Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges

This book, "Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change The Way You Think About Colleges", has become a well-known and classic guidebook read by many during the college selection process. It is the book that first introduces many people to the concept that small liberal arts colleges will often provide a superior education and are a better choices than big universities for many college-bound high school seniors. It challanges the notion that acceptance into an Ivy League or Ivy League wannabe school should be the ultimate goal for typical bright perspective college students. It points out that the Ivy League schools and most large universities target graduate students rather than undergraduate students. It also points out that professors at those schools are often far more interested in research than paying attention to whether undergraduate students are actually learning the subject or not. Small 4-year liberal arts colleges, however, are different. There, class sizes are smaller, and the professors are far more likely to care about whether their students actually understand what is being taught. The small liberal arts colleges are also much easier for the typical high school graduate to gain entry to. Ivy League schools are beyond reach for the vast majority of high school graduates, and many large public universities have many more applicants than they can accept. The downside to most private 4-year liberal arts colleges, of course, is cost. The published tuition prices are usually considerably higher than those of most public universities. However, there is some good news about cost. Most private colleges today discount their tuition costs via financial aid and merit scholarships. So, the final cost of a private 4-year liberal arts college might not be too much more than that of a typical public university. The vast majority of the book is devoted to descriptions of 40 colleges that the writer has selected based upon the criteria he chose to rate the impact of the colleges upon the lives of their students. Those 40 colleges he felt were the best among the colleges he considered. Some of the best information is therefore at the beginning of the book. Starting on about page 35, he begins his descriptons of the 40 colleges. I could not help wondering as I read through the college descriptions whether other writers would have used different criteria and therefore included some different colleges. It should also be pointed out that one must be careful in wholely relying upon this book to make their college selection. One should take note that the writer included Antioch College among the 40 colleges. Antioch College, of course, is now closed. That fact suggests that parents need to consider more than just whether a college has historically been innovative or life-changing when considering whether they want to spend their money to send their children to it. They might also want to take a look at a college's financial picture, its enrollment statistics, and in just what manner the college has been changing lives. Overall, "Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change The Way You Think About Colleges" should be a must-read book for parents and perspective college students. It will make one think about whether the best undergraduate college option is always a large public university.

From my experience, there is much wisdom in Pope's book. I teach at a small LAC - though not one of the ones Pope mentions in the book - and see the many benefits students have in this kind of setting. The kind of advantages at the kind of institutions Pope describes are many: collaborative education, strong connections to professors, opportunities to do research, and the chance for students of all abilities to shine as leaders. When my oldest son was exploring colleges 5 years ago, we turned to Pope's book for guidance. He has Asperger's syndrome, and he found a great home at one of the midwestern colleges Pope profiled. He had a terrific support system, mentors, developed great friendships, and thrived academically. At my son's CTCL institution, and at my own, I see a similar pattern: students learning to think, write, and function in the world of work through internships and community-based learning, translating those experiences into solid entry-level jobs or admission to the top tier of public and private graduate schools. I don't think you have to follow Pope's book as an absolute guide - there are plenty of other fine institutions that are not in his book that merit our attention and will provide excellent educations. I did not attend a LAC - instead a larger, private university where I never found my social or academic niche - but am so pleased to have the chance to now work at a LAC and engage and relate with students in a way that transforms both our lives.

