Book Description

McKeachie's Teaching Tips is a handbook designed to provide helpful strategies for dealing with both the everyday problems of teaching at the university level, and those that pop up in trying to maximize learning for every student. The suggested strategies are supported by research and are grounded in enough theory to enable teachers to adapt them to their own situations. The author does not suggest a "set of recipes" to be followed mechanically, but gives teachers the tools they need to deal with the ever changing dynamics of teaching and learning.

• Improved organization and consolidation of chapters allows the text to maintain its handy pocket-size length, while incorporating new information.
• Guest-authored chapters offer advice and instruction from renowned educators, including Peter Elbow and Mary Deane Sorcinelli on writing, Jane Halonen on laboratory instruction (Chapter 20), and Marilla Svinicki on being a teacher (Chapter 27).
• Up-to-date technology coverage, (Chapter 18) includes issues such as the use of PowerPoint slides, plagiarism, and effective web research.
• Additional current coverage includes experimental learning, recent policy shifts, diversity and gender issues, and standards and accountability.

Customer Reviews (18)

Mostly buzz words and common sense
This book was only slightly helpful in my classes. The advice in this book sounds good to educators with its trendy terminology and emphasis on some amorphous "deep learning" but many students hate the collaborative exercises in this book and shut off to being taught in this manner. McKeachie is writing to other educators, none of whom understand how students in this generation actually think. Although most of the book was junk, there was the rare teaching strategy I found useful, but none of them were particularly ground-breaking or innovative.

Useful at various levels.
This book contains much information that is essential for a new college
instructor.For those of us who have been in the field, it also offers
an opportunity to reflect on class policies and teaching approaches through the lens of current thinking in cognitive psychology and practice in education.

Crucial Tips for the Enterprising and Advanced Instructor
There's a reason this book has gone through 12 editions over several decades, and that's because Wilbert McKeachie is the most widely respected expert on matters of college teaching. This latest edition is up to date with the latest theory and practice, and McKeachie has certainly not fallen into the pattern that is common with many multiple-edition books, in that he has avoided simply adding quick cosmetic updates. A look at the table of contents will tell you all you need to know about this expansiveness and inclusiveness of McKeachie's tips, and it's hard to imagine any area of the discipline that he hasn't covered. The only real issue with this book is that it is focused on teaching environments in which small class sizes or receptive administrators will allow for more personalized teaching strategies. However, not everyone will have that luxury, and other environments (especially large classes) are typically treated as mere exceptions and receive only cursory coverage. Another issue with the quality of this edition is some of the chapters that have only been edited by McKeachie but have been written by his colleagues, because these outside submissions damage the overall consistency of the book and the authors tend to focus on their own research and theories, as opposed to McKeachie's universal wisdom. [~doomsdayer520~]

This book gets better with each new edition
For the 12th edition of this book, McKeachie has added more valuable chapters that will benefit experienced as well as novice college instructors. Each chapter is fairly short -- often no more than 5 or 6 pages -- and edited to eliminate "fluff." Each quickly gets to the point and offers practical suggestions for such things as how to handle problem students in the classroom, how to create good test questions, and how to handle sticky issues that come up in grading. McKeachie has kept up with technology, too, and there is a new chapter on "teaching with technology" and an awareness throughout the book that today's students often prefer electronic media to face-to-face communication. The book is loosely structured and thus chapters can be read in any order. I especially recommend the series of chapters on testing and grading, as they provide great advice even for instructors who think they've heard everything. I use this book in my course on college teaching, along with Joe Lowman's book Mastering the Art of College Teaching and Robert Boice's Advice for New Faculty Members. This trio of books will serve you well, especially if you have never been formally trained in how to organize and run a college course.

New College and University Teacher's must have book
This book is an asset to new teachers.It is comprehensive, easy to read and understand and covers all areas that new teachers need to be a success in the classroom. I highly recommend it to all instructors not just new instructors. ... Read more

Book Description
This map is not intended to show every college in the United States, but rather a selection of colleges most likely to be of interest to a national audience. This map includes more than 1200 of America's approximately 2300 4-year colleges. For a more complete picture, Hedberg Maps offers The American Higher Education Map, which includes all regionally-accredited 2- and 4-year campuses. The American Higher Education Map is also available through Amazon: ISBN 1593530137. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An essential tool for the college-search
We are planning on spending time this summer looking at colleges, and this map listing most colleges will be an essential tool as we try to make the most of the time we have. Although we will have to use a more detailed map in conjunction with this map, at least now we have a good idea how close -- or far away -- two colleges in the same state are.

