College and University Books

This is a delightful book for several reasons. First is the vigor and vitality of Haskins' mind as he talks directly to you, as he did to the audience during the three lectures given at Brown University in 1923 that comprise the book. How they must have enjoyed the show! Second is Haskins' breadth and depth of learning as he painlessly presents the history of the university. Third is the latent sense of relief and joy of post World War I [for the victors to be sure] that fueled the world's mine oyster attitude of the twenties. Until the crash.

Haskin's text, "The Rise of Universities," is fascinating for a number of reasons. First, the story is superbly told in this set of three lectures given in the very early 1920's at Brown University. Second, the insights Haskins inserts at various points of the discourse are worthy of great consideration, and we very easily feel we are listening to someone who is an expert in the subject, one who knows far more than he is telling at the given moment. Third and finally, we realize we are reading a "historical" book, not just because the subject concerns history, but because Haskin's own role in helping re-introduce the medieval world to a new generation of American scholars was history in the making. His more famous and acclaimed text, "The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century," was a critical component in doing just that, but here we see Haskins "where it all started," in the lecture room at Brown, and we close our eyes and imagine we are sitting in on these discourses exactly as they appeared nearly one hundred years ago.

The work comprises three lectures on the medieval university, the first focusing on the earliest universities in terms of their structure, organization, and even linkage to today's universities, the second on the medieval university professor, and the third on the medieval university student. The material is presented in an extremely accessible manner, and one need not be a medievalist or medieval historian to follow the content. Much of the content is simply fascinating to anyone who wonders where today's universities can trace their lineal heritage. We read about the attempt to "date" the start of the world's oldest universities (Paris, Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge, and others), the differences between "northern" and "southern" universities, the specialties of each of the institutions, and the motivations for creating both student and teacher guilds. We also read about issues that faced the medieval professor, including the management of the classroom and its' students, the awarding of degrees, and even a little about medieval instructional techniques. We learn, too, about student life during these years, including the ever-constant quest to find money to finance schooling, the in-town brawls, and the requirements for exiting the university with an official degree. A special "extra" is the inclusion of some of the poetry written by medieval students and preserved through the years.

This is not an in-depth look at the subject, nor was it ever intended to be. (For such a book, try out History of the University in Europe: Universities from 1945 to Present by Hilde de Ridder-Symoens, which, at four volumes, is not only highly detailed, but also current and exceptionally well written.) What it is, though, is an excellent introduction to the topic that still contains many good insights on the topic and is well developed and clearly presented. As such, this book likely has two main audiences: those who wish for an introduction on the topic, and also those who are medievalists and wish to become more acquainted with Charles Haskins himself, a key personage in the field. Highly recommended.

Not much has changed since the 13th century. In some ways students were freer in that they had more leeway to choose their professors. On the other hand, especially in Theology and Philosophy departments, the inquisition was a fear near at hand. Haskins seemed to argue that students' freedoms was somewhat equal in the end to now. Getting drunk and wasting time was as much a part of univeristy life (in some circles) then, as now, and the number one issue of students was money -- typically how they can get it from their parents. Most students and their parents expected some vocational, profit making, activity to be the end result of their studies. Some students were serious; some often got drunk, sang, or got in fights, or both; and some wrote poetry and played the guitar. Everyone was expected to speak Latin, despite what their native tongue might be. They learned Latin so they could read works by ancient Roman poets, like Ovid, who also sang praises to being in nature, good times with friends, and playing the guitar. There was also law to study, or various associated studies, which was profitable. Parents didn't encourage their children, very often, to study Theology as there wasn't much money as an end result of it for most. Many interesting details given in his effort.

Universities formed, essentially, as a student union to protect their rights against cheating local townspeople and professors. On occasion a whole union of students would leave a town, if they felt cheated, taking their business elsewhere. The Pope, about this time, I think, approved of union formations (which I feel was the death blow to communism in Europe, in the end, and will be in China as well; plus they keep America somewhat safe from being an out and out plutocracy). I don't know if students these days feel themselves part of a union though.

Haskins has a very down-to-earth point of view and argues, for whatever purpose, that the modern university owes its direct linage to the universities of the thirteenth century in Europe and he does this with effectiveness and enjoyable, but scholarly, descriptions.

Haskins has the distinction of being the father of Medieaval studies in America.

