comprehensive that I've seen, and the information is the most useful (for both parents and students). It tells you everything you need to know, right down to what the kids do for fun (from drinking, hanging out and doing laundry, skiing and hiking, to political protests), the Admissions information (SAT Ranges, ACT, GPA, things the admissions officers look for), quotes directly from the students about the student body and town/city, a general overview of the feeling of the college, a perspective on the Academic pressure and strengths/weaknesses, Financial Aid Info, and a general profile of the student body and of the social/extra-curricular life. It also shows a list of percentages of the diversity of the students, and "Survey Says" section (for example, it will say: Athletic facilities are great, Great library, Musical organizations are hot, Computer lab needs improving, etc). Other things that I've found to be helpful are the "Most Popular Majors" section, and the list of other colleges applicants to a certain college looked at and preferred/didn't prefer. Generally, this book does not try to "sell" the schools, as all viewbooks directly from the colleges tend to do. The quotes from the students seem honest, from points of view on how challenging the workload is, to how diverse the student body is, to how much school spirit the kids have. Everything in the book is pretty candid, and I feel like the information is trust-worthy. Overall, I feel much more informed about the colleges I plan to apply to after reading about them in Princeton's Guide. For another perspective, I'd also recommend "The Insider's Guide to the Colleges," which is written by college students. But overall, The Best 331 College is a good buy for anybody entering or in the middle of the college process, parents and students alike.

This book has so much to offer. It has student reviews about almost everything on the campus from academics to sports. It also gives admission requirements including SAT scores and GPA.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is beginning his or her college search. It not only gives you the facts, but student opinions too. That combination is the best jumping off point to make your college choice. You won't need another college reference book as long as you have this one.I have recently graduated from the college I found using this book. I probably never would have made the choices I did or attended the college I did, if it hadn't been for this book. I am completely happy with my college choice, and it has gotten me into Harvard for graduate school.When I began my college search, I felt overwhelmed by all of my choices. After buying this book, I narrowed my search to only the colleges listed in this book. I figured 306 (a lot less in my day than the 331 of today) colleges provided enough choices, and if a school didn't make the cut for the book, it could be skipped in my search. From that point I began looking at schools that kept popping up in the lists for good things (students happy with financial aid, dorms like palaces, schools run like butter, happy students, etc). I never thought I'd attend a women's college, but after I saw all the wonderful things students had to say about their own women's colleges, I started to visit a few. In the end, I attended the school that first drew my interest in this book.Again, with this book, you won't need any of the other books out there. This one will be the most valuable resource in your college search.

This book is great because it provides the reader with not only the numerical statistics, but also students' perspectives to their colleges. While this is not just the college-brochure type of information, it is also not overly biased because it presents both the positive and negative aspects of colleges. As a junior in high school, this book has helped me with my college research, and as I begin my college explorations, I find I agree with its opinions. I think this book will make your college search easier too!

This book goes even more indepth than the Princeton Review's web site. How they talk to not just the people that run the colleges, they also talk to current students. Also, how they rate the different schools is very interesting. A great buy for selecting a college!!!!