A good reference!!!
My only criticism of this map is that there were a few four-year schools which were missed. (Especially in California)That aside, this is an excellent reference for someone who is applying to colleges, or is looking for a job.I really like the fact that schools are designated as 'public' or 'private', and whether they are religiously affliated, or specialized. (Arts, Military, Technology, etc.) ... Read more

Book Description
This book provides an objective evaluation of retirement and pension plans for college and university personnel. Based on an indepAndent investigation by the Commission on College Retirement, this work examines the evolution, legal environment, and effectiveness of current retirement programs and policies. It makes concrete suggestions for improving the system--offering strategies for individualized retirement planning and proposing a new model for group long-term health care insurance. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction from the Author

Ever since ground was broken in the fall of 1817, the University of Virginia has remained tied to its roots, its history, and to founding father Thomas Jefferson’s ideals. Jefferson once wrote: “knowledge is power, knowledge is safety, knowledge is happiness.” Certainly these words of insight have been instilled into every soft red brick, every arch, and every student’s mind at the University. The staff and students of UVA genuinely believe in Jefferson’s principles and in the importance of intellect, but even more than that, Virginia students value one another’s beliefs and cherish the ability to just relax, breathe, and take in all there is out there.

Coming into UVA, I must admit I was less than excited. I knew it was a great school academically, and I remember hearing the phrase “the Harvard of the South” multiple times from my father—who was also quick to point out how great a deal its in-state tuition was (and it really is). But there were things that scared me about the school: the notorious Greek life that seemed to infest the social scene, the enormous size of the student body, and the fact that my social security number was all that distinguished me from other students at summer orientation.

But not a month after graduation, I find that the longer I stay, the harder it is for me to leave. Charlottesville and UVA have their hooks in me. As I walk around Grounds and watch as the summer session students race to their classes, I wonder if they have had a chance to lie under the trees on the Lawn and look up towards the Rotunda; I wonder if they have had the chance to realize what a beautiful, inspiring place this is.

I wish you the best of luck in your college search, wherever you end up. I hope this book brings greater insight into the real experience at the University of Virginia, and, if you happen to someday find yourself walking around Jefferson’s Grounds, I wish you some of the same affection and love that I have gradually gained for this place.

Miriam M. Nicklin, Author
University of Virginia
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not Sure What The Person Below Is Talking About
I bought this book, and nowhere does it talk about people camping out for UVA-Duke football games ... nor does it ever refer to UVA as U of V or anything of that sort.

Back to why I love this book ...

It's the uncensored truth about UVA. You've got kids from all walks of life telling all, everything you could ever want to know about the campus, the people, the police, the culture, the administration, the food, the dorms, the parties, and more.

My favorite section of the book was the "Inside Scoop" - where you will find a list of campus slang and traditions. It's pretty cool, you can act and sound like you've been at UVA for years, without even setting foot on campus.

This is the perfect book to sit on your coffee table at home. It's bound to get a ton of laughs and stir up some good old controversy while you debate over whether or not the girls were hotter than the guys ...

All in all, this is an excellent resource for students considering UVA - and perfect for Alumni, like myself, that want to reminisce on the good ol' days.

Cheers!

Dubious compilation - commercial attempt
There are a lot of mistakes and unlikely phrases that lead me to believe that this publication was made for commercial purposes only.Students do not camp out for UVA-Duke football games - it's basketball (and I believe that there is a mail-in lottery now).No one calls UVA, U of V.Most of the student quotes are honest enough but were not all fact-checked.It looks like the researchers spent only a couple of days which is not enough for a school that is full of traditions and not routines.Maybe they only talked to the guides or college newspapers.Of course, no one is the complete expert of UVA!It is still a somewhat shameful reflection on Mr. Jefferson's University.

I have no idea if the book is any good, but...
This is actually more of a review of the review by "Ann" (below this one).I am a little suspicious of it since she abbreviates the University of Virginia as "U of V" instead of what everybody calls it, which is "UVA."Also if you check out all of "Ann's" reviews, she only rates books in the College Prowler series and gives them all 5 stars.