This book is great and I'm buying more. Provides the negative as well as the postitve and ranks each section on a standardized scale that the authors use for each college so that comparisons can be made. Gives detailed information os many things that the school info does not take into account.

College Prowler books are well worth the investment for students and parents investigating colleges. They give a detailed picture of the school, written from current students' perspectives. Once you have narrowed your list of schools to 10 or fewer, I would recommend buying the College Prowler titles for all of those. It's a small investment compared to the cost of visiting the campus, application fees, and -- of course -- TUITION!

College Prowler books are stupendous for helping you with your college search. The Cornell University guidebook is especially great if you are considering applying to Cornell, if you have already been accepted, or if you would like to compare it to other Ivy League schools. It is even a good resource if you are visiting the school, as it contains tour information, addresses and recommendations for restaurants, and information on places to visit in the surrounding community. As for the school itself, the Cornell College Prowler book considers subjects admissions officers would never tell you about like what the drug scene is, how the parties are, and even if the population is hot! It also gives you the down and dirty on academics, stress, professors, and more. It's a great resource and a small price to pay for having piece of mind on your school of choice.

JoBeth Allen has created an exceptional resource and guide book in this text. She uses the voices of teachers and others in the schools, as well as her own mother/grandmother experiences to expose the reader to what a welcoming school looks like, feels like, and does. I would encourage anyone who is interested in their school or school district being sincerely open and welcoming to families to read this book. If you really want partnerships with parents, this is a wonderful place to start or extend on what you've already begun.

This book is a pleasure to read on so many different levels. For starters, Allen doesn't fall into the trap of pitting teachers against parents. She writes frankly from the perspective of a parent and an educator, building on her own experiences and those of others to illustrate the challenges in creating productive partnerships between families and schools in diverse communities. She does an exceptional job of suggesting ways to create meaningful family-school relationships that move beyond bake sales; in doing so, she gets readers to think about the kind of partnerships that are shown to really improve student learning. She does this in a way that is open, engaging, even friendly, while not being afraid to ask us as parents and educators to take a hard look at our practices and assumptions. In sections that are worth the price of admission, she discusses real-life examples of ways to create genuine dialogue between families and schools that deepen understanding and communication while also providing opportunities for increased student learning. But the book doesn't stop there. Instead, it moves into the arena of educational transformation, pushing readers to imagine ways of building community-school-home alliances that speak to living in a democratic society. In that sense, it is an optimistic, hopeful and inspiring book, chocked full of practical ideas, hands-on activities, thought-provoking stories, and opportunities for action. And did I mention that, on top of all that, it's a good read?

JoBeth Allen (Professor of Language and Literacy Education, University of Georgie) presents Creating Welcoming Schools: A Practical Guide to Home-School Partnerships with Diverse Families, a useful resource that explains how schools and diverse families across America have entered into constructive partnerships to improve student learning. Intended for teachers, parents, and school administrators, Creating Welcoming Schools covers such options as writing cultural memoirs, inviting dialogue at the conference table, engaging families in classroom projects, collaborating for more democratic schools and a more democratic society, and much more. "Evidence of learning may come from other teachers or adults who know the learner. If the child has a gift in art or music or physical education, or is working as an assistant in the library, invite that teacher for the conference. These teachers cannot go to every conference of every child, but they are rarely invited to any. What does that say about what we value?" Highly recommended.

There a scores of books on the storied tradition of Notre Dame football, but very few on ND basketball, which has had many great moments of its own. And very few of those books provides the insights of Coffey's book. Instead of the traditional approach to a team's history, the author focuses on anecdotes provided by the players and other behind the scenes participants. This gives us a sense of their perceptions of what was happening, rather than the interpretations of the journalist. Coffey lets the book write itself (not trying to diminish his hard work), and the final result is something that I thoroughly enjoyed. Certainly a must for Irish fans, and I think any fan of college basketball would enjoy it as well.

This work is incredibly thorough. Coffey allows his interviewees to tell their stories without tramping all over them with his own opinions. He lets the reader absorb the anecdotes and in the few cases where his subjects disagree, leaves it up to us to decide which side of the fence we fall on. It's unusual to find an author who's willing to just get out of the way like that. As someone else told me, I feel like I was invited to a big party with everyone who ever contributed to ND basketball and got to listen in on all the best conversations.

