Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That's Right for You

by Loren Pope

The celebrated book that revolutionized the way Americans choose colleges-now fully revised and updated

An invaluable guide with virtually no competition, this book helped to establish Loren Pope as one of the nation's most respected experts on the college application process. Now fully revised and updated, Looking Beyond the Ivy League offers a step-by-step guide to selecting the right institution, a checklist of specific questions to ask when visiting a college, the secrets to creating good applications and good applicants, and much more. With as few as one-third of college students remaining at the institution they entered as freshmen, finding the right college is harder than ever before. This book makes it easier for students and their parents.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, College, Reference

288 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1990

About the author

Loren Brooks Pope was an American writer and independent college placement counselor.

In 1965, Pope, a former education editor of The New York Times, founded the College Placement Bureau, one of the first independent college placement counseling services in the United States.

His first book, "The Right College: How to Get In, Stay In, Get Back In" (Macmillan, 1970), was followed by a nationally syndicated article series, "Twenty Myths That Can Jinx Your College Choice," and his final and best-selling work, "Colleges That Change Lives" (Penguin, 1996). His top 40 schools would, he claimed "do as much as, and perhaps even more than, any name-brand schools to fully educate students and to give them rich, full lives."

Reviews

[J.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1990 and most recently updated in 2007, Looking Beyond the Ivy League feels a bit dated in 2019, but in addition to strongly promoting liberal education at small colleges, it still has lots of good questions a high schooler (and his or her parents) looking for college should ask themselves.

It also has good bits of advice about the whole process, such as.

"It is important when you visit a college to take a hard-nosed consumer attitude - not 'Am I good enough for this school?' but 'Is this school good enough for me?' Event with more kids going to college, there are always other schools just as good or better, even if you haven't heard of them."

"the message is that if you're turned down by one school, consider the source; it's not a verdict on your quality, your ability, or your prospects in life, no matter how much it hurts your ego. It means only that you're not getting in to that academic club. Take heart: equally good schools are looking for you, schools you someday may be urging your own kids to consider."

All in all, I would strongly suggest reading at least the following chapters:
10. What Are You Going For, Really?
11. Sample and Test the Merchandise

[AP · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author provides a much needed perspective advocating for small, liberal arts colleges, over the giant, corporate, prestigious research universities. I have no doubt that most undergrads benefit more from the smaller colleges. However, most small colleges lack the financial cushion of a large endowment, as the most vulnerable small colleges may not survive the COVID-19 pandemic. For most recent immigrants, 1st gen college students, will their families choose a less known college over an Ivy or equivalent?

The book needs updating and it's unfortunate that the author is deceased.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great reference book for both high school students and parents. It provided a lot of good information that made a lot of sense and it helped settle me down a bit. Living in a very competitive and "type A" community, reading this book provided a breath of fresh air. I'm going to read the companion book now.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The college application process is a maze. Loren Pope adeptly pinpoints all the pessimism associated with an Ivy League. Throughout the college process, frustration and confusion hit hard like a bolt of lightning. It was not until I saw this book that I finally narrowed my list of 50 schools to my top 15. Although Loren is sort of biased, her experiences clearly enumerate all the possibilities for the college process. Looking beyond the Ivy League will make this process much easier. The competitiveness of an Ivy League is at the highest tier. Thus, the difficulty in getting in is very high. Through her diction, one is able to devise a plan that will assist them with the long process.

Furthermore, there are tips in the book that make the tiresome journey short. There is a chapter that is useful in helping one write an essay. There is also a chapter discussing why small colleges are just as good as big ones and maybe better. The diction of both these chapters remind me of Me Talk Pretty One Day. Thus, it is an enjoyable fast read that explores the depth of college.

I recommend this book to anyone and especially those that are juniors/seniors in high school. This book just might come in handy when finalizing college lists. In the end, this book is effective in reducing stress and can become a friendly tool to use.

[Xi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right from the title, you can tell that it is about college advice. What I really like about this book is that this book includes some sections about questions to ask when you do college visits. It really helped me to ask more relevant and helpful questions about colleges.
Besides the good aspects, there are negative sides too. This book can be biased in terms of telling us that small and liberal arts schools are the best, but some people prefer to be in bigger schools so they can have more connections, more eye opening experiences, and thus better education. So for that argument i don't particularly agree because it really depends person to person.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking Beyond the Ivy League: Finding the College That's Right for You by Loren Pope is about how teenagers need to prepare themselves for college. College is a huge choice, and in Loren Pope's book, the author directs the reader in how to choose the right college, admissions, and all the necessary information that one needs to know. If one is losing doubt on the neccessary steps to approach college the right way, Loren Pope would help you. This is an easy to read and understandable book. This book is neccessary for getting ahead in ones admission process for college and figuring out the type of person one is.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As long as the reader understands the author's biases towards "good, small colleges," there is a ream of excellent advice in this book on the college search process. Especially important, in my experience working for a scholarship company, is the chapter on writing a good essay. I would recommend this book much more quickly than its more famous counterpart (College That Change Lives), as its advice is broadly applicable to many colleges and not just the 40 in the aforementioned text.

[Angela Boord · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly useful, but not the sort of book you can just hand your teenager to read. As in Pope's other book, Colleges That Change Lives, I think it helps to be aware of his biases, which become apparent as you read. The basic advice is good, though: shop for colleges as if you were a consumer, not a beggar.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was definitely an eye-opener for me. I recently got into an argument with a kid who had never read the book. We were arguing about the importance of SAT scores in an application. It's like we were speaking two different languages. This book changed my entire view of college and how to pick a college. Fully recommended for high schoolers everywhere.

[penelopewanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books which I'll be reading for a while, I think.. work-related.
A must-read for advising. Only thing which troubles me are the number of "the very best" schools in the country, or the ones which "there is no other as good as". Maybe I learned my superlatives wrong.

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth reading if you're sending a kid to college -- or if you ARE the kid who's gonna head off to college.

It analyzes what the whole purpose of going to college is in the first place, and talks about which schools best fulfill that. Eye opening.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the message and agree with most of what she says. She is quite blunt and that seems to be her "thing" Felt a little off putting to have some colleges put down. But really like the list of little known schools and glad I read it

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good information about college selection and steps to take that will help make good decisions about college.

[Marsha]

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[Shurronne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughly enjoyed reading the behind the scene information as we look towards college in a few years. Very resourceful and insightful information for any parent who has a college-bound kid.

[Conor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat helpful... Said a lot of what I already knew, though Pope constantly mentioned schools that I am now considering putting on my list. Ask me about this book again this time next year.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Required reading form my junior in HS this summer.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about how to go about the process of deciding on a college.

[JiaMin Luo · Rating 3 out of 5]

English

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read. Love Loren Pope.

[Io · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this short book had a few good points, I found the author's patronizing tone to be terribly off-putting.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great food for thought. A bit outdated, but the essential thinking points are timeless. Needs an update though for specifics such as financial aid, ratings, etc.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit outdated these days, but still a worthwhile read for those of us in the field.

[Nina Zheng · Rating 4 out of 5]

English

[Marianne Steimle]

Had some interesting points about how to go about picking an appropriate college.