As a career coach for college-bound students, I recommend Loren Pope's book to my clients, but not as a guide to specific schools. What is most worthwhile is Pope's well-articulated point of view that college is not an exercise in grabbing the prestigious brass ring, or getting one's ticket punched for a first job. It is something much more... College is an integral part of the personal and professional development that a young adult needs to experience in our sophisticated, complex society. It is a "laboratory" for nurturing academic passion, developing genuine appreciation for a broad range of liberal arts subjects, gaining firsthand experience in research, scholarship and leadership. College is not a ticket for an already perfect, accomplished student. It is a transformative experience to help a student become an even more focused, contributing professional adult. Pope clearly lays out the case that many elite graduate oriented schools do not create a transformative environment for undergrads, and therefore do not offer much value to college students except for "brand name" prestige. In contrast, there are many educational institutions out there, some well known, some not, that place more emphasis on the undergrad experience. That is the kind of atmosphere you should seek out if you are an undergraduate! There is plenty of time later to "get your ticket punched" at a prestigious graduate school, particularly if you perform well and gain valuable hands-on experience during college. But Loren Pope is sayng, get through those formative years first, and have something meaningful to show for it. I would not simply make these 40 schools into one's college list. You need to check out every school for yourself, especially through visits, to ensure a school is a suitable match for you. But adopting Loren Pope's attitude toward the value of the undergraduate experience is a great place to start. -Kris Hintz, [...]

This book was highly recommended to parents by the director of college counseling at my kids' private boarding school where they take the college search VERY seriously! She encouraged students and parents to look at the colleges in this book as they may not be "big name" but stressed that a good fit and what the child takes away from their college experience are more important. It wasn't meant as a put down of the more prestigious schools but rather that there are a lot of great schools that are often overlooked because they lack the big name (and price tag!). Colleges That Change Lives is broken into different regions of the country, which really helped us since my children didn't want to go far away. At first I was disappointed that some regions don't have many colleges listed but I changed my mind on that since it wasn't the purpose of the book; the focus was intended to be the United States as a whole. I like that there are lots of quotes from students and that the book zeroes in on what is unique about each college. I really got a sense of what is special about each of these schools and several ended up on my children's lists that wouldn't have if we hadn't read this book. Even if the student doesn't attend one of the featured institutions, they will have a clearer idea of what they want in a school and will probably cross some off their list because they no longer seem like a good fit.

I love colleges and universities. I should. I've been in and out of them for the last twenty years. For me, our colleges and universities are the country's greatest asset. Besides that, this incredible diversity of institutions, sprinkled across every physical, geographical, architectural and intellectual setting one can imagine, is a nearly endless repository of human knowledge, discovery and American history. If you love colleges like I do, read this book just for the fun of it. It's very well written, but I'm not really sure it's effective as a college guide. Most publications in this genre are of the "best colleges" variety. This one is not. Consider the following statements: Harvard just isn't the right fit for everyone. Students should consider the colleges which can best provide them with the kind of services and environment they need to thrive. You can receive as good an education at Rhodes College as at Princeton. The Ivy League really isn't as good as its reputation suggests. You should go to liberal arts college to further explore and develop your interests, and think about your plans for graduate school. The elite universities are hard to get into, but easy to graduate from. It's the getting in that's tough. Why would I go directly to Georgetown University, which is so expensive, when I can spend two years at a liberal arts college and transfer to Georgetown later? I save money that way. Teaching is more important than research. The value added in college is more important than the brand name on the degree certificate. The most important function of a college or university is to nurture and sustain democracy. If you generally agree with any or all of these concepts, you'll like this book. If you believe these ideas to be mostly revisionist anti-Ivy League idealism, or patronizing statements intended to disguise the elitism of the speaker, you'll think this book is nothing more than fire kindling. Much of what Pope writes here reminds me of any number of articles appearing from time to time in The Chronicle of Higher Education with that patronizing "Not everyone needs to go to a brand name college" tone. Right, because if not everyone needs to go to a brand name college, the elite status of those who DO go to a brand name college is maintained (sarcasm intended). I tend to not buy the "virtues of the middle" argument because I find it dismissive of students' rationality and their desire to excel. I can understand why, literally, every high school graduate in the country wants to go to Harvard; because Harvard matters and students are rational. I believe prospective students learn more, and maximize their chances to excel by stretching beyond their perceived limits. A student will never know if she can attend Duke unless she applies. I'd hate for her to give up that opportunity because a gate-keeping author like Pope thinks she's a better "fit" at Guilford. Rather than candy coating the truth, as this book does, I think most prospective students want to know the facts: Harvard is the best because it has the best faculty, the most money, attracts the smartest, most intellectually curious students, offers the best post-graduate opportunities and is located in lovely Cambridge. But many students are just going to have to settle for Birmingham-Southern because, well, they will never get into Harvard. College admission is competitive, and that makes colleges better, not worse. I think a better strategy for a book like this would be to identify the "hidden gems", to cite the much overused phrase. Perhaps Loren can tell us which colleges and universities are the sleepers. An advisor told me long ago that the best college for me is the one that will admit me now, but would reject me in a decade. The students who applied (and were admitted) about twenty years ago to Rice University, Washington University, Case Western Reserve University, Carnegie Mellon and others like these are enjoying the benefits now, as those institutions become more distinguished. And here's another hint: If you don't think a nice framed diploma from Stanford or Princeton will change your life, think again.

