The Bottom Line
Pros
- Truly about learning, not status or location or price.
- Refreshing approach to identifying why a college is right for someone.
- Lots of extras - sidebars, lists, websites, books, etc.
- Even the format is cool.
- Opinions from lots of different sources.
Cons
- It's not a book on admissions, which isn't really a con.
Description
- Collection of schools that excel at standing out for one thing or another, all focused on the student.
- Profiles of many of the coolest colleges and what makes them so great.
- Lots of fascinating lists.
- Lots of opinions from a variety of people in the academic world.
- Lots of cool books and websites.
- Help with cross applications.
- Fascinating essays on topics like, "What is intelligence?"
- Quotes like this one from B.F. Skinner: "Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.”
Guide Review - Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming ...
Cool Colleges, published by Ten Speed Press, is the result of a decade plus of research into and contemplation over the institutions that truly teach people who really want to learn. Asher wrote the book for “the hyper-intelligent, self-directed, late blooming, and just plain different” student who has trouble finding the place he or she fits best.
The book is a fascinating collection of schools that excel at standing out, that take an innovative approach to teaching and learning, that cater to a particular sort of student. Maybe you.
Asher is up front about his biases. He explains why his lists are sometimes in reverse alphabetical order. He includes quotes, letters, and articles from presidents, deans, and alumni; sidebars of cool books and websites; the downside of the schools he presents; even cool word lists.
If you were too bright for high school and/or have had trouble finding the right college for you, Cool Colleges will take you on a tour to schools that don’t require a high school diploma, are free, are the most innovative and unorthodox, even those that de-emphasize grades. He’ll take you to the Ivy League, to the schools that produce the most female scientists with Ph.D.’s, and the ones that offer the most interesting areas of study. Ever thought about a semester at sea?
Asher also covers eco, entrepreneurial, and engineering schools, the military, co-op and work colleges, and minority-focused schools.
If you’re a student who wants to go to school to truly learn, Cool Colleges is a helpful resource for finding the school that’s right for you.