I'm just saying. ... Read more

Book Description
Introduction from the Author

I would like to offer you a warm welcome, and I hope that you enjoy this attempt to sum up the school that has made my college experience so very rewarding. Statistics are a very poor indicator of a person's compatibility with a school. What's more important are the things that a friend would tell you, like where to go for a great cheese steak. I can not predict if Penn is right for you, but hopefully this book will bring you one step closer to making that decision for yourself.

Penn may be the Ivy League school that most people either forget or mix up with Penn State, but to the students who call our little niche in West Philadelphia home, Penn is a place rich with history, vibrance, and opportunity. One thing that makes Penn such an exciting place is the fact that it offers the best of so many different worlds. As a student here, you can be on campus and forget that you are in a city, or you can walk a couple of blocks and be immersed in the culture and excitement that is Philadelphia. You can study humanities, engineering, or business and receive an unparalleled education, no matter which one you choose. You can join an inner-tube water polo team or start a club to support any cause. You will meet people you never thought you would interact with before.

Some people come to Penn for specific reasons. Many are motivated by the prestige of Wharton's program. Others come to follow in their parents' footsteps, and a few come because they were rejected from Harvard. Not to mention the opportunity for a top-notch liberal arts education. However, my advice to you would be to follow your instincts. Don't let the big city or the large student-body scare you. Penn truly is a community, and if you allow yourself to become part of this community, you will soon count yourself among the ranks of those who call proudly call themselves Quakers.

Of course, deciding where you are going to spend the next four years of your life is an important decision that you need to make for yourself. Hopefully, this book will serve as a tool to help you make this decision and provide you with a unique perspective on the University of Pennsylvania.

Jennifer Klein, Author
University of Pennsylvania ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great stuff
I've read several of these books, and I'd definitely recommend them to anyone searching for a college. If you want to get a feel for a college on a truly subjective level rather than just learning the admissions statistics and SAT percentiles and such, then this is the book to get. ... Read more

Book Description
In response to the growing concern over nurturing Catholic identity at Catholic colleges and universities and an outcome of the Lilly-funded Institute for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities (ISACC),this book is the first of its kind to focus not only on student affairs in Catholic higher education but on lay men and women who received training at secular institutions. An essential book for administrators,staff,and faculty at Catholic institutions of higher learning. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Smooth transaction and item as described!
Smooth transaction, item arrived as described.THANKS!! ... Read more

Amazon.com
The essay is the one part of the college application that allows an admissions committee to get a glimpse not only of what you are (grades, scores, club member), but of who you are."Applicants are constantly advised to 'put their best foot forward,'" says Fred Hargadon, the dean of admissions at Princeton University and a contributor to this book. "But I must confess that I always liked the ones who put both feet forward." That doesn't mean that your essay needs to shock. It means you must put everything you've got into it. It means that "if you think the college might receive even one other essay like yours," according to Brooks School college counselor William K. Poirot, "rewrite it."

The bulk of this book, as its title promises, comprises 100 examples of successful college-application essays. There are those who believe that reading essays will make you a better essay writer and those who don't. But reading these essays--and the experts' comments on them--will help you figure out what you want to write and how best to write it. From the essays included here, one surmises that the narrower your focus, the more effective the essay, as long as your narrowness doesn't cross over into insignificance. What matters most is not what you write about (these essays take on late-night TV game shows, self-induced baldness, the picture on a bag of Goldfish crackers, a family drive on the New Jersey Turnpike, and even a seven-inch plastic Godzilla), but what you do with your subject matter.--Jane SteinbergBook Description
These are the essays that helped their authors gain admission to Harvard, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Wellesley, Colby, and other outstanding schools-followed by invaluable comments by experts in admissions, placement, and college counseling at some of the best learning institutions around the country. This helpful guide includes:

€ 100 complete essays with professional commentary
€ Examples of essays on common topics (family background, athletics, work experience), as well as the more offbeat
€ Essays on the immigrant experience by foreign-born students
€ A "What Not to Do" chapter from a top college counselor
€ and more ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Very good
The essays are seperated into topics (eg. Applying to College, work experience, coming to america), and each include good essays.

