Rugg's Recommendations on the College, 27th Edition (Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges)

The author is a former counselor and is well-respected by members of his former profession. He is also well-known for the seminars that he presents for counselors around the country. As a former counselor, Rugg knows what information students and parents need and he provides it. The foundation of the book is the 83 lists of colleges grouped by majors and divided into three levels of selectivity. The colleges on each list are "recommended" for each major based on discussions with students at the colleges and counselors across the country, and on Rugg's own research and visits.

To the author's credit, he does not rank colleges the way that the national magazine (the one with two names and the ampersand) does. This is also a factor in the respect that counselors have for his work. Also to his credit, he states that the "book is not perfect." No publication in this field is, although a couple of them would like us to believe that they are.

The book also includes other helpful hints and information such as a list of the 100 colleges that he hears the most nice things about, colleges that "offer students the best opportunity to maximize their education." It also includes a list of colleges that offer "wellness" dormitories. Rugg's approach encourages students to find colleges that will be good fits while smartly avoiding the "more selective the college the better it must be" approach that fuels the magazine rankings mentioned above.

Rugg's Recommendations On The Colleges is a helpful tool that contains good and current information. It has always been available through guidance catalogs and from the author. I am glad to see it becoming widely available.


REAL help for parents and students!   August 17, 2000
bookfreak (Michigan, USA)
49 out of 50 found this review helpful

Most of us know (or think we know)the top schools around the U.S. But if your high school student already has a solid interest in a particular major, this guide will open your eyes to possibilities you never knew existed. Rugg's extensive research finds those smaller regional and private schools which excel in a particular field but do not get the same publicity as the big name universities.

If your child is leery of taking on a campus of 40,000 students or doesn't want to be 2,000 miles from home, this guide will help you find outstanding institutions of all sizes and in nearly every part of the country. Our son will be pursuing some area of computer science, and we found many highly-rated schools in this guide which were completely new to us. What is also interesting is to look at the listings for some majors and see what "name brand" schools are missing from the list. Don't assume that just because a particular college or university is of general high quality that it truly excels in the field your child wants to study!

Give your college-bound child a REAL choice and eliminate much of the guesswork by using Rugg's.


Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges - 23rd Edition   March 9, 2006
Mary Johnson (San Diego, CA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

No pictures of students sitting on the grassy area in front of the ivy covered brick building. Plain and simple, who has the best major programs, period. Every colleges claims they have a fantastic math, art, etc... department. Rugg's is the book that gives you some idea of how good a certain major program is at a particular college. So if you are looking for a top physics program with a strong art program, you can find it. Ruggs is the go to book, it rates the major not the school's glossy brochure. Undecided? you can use Ruggs to find the schools that have strong programs in the 4 areas you are interested in so if your first major choice doesn't work out, you can change majors without having to change school. This book got us to our top 10 choices for schools based on area of interest.


Highly recommended by professional admissions consultants!   July 26, 2002
David Petersam (Vienna, VA USA)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

We are particularly fond of this book because it provides a comprehensive review of universities and colleges based on majors, size, and geographic region. Even if the college applicant has a particular focus with his or her college selection, this book is still likely to open your eyes to possibilities you may have otherwise overlooked. This guide is very useful for its thorough research and inclusion of smaller regional schools that excel in a particular field but do not get the same publicity as the more prestigious national schools.


Author's response to Reviewer from Fair Oaks,CA   September 17, 2004
B. Rugg (SAN DIEGO,CALIFORNIA)
9 out of 10 found this review helpful

"Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges" is the best selling book in the country for giving the student "a starter list of quality departments at quality colleges". This is the focus of the book. If one is looking for "college descriptions",you go a college book that focuses on college descriptions, not a book that focuses on college majors.

In the 25 years that my book has been available, very few days have gone by that a customer has not told us that the book is "extremely useful." If one reads the four page introduction, one will note that "schools should be added to the student's list by his/her counselor, from the counselor's own knowledge of the student, and knowledge of other colleges that might fit (match) the student. Fred Rugg, Author