Four Year College 2008 (Peterson's Four Year Colleges)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 3144 pages
• Published by: Peterson's; 38 edition July 1, 2007
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0768924006
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0768924008
• Book Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 2.8 inches
• Weighs: 5.6 pounds

Product Description
A staple for anyone researching college, Peterson’s guide is packed with information on more than 2,500 colleges in the U.S. and Canada. 3 Books in 1!

Reader Reviews
I am on my last college searching tour: my youngest is just starting her senior year, and she has narrowed down her list colleges of interest to her to about 8 or 10. "Petersen's Four Year Colleges - 2008 Edition" (2,823 pages--it should be sold "by the pound"!) is essentialy 2 books in 1. The first 1,060 pages of the book present a summary of about 2,200 colleges around the US. On the average, all colleges get about half a page description. Very helpful is that the colleges are lumped state-by-state, because, let's face it, most college students remain in their home state. The second part of the book is a more in-depth (two pages) profile of about 1,000 colleges. It is important to understand that those in-depth profiles are NOT written up by the book's editors, but instead by the colleges themselves (and the colleges have paid for this placement). Thus, a 2 page profile on GW, but not on Georgetown. I found the book more useful that my daughter did. For one, because the book is so huge and outright heavy, it's not user-friendly from that perspective. That said, there is no denying that there is tons of great information in this book, including at the end of the book 200 pages of colleges by major (which is VERY helpful if you are into a specific area of interest--as an example, you can major in "Textile Science" in only 3 colleges around the country), as well as by entrance difficulty and cost ranges. Another reason I like the book is that for most colleges it does have the latest (07-08) figures for tuition, room and board, and other miscellaneous charges. Hence I read that the total cost for attending GW (where I went to grad school) is now just over $50,000. PER YEAR. Unbelievable. Ultimately, this is a book to get when your son or daughter is at the very beginning of their college search and is simply looking to get some basic information. On that level, the book performs well. But after the initial looking around, there are other resources that should be checked out, such as the Princeton Reviews "The Best 366 Colleges".