The book includes essays of the admittants to top tier colleges (Ivies), and some second tier ones. Interestingly, there are no essays from MIT! (No surprise though, considering the rivalry betwene MIT and Harvard -- the book was organized by Harvard newspaper)

Overall, great book.

BUY THIS BOOK!
Before I bought this book I thought my essay was pretty good until I bought this book.Then I knew that I could make my essay even better just by just following the essays in the book.I didn't even think I needed to get a guide book for my essay because I thought it was pretty good already without help from an essay book.But apparently this book worked really good because I did not get deferred from college!I got into my first choice just by using this book and I recommend it to anyone even to those who do not think they need a guide book for their essays because they think their essays are already pretty good like I thought mine was.

BUY THIS BOOK!

uninventive and most unhelpful
There are a few gems here, but for the most part, these essays are the same well-written but dry, uninventive slop every other high school senior dribbles out: how the abroad student haf a Life Changing Experience! how an athlete Crossed the Finish Line! how when pet Fluffly croaked it was a Formative Experience! If you really want insight into how to write a well-crafted, unique essay, with sounds suggestions, seek out the great book by Harry Bauld.

Varied College Essays
I purchased 3 College Essay books (100 Successful College Application Essays, 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays, and Essays That Worked), and have the following comments...I believe that the Harvard book has the best suggestions on how to write an essay, along with the best commentary/critique.However, the essays are a bit too polished.I think for 90% of prospective college students, their essays would be more like those in and patterned like those in Essays That Worked.For varied ideas on essays, the 100 Successful book gives some good ideas, but I believe many of the essays to be subpar.I did each book to have some interesting general reading, especially if one likes "short stories"... or if one is interested in 17 & 18 year olds, and what goes thru their minds.

Reality
This book has lots of college essays that could be used for reference when writing an college essay.However, it's too concentrated on Ivy League schools and not other competitive schools.The comments that are supposeto be reviewed by college counselors and admissions officers are poor. Most of them just explains that they are creative.It does not commentmuch on how the author should redo or learn from their mistakes and do thisthing.Not as informative as they claim to be. ... Read more

Book Description
Academic management and administrative processes rely heavily on technology in business offices, virtual laboratories, digital libraries, and the like. Technology also has an impact upon teaching, freeing classrooms from constraints of time and space. Yet many university leaders are hesitant to set technology as a priority. This book is designed to address the subject from a perspective appropriate to leaders. An important concept covered here is that the new advances in information technology drive a significant restructuring of our social institutions, which will provide access to knowledge and education that was formerly restricted to the privileged. The generation raised with this technology demands new approaches to teaching and learning-this poses a unique challenge to traditional faculty members. The authors of this book believe "It is our collective challenge as scholars, educators, and academic leaders to develop a strategic framework capable of understanding and shaping the impact that this extraordinary technology will have on our institutions." They believe that academic institutions will change in form and character, and that such changes will affect the mission, function, and possibly even the concept of the university. The role of leadership is to both see over the horizon and adapt leadership styles to an environment of constant change. Leadership must formulate a clear and consistent institutional vision. ... Read more

Product Description
Welcome to College Prowler®

During the writing of College Prowler’s guidebooks, we felt it was critical that our content was unbiased and unaffiliated with any college or university. We think it’s important that our readers get honest information and a realistic impression of the student opinions on any campus—that’s why if any aspect of a particular school is terrible, we (unlike a campus brochure) intend to publish it. While we do keep an eye out for the occasional extremist—the cheerleader or the cynic—we take pride in letting the students tell it like it is. We strive to create a book that’s as representative as possible of each particular campus. Our books cover both the good and the bad, and whether the survey responses point to recurring trends or a variation in opinion, these sentiments are directly and proportionally expressed through our guides.

College Prowler guidebooks are in the hands of students throughout the entire process of their creation. Because you can’t make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who help write, randomly survey their peers, edit, layout, and perform accuracy checks on every book that we publish. From the very beginning, student writers gather the most up-to-date stats, facts, and inside information on their colleges. They fill each section with student quotes and summarize the findings in editorial reviews. In addition, each school receives a collection of letter grades (A through F) that reflect student opinion and help to represent contentment, prominence, or satisfaction for each of our 20 specific categories. Just as in grade school, the higher the mark the more content, more prominent, or more satisfied the students are with the particular category.

