VERY HELPFUL, WITH A CAVEAT
The author makes a persuasive case for small, liberal arts colleges, many of whom are not well-known. He describes each school in detail, and does a very good job of pointing out each school's advantages. Initially I was quite impressed with the information.

What is lacking is very much information about problem areas or weaknesses of each college. The book is so laudatory, it lacks even-handedness. I am recommending the book highly, but think it needs to be complemented with a more balanced book. As an example, Pope (rightly, I think) raves about St. John's College in New Mexico, which uses the "Great Books" as primary sources. But, this praise needs to be balanced. Here are comments about St John's from The Princeton Review's "The Best 368 Colleges": "full of relentless intellectual duress..." " a school for super-geeks"...Everyone is a "voracious reader" and "kind of neurotic".
I'm not saying these comments are all valid, but they should be included for the reader's consideration.

Other than this criticism, I think the book is a great asset, and one we'll make good use of in researching colleges.

College Management assistance
I felt that this book provided pretty general common knowledge information. It gave examples of people who's college experience had an impact on them, but did not increase my knowledge of making that match between applicants and colleges. This book did not satisfy my "need to know" about the college process.

Money not wasted
I used this book in our college search. The book is worth reading, if only for the additional college information that it offers. My daughter ended up at one of these colleges four years ago. I am very satisfied.

An Eye-Opening Book
I will always be grateful that someone recommended Loren Pope's book to me when my daughter was a high school sophomore. The book made such an impact on me that I remember where I was when I was reading it. (A soccer tournament in Lancaster, CA.) The book opened up an entirely new world for me because I had previously assumed that universities were superior to any pint-sized alternatives. It had never occurred me, my husband or daughter to consider liberal arts colleges.

Pope made an eloquent--and to me -- persuasive argument that liberal arts colleges are a wonderful choice for many students. I definitely don't think you should treat the 40 schools profiled as the only ones worth considering, but I would urge you to use the book to gain an appreciation of what small schools can offer.

My daughter just finished her freshman year at one of the 40 schools that's located in Pennsylvania and she had a marvelous experience. She liked ALL of her professors, she returned home bilingual (she's a Spanish major) and she made lots of friends. She brought five of them back home to San Diego during spring break.

After touring liberal arts colleges, my daughter ultimately didn't even want to apply to any University of California campuses. Liberal arts colleges, however, aren't cheap, which is why I set out to discover how we could afford a private school on a state school budget. Those efforts led me to write my own book, which was just released called The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price.

I think my book is a valuable supplement to Pope's book because it includes concrete advice on how you can slash the cost of private schools with high sticker prices. As I learned through my research as a financial journalist, the prices are meaningless if you know where to look.

A valuable tool
Loved this book. Gave me a new outlook on smaller 4 year liberal art colleges. Highly recommend it to parents and their students who want to find out what type of college they are best suited for. Wish the author would review other liberal art colleges besides those listed. An easy read with great information!