This book has helped me to evaluate colleges for my children and to discover that excellent, albeit lesser-known colleges, exist for bright teens who have different learning styles than predominant teaching styles, and therefore do not necessarily fit the SAT/GPA cookie-cutter mold once they are nearing senior year in high school. This book reports on a study of 40 colleges that teach to various learning differences and produce a high number of successful graduates, in business and number of post-baccalaureate degrees, as compared to the Ivy Leagues. "B" students, and even frustrated high school dropouts are acceptable among these colleges. One particular chapter entitled " Today's Learning Disabled are Tomorrow's Gifted" discusses at length various common indicators of "learning disabled" which are eye opening at least, because they are also normal characteristics of adolescents! I know from experience with my son having been in a Gifted Student program in grammar school, that having had teachers especially trained to instruct to "learning differences" hugely changed his life for the better. I highly recommend this book to any parent/high school student with similar concerns. I sincerely believe you can change your child's life if you read this book.

Without a doubt, THE MOST HELPFUL book in aiding my children to find colleges that are good for them. We are living in an unfortunate time in regards to tertiary education. College tuition costs are nothing short of outrageous and significantly contribute to the stratification of classes we live with today in America, the application/selection process is a nightmare ("colleges pick you, you don't pick colleges") and depress the hopes and dreams of our youth, and the real value of the education received is often questionable. Loren Pope's "Colleges That Change Lives" is a voice of reason and hope to parents and kids going through this process. He emphasizes what is really the point here: the education itself. I deeply appreciate his thoughtful analysis as to what makes a great college. For the past 2 years, this book has not left my night table!

Pope's first chapter is a well-argued plea for society to stop focusing on ranking and selectivity, and instead to care about the quality of instruction and the likelihood that the college experience will be powerful and transformational. That's hard work - and it can require intense, personal conversations with faculty - and so small, liberal-arts colleges have the best chance of providing such a catalyst experience. (Publics are too large and Ivy-type Professors are rewarded for publishing not teaching) The book does have some flaws. The schools he mentions are ones you have never or barely ever heard about. This is no virtue... I disagree that brand does not matter; brand does matter for example when resumes are screened or for networking. Does he believe that these 40 are actively better than highly selective small colleges like Amherst, Bates, Wesleyan, Swarthmore? Next, the 40 write-ups are all gushing brochures and feel one-sided. Such unanimity of praise also makes it hard to compare among the schools he cites. Finally, there is no table of data to help you narrow down. So you can't easily see SAT scores for example, and more interesting would have been e.g. schools well suited for urban vs. rural, or English vs. engineering, or better suited for certain types of students. So if you do want to choose 1 of these 40 schools, it's not easy to decide which or to prioritize your own time. Prepare to spend hours digesting details of educational programs before you can tease out the nuances. Ultimately though, this book is a great service and well suited for a B/B+ student with SATs (reading and math) of about 1100-1300, who is willing to trade reputation and football stadiums for the chance to actually interact with Professors who care about the student's personal and intellectual growth. For such students, this book could be life-changing.

Comprehensive review of the less known but very good US colleges. Great for future students and parents. Shows how diverse the educational field in the US is.

Very opinionated and narrow minded.