Once a book is written, additional students serve as editors and check for accuracy even more extensively. Our bounce-back team—a group of randomly selected students who have no involvement with the project—are asked to read over the material in order to help ensure that the book accurately expresses every aspect of the university and its students. This same process is applied to the 200-plus schools College Prowler currently covers. Each book is the result of endless student contributions, hundreds of pages of research and writing, and countless hours of hard work. All of this has led to the creation of a student information network that stretches across the nation to every school that we cover. It’s no easy accomplishment, but it’s the reason that our guides are such a great resource.

When reading our books and looking at our grades, keep in mind that every college is different and that the students who make up each school are not uniform—as a result, it is important to assess schools on a case-by-case basis. Because it’s impossible to summarize an entire school with a single number or description, each book provides a dialogue, not a decision, that’s made up of 20 different topics and hundreds of student quotes. In the end, we hope that this guide will serve as a valuable tool in your college selection process. Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Welcome to College Prowler®

Customer Reviews (10)

truly the best IVY LEAGUE guide book out there
They were not lying when they said this is the best book out there about the IVY LEAGUE. I bought it specfically for one college, but I learned alot (and I mean a lot) about this league of prestigious schools. It sure got me untangled.

Best book EVER!
Wow-- this is this honestly the best book about college ever... EVER. I am graduating high school next month and I read this book as soon as it came out, and it helped me get into my top choice! There is so much information in here, I even made my older brother read it, and even though he graduated from college already he said it was a really great book, very interesting and lots of facts you never would have known.

Fantastic value and a great help!
College Prowler puts out some great guidebooks, they're all written by current students so readers are given a real insider's look at these schools. The guidebooks typically retail for $14.95 each. For those who are looking at one or all eight Ivy League schools, this book is a great value. You're basically getting eight guides in one, not to mention bonus chapters on admissions, athletics, secret societies and more. I've been flipping through this book since buying it from Amazon and have to say I'm quite pleased with my purchase. I'd recommend it to those currently in the midst of the college admissions process!

Proud to be Ivy
This book is incredible! There are so many facts, figures, anecdotes, statistics etc. about The Ivy League (PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE) in this book that I was not aware of until now--and I am a Junior at Dartmouth--I attended Yale for a year, and I have visted four other Ivy schools on several occasions. After looking over College Prowler's grading criteria for each of the eight school sections, I determined that their grades and analysis on each aspect of each individual school (including: Academics, Local Atmosphere, Nightlife/Social Scene, Campus Strictness, Athletics, Drug Scene, Overall Experience, and even Parking) are actually very accurate and on-point. College Prowler has seemingly gained credibility over other Ivy League college resources, because they utilize actual Ivy students to author their individual guidebooks--which is why "Untangling" is a steal for under $20, because it includes content from each of the eight individual guides within.

Great Book
This book is just packed with great information. As a Cornell junior I can confidently assert that this book is definitely not just for prospective Ivy-League applicants. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction from the Author

One day about four years ago, I stood on Tufts’ library roof; as the wind blew over my head, I could clearly see the Boston skyline. I just knew I had to spend the next four years of my life there. Fortunately, the admissions committee agreed with me, and here I am writing to tell you about life on the hill.

By the time I arrived at Tufts, I had been to a lot of other top-tier schools where the people I saw were just like me, and I thought that was great. Tufts was different, however. At Tufts, I saw that college is really about growing into something you aren’t yet, and the people at Tufts seemed like the kind of people I wanted to become. Tufts students, on the whole, are smart, funny, and interesting, but most importantly, they are passionate about what they are doing. They get excited enough about a topic to create and teach their own course to freshmen. They plaster the entire campus with posters in hopes that a few more people will find out about their group. They are leaders and thinkers, and together they have managed to create an incredibly dynamic community.

Our former provost, Sol Gittleman, once said that he thinks Tufts has perfected the undergraduate experience. An ideal-sized school of about 5,000 undergrads, Tufts teeters on the fence between being a small New England liberal arts college and a large research institution. It’s a city school, with a beautiful suburban campus that is situated on the town line of Medford and Somerville. At Tufts, professors truly focus on their students, and the students take everything they are learning and really try to use it. It is a place where extra-curricular activities are just as important as academics, and the University has as much spirit as one four times its size.

