12. Peterson´s Guide to Four-Year Colleges

Description of Publication: Peterson´s Guide to Four-Year Colleges

For over 30 years, according to its editors, Peterson's has given students and parents the most comprehensive, up-to-date information on undergraduate institutions in the United States and Canada. The data published in Peterson's Guide to Four-Year Colleges are obtained directly from the colleges and updated every year. However, if you are ambivalent or your parents are not too enthusiastic about the four years of expense and turmoil in sending you to college, the Marine Corps recruiting number is: (1-800-MAR-INES).

The book contains

Comparative data on more than 2,000 accredited U.S. and Canadian colleges (Peterson's makes no effort to distinguish between colleges and universities). It lists majors and degrees, costs, admission requirements and procedures, financial aid, ROTC, campus life, and other interesting facts.
Over 800 detailed two-page descriptions written by admissions directors that paint a complete picture of what the colleges have to offer.
Detailed maps to help you locate each college and plan how to get there.
Advice on evaluating the quality of your choice (either just starting out or as a transfer student) from Dr. Ernest Boyer, former U.S. Commissioner of Education.

Two important sections of the book deal with the "College Profiles and Special Announcements" and the "In-Depth Descriptions of the Colleges."

The college profiles section contains detailed factual profiles of colleges, covering such items as background facts, enrollment figures, faculty size, admission and graduation requirements, expenses, financing, special programs, career services, housing, campus life and student services, sports, majors and degrees, and whom to contact for more information. In addition, there are special announcements from college administrators about new programs or special events.

The in-depth descriptions section shifts the focus to a variety of other factors, some of them intangible, that should also be considered. Two-page descriptions are offered to provide a greater overview of nearly 900 of the 2,026 colleges and universities profiled. Prepared exclusively by college officials, they are designed to help give you a better sense of the individuality of each institution, in terms that include campus environment, student activities, and lifestyle. The absence from this section of any college or university does not constitute an editorial decision on the part of Peterson's Guides. In essence, this section is an open forum for colleges and universities, on a voluntary basis, to communicate their particular message to prospective college students.

Finding a school that meets your needs is, of course, only one step-applying is another. If there's a high school senior in your household, then you know that filling out applications may seem to be the hardest thing about getting into college. The old paper and pencil-age relics, which one expects to be perfect, are complex, confusing, and unforgiving. Completing one by hand or typewriter-if you can find a typewriter-is an ordeal. In September 1997, Peterson's announced the opening of www.ApplyToCollege.com, home of POLARIS (Peterson's Online Application, Registration, and Information Service)-a revolutionary and free admissions service that gives college-bound students the resources to organize and manage the application process by using The Universal Applicationsm program. The Universal Application is a set of proprietary online forms that includes an application officially accepted by nearly 900 colleges (and the number grows daily). Another alternative is APPLY! '98, a Windows CD-ROM with digitized applications to over 500 popular colleges, including top-rated schools like Princeton, Harvard, and Duke; smaller private colleges like Middlebury, Bard, and Kenyon; and a handful of state colleges. All you have to do is pick a school, fill in the blanks onscreen, and hit the print button. Out comes a completed application, with all the proper fonts and graphics, ready for mailing. The software produced by Apply Technology of Burlington, Massachusetts, works like a dream if you've got a PC with lots of horsepower. Best of all, the program is free. APPLY! '98 is not available in stores. You can get your free copy by calling (203-740-3504); or try your luck by visiting APPLY's Web site at: www.weapply.com

OK, now let's assume you're ready for graduate school and Peterson's Guide to Graduate & Professional Programs (ISBN 1-56079-291-4). Peterson's full Graduate Database is also available on-line through Dialog and on CD-ROM through SilverPlatter. According to the editors, since 1966 the six-volume Guides to Graduate Study have been the only complete, up-to-date resource for students, academic advisers, researchers, and librarians. The overview provides details on more than 1,500 universities offering graduate and professional degree programs. Special features include:

Expert advice: Applying to graduate school and professional schools; plus financial aid for graduate and professional education.
In-depth profiles: Degrees offered, enrollments, admission and degree requirements, tuition, financial aid, housing, faculty research projects and facilities, and contacts at each institution.
Specialized directories: Graduate and professional programs by field, programs by institution, and combined-degree programs.
Full descriptions: Two-page essays written by grad school officials-offering important information to all prospective graduate students.

Of the six volumes, Book 6 provides information on graduate programs in business, education, health, and law. Book 1 presents several directories to help you identify programs of study that might interest you; you can then research those further in Books 2 through 6. The "Graduate Adviser" in Book 6 helps in describing: applying to graduate and professional schools; financial aid, for graduate and professional education; tests required of applicants; and accreditation and accrediting agencies. The academic and professional programs in business include, but are not limited to: business administration, accounting, finance/banking, hospitality administration, nonprofit management, international business, marketing, and real estate.

Peterson´s Guide to Four-Year Colleges
www.petersons.com
or www.collegenet.com
info@petersons.com
CD available

Peterson´s Guide to Four-Year Colleges

annual publication
ISSN 0894-9336
For more information, call: Peterson´s Guides, Inc.,
Phone (609) 243-9111.

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