Recommended Reading

College Search Resource Books

A visit to your local library or bookstore may overwhelm you with how much college resource material is available. This list is far from complete; however, it is a good place to start as you begin to do research on colleges and universities.

Reference Books

These books are comprehensive and generally objective

  • "Barron's Profiles of American Colleges," Barron's Educational Series, Happauge, N.Y.
  • "The College Handbook," College Board, New York, N.Y.
  • "Comparative Guide to American Colleges," James Cass and Max Birnbaum, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, N.Y.
  • "Lovejoy's College Guide," Lovejoy's Educational Guides, Monarch Press, New York, N.Y.
  • "Peterson's Guide to Four Year Colleges," Peterson's Guides, Princeton, N.J.
  • "Peterson's Competitive Colleges," Peterson's, Princeton, N.J.

Supplementary Reference Books

  • "College Admissions Index of Majors and Sports," Orchard House, Concord, Mass.
  • "College Cost and Financial Aid Handbook," The College Board, N.Y.
  • "Colleges That Change Lives," Loren Pope, Penguin Books, New York, N.Y.
  • "Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different," Donald Asher, Ten Speed Press
  • "50 College Admissions Directors Speak to Parents," Sandra MacGowan and Sarah McGinty, Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich
  • "How to Get Into the Top Colleges," Richard Montauk and Krista Klein, Prentice Hall
  • "Index of Majors," College Board, New York, N.Y.
  • "Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Today's College Experience," Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger, Adler and Adler, Bethesda, Md.
  • "Looking Beyond the Ivy League," Loren Pope, Penguin Books, New York, N.Y.
  • "Peterson's Handbook for College Admissions," Thomas C. Hayden, Peterson's, Princeton, N.J.
  • "Peterson's National College Databank," Peterson's Guides, Princeton, N.J.
  • "Scaling the Ivy Wall in the 90's," Howard Greene and Robert Minton, Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Mass.
  • "Scholarship Handbook," The College Board, N.Y.
    "The Best 345 Colleges," Princeton Review
  • "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Into College," O'Neal Turner, Alpha Books, Indianapolis
  • "The Directory of Canadian Universities," The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada
  • "The Fiske Guide to College," Edward B. Fiske, Times Books
  • "The National Review College Guide," Charles Sykes and Brad Miner, Wolgemuth and Hyatt
  • "The Yale Insider's Guide to the Colleges," The Yale Daily News, St. Martin's Griffin
  • "Visiting College Campuses," Janet Spencer and Sandra Maleson, The Princeton Review

SAT Preparation and Guides

  • "10 Real SAT'S," The College Board, New York, N.Y.
  • "Cracking the System: The SAT," Princeton Review, Villard Books, New York, N.Y.
  • "One-on-One with the SAT," College Board, New York, N.Y. (CD-ROM course)
  • "How to Beat Test Anxiety and Score Higher on the SAT," James H. Divine and
  • David W Kylen, Barron's Educational Series, Happauge, N.Y.
  • "How to Take the SAT," Marcia Lawrence, Plume Books, New York, N.Y.

Focused Guides

  • Books for Students with Specific Backgrounds, interests, and concerns.
  • "African American Student's Guide to College," Marisa Parham, Princeton Review Series
  • "The Black Student's Guide to Colleges," Barry Beckham, New York: Dutton
  • "Guide to Performing Arts Programs," Muriel Topaz and Carole J. Everett, The Princeton Review
  • "Historically Black Colleges and Universities: A Reference Handbook," Cynthia L. Jackson, ABC-CLIO
  • "Is There an Engineer Inside You? A Comprehensive Guide to Career Decisions in Engineering," Celeste Bain
  • "Penguin Guide to American Business Schools," Harold P. Doughty, Penguin USA
  • "Summer Opportunities for Kids and Teenagers," Thomson Petersons

For Students with Learning Differences

  • "College for Students with Learning Disabilities or ADD," Thomson-Peterson's, Lawrenceville, N.J.
  • "Campus Opportunities for Students with Learning Differences," Judith M. Crooker and Stephen Crooker, Octameron Associates, Alexandria, Va.
  • "College Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities," Annette Joy Sclafani and Michael J. Lynch, SPEDCO Associates, Farmingville, N.Y.

For College-Bound Student-Athletes

  • "Going the Distance" (formerly The Athlete's Game Plan for College and Career), Stephen Figler and Howard Figler, Peterson's Guides, Princeton, N.J.
  • "College Admissions Index of Majors and Sports," Orchard House, Concord, Mass.
  • "The Winning Edge: A Complete Guide to Intercollegiate Athletic Programs," Frances and James Kilpatrick, Octameron Associates, Alexandria, Va.

Career Information

  • "The Complete Career Guide," David M. Brownstone and Gene Hawes, Simon and Schuster, New York, N.Y.
  • "What Color is Your Parachute?," Richard Nelson Bolles, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, Calif.