What impressed me most about Tufts was that the school had a sense of humor about itself. In the past 20 years, Tufts has become more competitive and more prestigious than its deans ever expected. There are new buildings everywhere, and Tufts is attracting the most talented students in the world. Still, with school colors that don’t quite match, an alma mater that nobody knows, a mascot called Jumbo, and a hill so big that first-years need not worry about the Freshman 15, Tufts has retained the spirit that Nathan Tufts breathed when he vowed to “put a light on the hill” in 1852.

Granted, if you live somewhere for an extended period of time, you’re bound to find a blemish or two—like my freshman year bathroom, or the unpredictable weather. Still, the college experience here has never been so appetizing. Now, it is your chance to taste a little bit of the world Tufts has to offer—Jumbo sized.

Emily Chasan, Author
Tufts University
... Read more

Book Description
This quick-reference guide contains at-a-glance information on more than 2,100 accredited colleges in the U.S. offering undergraduate degrees to help students and families compare and select colleges. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction from the Author

It’s a pretty safe bet that anyone writing a guidebook on his or her university is fond of the subject matter. It would be monstrously irritating to engineer an entire guidebook—all the while having to do just as much schoolwork as the next student—if you weren’t happy with your school in the first place. It’s also reasonable to assume that much college reading material can, and will, list at least a few positive characteristics in an attempt to glorify even the most boring, run-down institutions—academics, surrounding atmosphere, sports teams, Mother Nature, or at least a handful of other tolerable aspects of the school. But if you’re expecting the bare minimums, it’s my pleasure to tell you that you’re underestimating the volume you are currently holding in your hands. Furthermore, if going in, you are assuming that the University of Florida is a cookie-cutter replica of every other state school in the nation, you will also have greatly misjudged.

The University of Florida is an incredible place to spend four or more years. It posesses rich academic programs, high-profile and extremely competitive athletic teams (including the 2006 Final Four National-Champs!), an intellectually superior faculty, a stunningly beautiful campus, and a student body unlike any other. UF supporters come from every county in Florida, every state in the Union, and over 100 countries around the globe—and l’m not just talking students or alumni. But most important of all, a University of Florida diploma sends a message to people (potential employers) that you’re coming from a place where many great things are possible.

Of course, the truth is that by skimming through this introduction, actually reading this book, or even stopping by campus for a brief visit, one might discover a lot of things about UF. However, any choice of school involves a bit of a gamble. I decided to pursue a spot at UF, rather than at West Point or Cornell University, and I’ve found it best not to spend much time looking over my shoulder into the past. However, I can truly say that I have never once regretted choosing the University of Florida.

I hope you enjoy looking through these pages at least half as much as I enjoyed compiling them, and I wish you luck and success with whatever avenue of higher education you decide to follow.

Regine Rossi
The University of Florida
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

No real lowdown here
This book fails to deliver exactly what is claims to: "The real lowdown on campus life".

The travel guide like information about the Gainesville area seems accurate.
However, the manner in which insight is collected about the University is laughable and the resulting information seems
eerily similar to the positive propaganda typically issued by the college itself.

The "lowdown" about the campus is given by 10 or so "students" who consistently give a rose colored assessment of UF college life.
Surely an institution that cannot garner a donation from 82% or their alumni (USNWR) would have a bad side!
It is near impossible for me to believe that critical comments where not intentionally censored from the book.

As an example, the comments on the faculty are misleading. The faculty at UF are well known by many to be
condescending self absorbed and not interested in or good at teaching. The poor spoken English of many faculty are
always an issue.

Furthermore, it is generally understood that UF is an intensely impersonal place for students.
This fact was not even mentioned in the book.

Perhaps readers should not get the book but rather contact me for the "real" lowdown on UF campus life. ... Read more

Book Description
In this ghost-story collection, Barefoot gathers 39 stories that have chilled the students and alumni of colleges and universities located throughout 13 Southern states. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Educated set of Specters
Daniel W. Barefoot has traveled far and wide to put together this collection of ghost stories from the American South. In his travels he, or more particularly his wife, may have had a first hand encounter with one of these school spirits whose story he was seeking to tell. Fortunately for them, it wasn't the ghost of old Ben Tillman who seems to still wander the halls of Winthrop University in South Carolina.

