Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That's Right for You

by Loren Pope

Book Overview

The celebrated book that revolutionized the way Americans choose colleges-now fully revised and updated

An invaluable guide with virtually no competition, this book helped to establish Loren Pope as one of the nation's most respected experts on the college application process. Now fully revised and updated, Looking Beyond the Ivy League offers a step-by-step guide to selecting the right institution, a checklist of specific questions...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143112821
• ISBN13: 9780143112822
• Release Date: December 2007
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.6" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The Proof is in the Pudding

My daughters, now 23 and 25 both used this book as the cornerstone of their college searches. Both chose colleges neither had heard of before, Hampshire College and Earlham College. Both schools were exactly right for both of them, and both girls followed Mr. Pope's advice in their selection process. When visiting colleges they went when school was in session, attended classes, spent the night, had a student mentor (not a freshman) and ate in the dorm. One daughter visited an exhausting 12 schools, the other only 2 before she felt she had found her soul mate (Earlham). The daughter who picked Hampshire did so because she needs freedom to explore many venues, but the closeness of a small school community. At Hampshire she could attend any of the 5 school consortium at no additional tuition costs. So if Hampshire didn't have the exact class she wanted, she could use the free and frequent busses that run between the schools to take classes at Smith, Mt. Holyoke, University of Mass or Amherst. The best thing about Mr. Pope's advice and bias on choosing a small school is that it's true. Not only do you get the small class size and individual attention of dedicated and well educated professors, but you have almost unlimited opportunities to explore social issues, sports, the arts and global society through personal involvement than most students at state schools. In talking to peers who attended the oft chosen bigger schools, my girls found they had written more critical papers in one semester at their schools than friends had written in 4 years! At Earlham my daughter got to sing in the schools traveling performance choir for a semester in Vienna and Europe, be a teacher's assistant in German for a semester in Germany, live in a "Friendship" house, be a "featured artist" of the week in the school paper, play rugby for fun, write her first and second grant proposals and be able to successfully execute them. The second daughter got to co-edit the school paper for a year and then resurrected the school's Literary Journal. Spent a summer in Bolivia writing for a paper owned by an alumni. She got to work in public radio, travel cross country researching her senior thesis, take horticulture at Smith and advanced Spanish at Amherst. In small liberal arts colleges you don't have to be a "state champion" to play volleyball or football or rugby. You don't have to have ever had a voice lesson in order to sing in a choir and gain the skills you need to get into a performance choir. You can dream of being at the inaugural parade in Washington DC and the school provides transportation and teaches you how to be a socially responsible, safe protester who effectively gets a message across during a protest without offending (or getting arrested). You make friends and have a community that includes your professors. Friends you will keep for life. Somewhere in one of Mr. Pope's two books he says something to the effect that the job you will have in 10 years probab

I agree with the author's premise

The author believes that too many people seek a college or university based on it's prestige, i.e., status. As the father of a high school age son, I see too many of my contemporaries living through their children. Pope is right in his premise; students should seek the school which is the best fit regardless of whether it's a "brand name." Pope illustrates, with specific examples, how many schools offer innovative programs which prepare their students to get into graduate school or otherwise do very well after graduation. There is other very useful information on strategies for applying to schools and composing essays. Pope also gives the pros and cons of certain types of schools. For example, did you know that many large state universities have a high attrition rate because they have an obligation to serve their state residents, so these residents are accepted but then are weeded out of the too large classes? This book has a great premise: that Harvard might not be the best fit for your child and that we should look for the school that is right for the particular student. The book also has lots of good information. I recommend it.

Parents and students: let Mr. Pope open your eyes

There's another review of this book by "steverthom@aol.com from Dayton, Ohio , December 17, 1998" who says exactly what my feelings are. My son and I used this book as our primary resource in selecting a college for him. He is now a freshman of 3 weeks, and he and I could not be more pleased with the school we found, using the framework Mr. Pope offers for making a decision. We supplemented this book with the 331 Best Colleges and, to a lesser extent, the National Review Guide and the Barrons Compact Guide. Buy the Pope book for your high school junior or senior if you are serious about your child's higher education.

This book changed my life

Haven't written reviews here before, but seeing with delight that this book is still around I had to write one. I read this book midway through my junior year of high-school and, struck by the sensible and sound reasoning that informs every argument, I applied to a completely different set of schools than I initially considered. Ultimately I feel I profited invaluably from attending a small liberal-arts college instead of a big brand name: I was going through a lot of troubles, and the individual attention and support I was able to obtain from small departments, small classes, and concerned and caring professors (even outside of my major) allowed me to find my inner strengths and embark on a life path I would not have dreamed of when I first arrived at college. Now how many of my friends who went to big-name research universities can say that? Thanks, Mr. Pope.

The key book for our student's college search--a gem.

My son and I found this book to be sensible without being pedantic, and written in a pleasant, readible style. It was the key resource in his college search. Pope clearly favors small colleges and makes his case well. Because of Pope's recommendations, my son is now loving his experience in a small liberal arts school. We can only thank our lucky stars when we hear his friends tell stories of huge lecture hall classes and almost slum-like high rise dormitories at their big schools. Choose the trendy, big-name schools if you want, but please, not until you've read Pope's insights about small liberal arts schools. (And don't miss the reprinted news article he closes with.)