Choosing your best fit: The Princeton Review Announces the 381 Best Colleges

Your Best Fit College with The Princeton Review

I remember sitting in my guidance counselor’s office as a sophomore and asking what college she recommended for me. Her advice was surprising: “I don’t have a recommendation for you. Instead, I recommend that you do the research and let me know what schools interest you most.” I was handed a copy of The Princeton Review’s The Best 361 Colleges (2006 Edition). I sat in her office for the rest of the period and found myself a new side project: my best fit college.

I revisited my guidance counselor many times to refer back to her copy of The Best 361 Colleges. After seeing that I was only coming to her office to use the book, she let me borrow it for the weekend. I remember looking at Northwestern University (IL), Marquette University (WI), Wheaton College (IL), and many other schools that were either in-state or nearby. Then I got frustrated; school was going to be expensive! I knew financial aid was not going to cover enough and I did not want $100,000+ in loans.

I took a deep breath and started over. I opened the book to the first few pages and felt my hopes and dreams return. I had read the text below and it broke my project down into bite-sized pieces:

“What college is right for me?” Students should consider the following:

Academics

Campus Culture

Financial Aid

I was given the guidance that helped me make wise decisions for my college search and my future. Using what I learned from The Princeton Review, I was empowered to choose a school that fit my needs.

Academics:
I wanted a school with rigorous academia, small class sizes, and professors that were experts in their fields.

Campus Culture:
I wanted a safe place to call home for 4 years that encouraged me to grow as a whole person with people that would be friends for life.

Financial Aid:
I wanted a school with a high return of investment that offered merit-based scholarships, as well as work-study opportunities, to avoid taking on unreasonable amounts of debt.

Results:
I was able to find a school that exceeded my expectations in all three categories and chose to go to Oral Roberts University. I enjoyed every class in a wide-range of subjects, received a full-tuition scholarship, and met my husband through my roommate!

If you are college-bound and trying to find your best fit school, I recommend getting the newly released guide from The Princeton Review: The Best 381 Colleges (2017 Edition).

About This Book

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF HELPING STUDENTS SELECT THE PERFECT COLLEGE!

The Princeton Review started publishing The Best Colleges in 1992 with surveys from 30,000 students. A quarter-century and more than a million student surveys later, we stand by our claim that there is no single “best” college, only the best college for you… and that this is the book that will help you find it!

What Makes THE BEST 381 COLLEGES the Most Popular College Guide?

DIRECTLY FROM STUDENTS TO YOU
· 381 in-depth school profiles based on candid feedback from 143,000 students, covering academics, administration, campus life, and financial aid
· Insights on unique college character, social scene, and more

RANKING LISTS & RATINGS SCORES
· Lists of the top 20 colleges in 62 categories based on students' opinions of academics, campus life, facilities, and much more
· Ratings for every school on Financial Aid, Selectivity, and Quality of Life
· Bonus list of the 200 "best-value" schools featured in Colleges That Pay You Back

DETAILED ADMISSIONS INFORMATION
· The "Inside Word" on competitive applications, test scores, tuition, and average indebtedness
· Comprehensive information on selectivity, freshman profiles, and application deadlines at each school

Learn more about The Princeton Review by visiting their website here. Follow The Princeton Review on Twitter @ThePrincetonRev

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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