Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different (Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, & Just Plain Different)

U.S. News and World Report's College Guide is pretty silly. It tells you how selective a college is. I.e., how good are the incoming students to each college. Well, we don't want to know how healthy are the patients that are admitted to a hospital. We want to know how much the hospital is going to do for a patient. Likewise, a college guide should tell us how much a college is going to do, educate, mentor and enable a student. Choosing a college is like buying a product. I want to know what that product will do for me, not how well I am.

Buy this book. It is highly recommended!


Cool book! Must Read when choosing a college (parents, too!)   October 17, 2000
Carolyn K. (Hoagies' Gifted Education Page)
90 out of 95 found this review helpful

Cool Colleges is not only fun to read, it's full of the kind of information I wish I had when I was picking a college!

What's the difference between an Ivy League and the other top tier universities? How about the seven sisters? What schools invite young high school students to go to college instead? What are the top public colleges and universities in the country? Which colleges can you attend for free? What schools have the strongest educational environment (to the point of being called 'short' on social opportunities?)?

This book will answer these questions, and tons more. And best, it's FUN to read! I couldn't imagine a college selection guide being a "can't put it down" book... but this is one!

They aren't kidding in the subtitle: "for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different." This book has colleges for all of those, and everyone else, too!

Plus lots of college application and life hints: don't take up the credit card companies on their card offers, and get into debt before you even get a job!, do write a good essay, but don't 'borrow' one from the Internet, which majors earn the most (but don't pick just for the money!), and more.

And there are even references to other Cool Books to read while selecting your college, including a good traditional college selection guide that lists more than just the basics, a good book to dispel the 20 greatest myths about college, and other good books to help you along the way.

Read Cool Colleges first!


A Must For Anyone Thinking About Attending College   February 20, 2005
ilovemydog (TX, USA)
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

I own this book and I also had the honor of attending a lecture Donald Asher gave in Chicago. This book is for all of students out there who are un-conventional... perfect also for the ones out there who are thinking about going to a non-ivy league school.

Asher sums up some of the coolest colleges in the country that have departments to agriculture to writing... looking beyond the average SAT score or income of the student! He also tells you which colleges don't even care about the SATs and the ones that base more of their criteria on interests and the actual student than crunch numbers. I found this book very helpful and informative in making the decision of which schools to see and which not to. I also found helpful the list in the back of EVERY single acredited college in the U.S.A as well as some in Canada.

All in all this book is a must for all us out there who are looking for something more than snob or name appeal! Seniors BUY this one!


VERY Cool Colleges - Must Read for College-Bound   November 17, 2000
Don Barley (Boston, MA)
26 out of 28 found this review helpful

This book is critical for students and their parents who are looking for a different college experience. Unfortunately, many schools, including the those with Ivy walls around them, are providing cookie-cutter educations. Yes, they have great names, but they are often not as challenging as some lesser known schools who have taken a unique approach to providing the superior educations.

For example, in this book you can learn about an Honors College at IUP, where kids who could never afford to attend an Ivy League school can get an Ivy-caliber education. With an astoundingly low student-teacher ratio, the kids coming out of this this Honors College have been challenged in a way most of us would envy.

Of course, without this book, you might never know that such a unique and rewarding educational experience even existed. Check it out and do something different with your college years.


Not your average college guide   July 25, 2004
Cape Cod Living (Cape Cod)
23 out of 25 found this review helpful

I knew I had to find a cool college or I'd die of boredom.

Where do you start? Every college guide I saw had the same old stuff. I mean have you ever really considered reading the U.S. News and World Report's College Guide - yawn.

I friend of mine who I really respected turned me on to Cool Colleges by Asher. This is not a guide for average students seeking an average college experience. Asher gives you the real story on the coolest places to get an education.

I'm all set now and am heading off to college of my choice this Fall. If you're not sure where you fit in, get this book. You'll get it.