Barefoot is an accomplished writer of both history and ghost lore and this book is well written and the stories are told in a believable manner. There are parts of this book that seem to drag a little however and I can't really put my finger on the problem but these dry areas are few and far between and do not detract from the book much at all. The biggest problem is the lack of details given for some of the stories. The author often faces schools with several ghosts and he tries to cram all of the ghosts into three or four pages and in the process the story suffers. He could probably have doubled the size of this book without adding a single institution to his list.

Still, this is an interesting book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The author even managed to include my old haunted alma mater in his book, which of course added to my level of interest. Best of all, most of the stories contain recent eyewitness accounts which are the key to a good ghost story book.

As one reads this book the old sense of what it was like to be a college student comes rushing back, the joy and angst, the anticipation and dread, and the feeling of being on your own for the first time. It is little wonder that many of the young people who have had their college experience cut short by death have decided to hang around campus for a little while longer.It also came as no surprise that William Faulkner is still hanging around his home on the campus of Ole Miss.I think that Faulkner, who loved ghost stories, would thoroughly enjoy this book, just as I did. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction from the Author

Bucknell is quite an interesting name for a top university. When people ask me where I go to school and I say, “Bucknell,” typical responses are “Buck what?” and “Wow, an Ivy League.” At this point I either enunciate and say, “Bucknell is a university in Central Pennsylvania,” or “No, I think you’re thinking of Cornell. I go to Bucknell.” While Bucknell may not be a part of the prestigious Ivy League, it’s definitely a top private university that many people refer to as a “baby Ivy,” whatever that means.

Ivy or not, Bucknell is known for its great academics, with small classes, professors who genuinely care, and top-notch facilities. Because of Bucknell’s rural surroundings, there is a real sense of community present all over campus. That’s something I noticed the very first time I visited. Students and professors alike are friendly and upbeat, and always willing to take the time to say hello. I came from a large public high school in California, where I didn’t feel that I had much of a presence in the community, both academically and socially. At Bucknell, though, everybody is an individual, as opposed to just a number on a professor’s role sheet.

When I was researching colleges, Bucknell was on a list of about twenty other private colleges and universities on the East Coast. Somehow, I managed to visit all of these institutions, but none of them made an impression as much as Bucknell did. I’m sure part of this was due to Bucknell’s breathtaking aesthetic beauty. Its brick buildings and sprawling lawns give Bucknell that traditional college look that I had always yearned for. If I made my decision to go to Bucknell on more superficial reasons, I can look back now and say that it was the right one. Bucknell has given me an intimate academic setting that has allowed me to open up and be more expressive. Socially, I have become much more extroverted and involved. I think this is due to the fact that I feel comfortable, safe, and happy in supportive surroundings that have truly allowed me to flourish as a person.

If you are like I was, and have made a list of universities that appealed to you initially, this book can help you set Bucknell apart. Bucknell is more than just a place to get your degree. It’s a place that prepares you for the real world by providing you with a supportive environment. At Bucknell, you can discover your passion and have lots fun along the way!

Lauren Davis, Author
Bucknell University
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Product Description
Introduction from the Author

It wasn’t long ago that I was in your shoes. People kept asking, “So, where are you going to college?” I didn’t know. I didn’t even know where to begin. It seemed like I could easily have spent four years just looking at all the options. This was compounded by the fact that, like most of you, I was pretty unsure about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It wasn’t until a friend of the family started telling me about his alma mater that I really started thinking about Georgetown.

I visited Georgetown, and I fell instantly in love with the campus and the entire city. There really is no place like it in the world. Now when I tell people where I am at school, they say things like “Oh, I didn’t know you had an interest in politics,” or, “So, are you going to be president some day?”

But Georgetown University is more than that. Since its founding in 1789, the University has grown tremendously, but its dedication to top-notch academics remains the same. From 12 students 215 years ago, Georgetown has swelled to include more than 6,000 undergraduates and a vast network of alumni. The very name, Georgetown University, has always called to mind an upper-echelon school, and rightfully so.

