In our last blog post, Top 7 Books on College Admissions for those just getting started… We recommended 7 great books that will give you big-picture perspectives about colleges, the college admissions process overall, the true nature of selective college admissions, and what you can do to help students prepare for the road ahead. For those Juniors and seniors ready to build college lists focusing on academic, personal and financial fit, these following 7 books do a great job of providing data and college specific information invaluable to this process. Furthermore, these books are consistently recommended by counselors, parents and students alike.
The Princeton Review: The Best 386 Colleges
Author: Princeton Review and Robert Franek
This comprehensive guide to the nation's best colleges provides in-depth profiles on schools, best-of lists by interest, and a ton of information directly from students at these colleges. This guide includes:
- 386 in-depth school profiles based on candid feedback from 143,000 students, covering academics, administration, campus life, and financial aid
- Insights on unique college character, social scene, and more
- Lists of the top 20 colleges in 62 categories based on students' opinions of academics, campus life, facilities, and much more
- Ratings for every school on Financial Aid, Selectivity, and Quality of Life
- The "Inside Word" on competitive applications, test scores, tuition, and average indebtedness
- Comprehensive information on selectivity, freshman profiles, and application deadlines at each school
Fiske Guide to Colleges
By: Edward Fiske
The Fiske Guide to Colleges, written by the former New York Times education editor Edward Fiske, is a bestseller and the perfect primer for students and parents who are just getting started with the college admissions process. The guide goes beyond what you can find on college websites, giving an insider perspective into what a student’s life might look like at different schools across the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Ireland. Fiske even includes quotes from students at these institutions to provide an accurate account of what experiences you can expect.
The guide is updated every year, and alongside stories from students, it includes; a self quiz, informative lists on majors and programs, price and debt rates, acceptance rates, social life ratings, and a host of other data to arm families with the information needed to compile a college list. The Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College starts with an in-depth assessment of student priorities, then takes you step-by-step through the process of applying to the schools you actually want to get into. This guide will show students how to:
- Choose the right kind of school for you
- Filter out the hype
- Navigate the financial aid process
- Earn the test scores colleges want you to see
- Write authentic essays (even if you're not a great writer)
- Submit an application that shows off your best features
- Ask the right questions during campus visits
- Know how admissions officers rank candidates
- Get off the waiting list and get accepted
- Attract and even negotiate the best financial aid package
The Price you Pay for College: An Entirely New Roadmap for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make
By: Ron Lieber
Written by New York Times bestselling columnist Ron Lieber, this bestseller gives students and parents information about tuition for college level education, and the right guidance on understanding both merit-based and need-based scholarships and aid. Lieber also considers the COVID-19 pandemic as a factor of consideration in his book, useful to most families applying to colleges right now. Lieber poses difficult yet important questions for families to discuss beforehand regarding finances, provides guidance on setting financial goals, and explains the processes of loans and ways students can support their own education as well. This book will guide students to make affordable choices that still provide them with a solid education.
Colleges That Change Lives
Author: Loren Pope
This is a groundbreaking guide to the 40 best colleges you've never heard of—colleges that will change your life. Choosing the right college has never been more important—or more difficult. For the latest edition of this classic college guide, Hilary Masell Oswald conducted her own tours of top schools and in-depth interviews, building on Loren Pope's original to create a totally updated, more expansive work. Organized by geographic region, every profile includes a wealth of vital information, including admissions standards, distinguishing facts about the curriculum, extracurricular activities, and what faculty say about their jobs. Masell Oswald also offers a new chapter on how students with learning disabilities can find schools that fit their needs. For every prospective college student searching for more than football and frat parties, Colleges That Change Lives will prove indispensable.
Fully revised and updated by education journalist Hilary Oswald, Colleges That Change Lives remains the definitive guide for high school students (and their parents) who are looking for more in their college education than football, frat parties, and giant lectures. Building on the foundation of landmark author Loren Pope, Oswald spent more than a year visiting 40 colleges, speaking with students, faculty, and alumni to create these vivid and concise portraits.
The College Solution
Author: Lynn O’Shaughnessy
This bestselling book is aimed at helping parents and teenagers become empowered consumers as they navigate through the college process to find wonderful colleges and universities at more affordable prices. Billions of dollars are available to pay for college, but not everybody gets their share. It's not always the families with the brightest students or the parents who are struggling financially who receive the most money. The College Solution shares the secrets of how you can capture some of this money for your own family. The book provides advice on such topics as financial aid, merit scholarships, athletic scholarships, admission hooks, the important differences between colleges and universities, college rankings, the best student loans and the latest online tools to evaluate the generosity of schools. O’Shaughnessy presents an easy-to-use, proven road map for getting past the ratings, and finding the right schools at the right price. No other book offers this much practical guidance on choosing and paying for college now ― and no other book will save you as much money!
Paying for College
Author: Princeton Review and Kalman Chany
This annual guide allows you to take control of your financial aid experience with line-by-line instructions for completing the FAFSA forms. Financing a college education is a daunting task no matter what your circumstances. With line-by-line instructions for filling out the FAFSA and consumer-friendly advice to minimize college costs, Paying for College helps you take control of your experience and:
- Maximize your financial aid eligibility
- Learn how COVID-19 and the latest tax laws affect the financing of your college education
- Explore long- and short-term strategies to reduce college costs and avoid expensive mistakes
- Complete every question on the FAFSA and CSS Profile forms to your best advantage
- Compare aid offers and learn how to appeal them if necessary
- Plan strategically as a separated/divorced parent, blended family, or independent student
College Essay Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay
By Ethan Sawyer
Ethan Sawyer, college admissions veteran, offers in-depth step by step guidance on different aspects of the college application essays and how students can approach them. In this guide, he examines in-depth, the important skills students should cultivate for writing their essay, including:
- Brainstorming how to answer essay prompts
- Structuring the essay
- Editing, revising, and proofreading
- What colleges are looking for
College Essay Essentials: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Successful College Admissions Essay
For additional insights, check out our blogs:
Top 7 Books on College Admissions for those just getting started…
How to Create a Financially Balanced College List
Download our Comprehensive Guide: College Application Process
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