First of all, let me dispel a few myths. Not everyone at Georgetown wants to be president some day. True, there are those who have such an ambition, and a Georgetown education is certainly a good start. For the rest of us, Georgetown also has highly-respected programs in foreign service, business administration, nursing and health studies, and liberal arts majors like English or psychology. Georgetown has been affiliated with the Society of Jesus since its founding, but that means only as much as you want to make of it. The Jesuit influence exerts itself in a dedication to high standards, not in expectations of adopting Christian teachings. There is a theology requirement, but it can be fulfilled in many different ways. The Jesuits themselves are active and amazing teachers, and most students agree that they are some of the best teachers on campus.

It’s hard to paint an accurate picture of Georgetown through mere facts and statistics, so here’s my take on things: it’s big enough that you could never know the entire student body, yet small enough to ensure that you won’t walk for days without seeing a familiar face. Located in a residential area of DC, Georgetown has all the feel of a college-town school with all the opportunities afforded to a major metropolitan university.

I am going to try to give you an honest, well-rounded view of life at Georgetown. After that, the decision is yours. And trust me, it’s not an easy one. Go where you can see yourself being happy. For me, that was Georgetown. Maybe for you it will be the same.

Derek Richmond, Author
Georgetown University
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Customer Reviews (1)

dkadki
I love this guide! The information provided is incredibly personal, and is also very open and honest. I am leafing through 4 of these guides in order to find my perfect college, and each of them, although laid out very similarly, have very different information about the schools. I definately recommend these books. A+ ... Read more

Product Description
Introduction from the Author

When my parents first suggested that I look at colleges in Washington, DC, one image came to mind: gray-haired senators. Having only traveled to the District in middle school to visit national landmarks, I pegged it as an elderly, politically-driven city. But the minute I stepped onto GW’s campus and saw thousands of students exploring their surroundings, I knew my preconceived notions about GW and Washington were totally false.

GW is a perfect school to attend if you’re interested in politics—many students intern on Capitol Hill or at the White House, and political science is one of the most popular majors. Attending college in DC will increase your awareness of the political process and the world around you, but for those students whose interests lie in areas other than the government, there is also plenty to do and see.

GW is geared toward active, involved students who want to take advantage of city life and campus activities. Although GW admissions officials weigh applicants’ grade point averages and class ranks heavily, they favor well-rounded students who made an impact in their high school communities. Most GW students do well in classes but could do better if they were not so busy with extracurricular activities. Academics at GW are pretty challenging, so be prepared to spend some quality time at the library, as well as on the field or stage, or at the podium.

Despite its location in the middle of Washington, DC, GW feels like it has a traditional campus because of its relatively small size and plethora of on-campus activities. The University is separate and distinct from the rest of the city and new buildings pop up on the ever-expanding campus almost every semester. In the past few years, the University built homes both for the Elliott School of International Affairs, and for the School of Media and Public Affairs. After a short delay involving legal issues with the city, GW began construction on a new building for the School of Business. The University also built and acquired state-of-the-art dorms and recently constructed a Greek Townhouse Row, among other projects.

The four years you spend in college will shape your life in ways you cannot imagine. If you are applying to schools, use this book to help you learn about GW and the great city of Washington, DC. If you’ve decided GW is the place for you, this book will help you explore the University and the District, which you will soon be able to call home.

Julie Gordon, Author
The George Washington University
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Product Description
The Fourth Edition of Chinese Universities and Colleges is intended mainly for foreign readers interested in basic information on contemporary Chinese higher education institutions. It is particularly compiled for those overseas higher education institutions that have international students, scholars and cooperative projects or programs from and with the People's Republic of China, and need to check their previous higher education backgrounds in China. It is also a very useful directory for those foreign individuals who desire to find reaching opportunities and academic programs for international students in Chinese colleges and universities. The new edition contains listings of 1,070 regular higher education institutions. It is based on information updated till June 2004. 619 colleges are listed separately in the Appendix I due to lack of sufficient information as required, which are mainly advanced vocational (junior) colleges. The total including the listings and Appendix I constitute the complete list which has been officially recognized by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China in June 2004. The institutions that had been merged from 2000 to June 2004, and changed names other than the third edition are listed separately in the Appendix II. An index of the schools listing in the alphabetical order is also available. You would need this book, if you are: Professional admission officers for colleges & universities; Professional educators for credential evaluations; Professional educators for international exchange programs; This book can also served as an instrumental directory for public and university libraries for individuals who look for information of teaching positions and academic programs in China. ... Read more