Not having Digger in there is a disappointment, but since Digger has his own book right now, it's understandable why he didn't want to participate.

If you like Notre Dame or college basketball (or both), this one is a must have.

Coffey interviewed seemingly countless old ND players and people associated with Notre Dame Basketball over its first 100 years. What you get is a wonderful portrayal of the program, through the words of those that were there; the very guys who woke up some of those famous Notre Dame "echoes", albeit on the basketball court. And herein lies the beauty of this book; Coffey helps shine a light on the fantastic tradition of ND Basketball, one naturally overshadowed by the legendary exploits of the Football team. For example, Coffey notes that ND is the only Div I school ranked in the Top 20 in total wins and winning percentage in BOTH football and basketball, a surprising fact to even the most ardent college sports fan. Of particular interest to me were the portrayals of the players from what's popularly referred to as "the greatest generation". They just don't make men like this anymore, and Coffey lets them tell their stories. Also gripping is the account of ND's 71-70 victory over the mighty Bruins of UCLA in 1974. In addition, Coffey concludes with the current roster recapping last season, and looking forward to 2004-5. This book is a must-have for the Notre Dame fan, and a great read for the fan of college hoops as well.

"The educational and Occupational Attainment Process," which was written by Yukiko Inoue, is an experiment study of factors influencing status attainment in the United States. The purpose of this study is to define educational attainment and occupational attainment among adolescents. In addition, the author intended to find the process, which women attain their status in this research. This study did focus on women's status attainment as well as men's. Therefore, the author stated three interesting points, which are 1) women in American Higher Education, 2) the status attainment process between men and women, 3) impacts of marriage and children. The result of this study would apply to today's adolescents, because 1) the attainment process is found to be similar for men and women, 2) the importance of educational aspiration is still the determinant of educational attainment for American adolescents. This study makes its results so clear that American adolescents today can seek their way of attaining their status by reading this book. This study can be used for counseling adolescents, who are in the transition from high school to the occupational world. In addition, this study will help both schoolars and students in the different countries to compare own country to the U.S. I enjoyed reading this study a lot, because I have all my educational background in Japan, so it caught my attention in a great deal. It gave me a chance to get to know American adolescents, who are attaining their education and occupation. From my experience, I found out that the reason why educational attainment will guide students in the U.S. to occupational attainment is that American students tend to major, of which they can make use, for their occupation. That means that whatever they study in college will apply for jobs that they are interested in. This is a big differences between Japanese students and American students. People in the U.S. seem to enjoy their occupation and make full use of what they learned in college. I understood that people in the U.S. and Japan have different way of attaining their status. In the last, I was glad to have a chance to read this study, which made me think about the differences between American educational attainment system and Japanese educational attainment system. This book is highly recommended for those who want to succeed in the near future.

"The educational and Occupational Attainment Process," which was written by Yukiko Inoue, is an experiment study of factors influencing status attainment in the United States. The purpose of this study is to define educational attainment and occupational attainment among adolescents. In addition, the author intended to find the process, which women attain their status in this research. This study did focus on women's status attainment as well as men's. Therefore, the author stated three interesting points, which are 1) women in American Higher Education, 2) the status attainment process between men and women, 3) impacts of marriage and children. The result of this study would apply to today's adolescents, because 1) the attainment process is found to be similar for men and women, 2) the importance of educational aspiration is still the determinant of educational attainment for American adolescents. This study makes its results so clear that American adolescents today can seek their way of attaining their status by reading this book. This study can be used for counseling adolescents, who are in the transition from high school to the occupational world. In addition, this study will help both schoolars and students in the different countries to compare own country to the U.S. I enjoyed reading this study a lot, because I have all my educational background in Japan, so it caught my attention in a great deal. It gave me a chance to get to know American adolescents, who are attaining their education and occupation. From my experience, I found out that the reason why educational attainment will guide students in the U.S. to occupational attainment is that American students tend to major, of which they can make use, for their occupation. That means that whatever they study in college will apply for jobs that they are interested in. This is a big differences between Japanese students and American students. People in the U.S. seem to enjoy their occupation and make full use of what they learned in college. I understood that people in the U.S. and Japan have different way of attaining their status. In the last, I was glad to have a chance to read this study, which made me think about the differences between American educational attainment system and Japanese educational attainment system. This book is highly recommended for those who want to succeed in the near future.

What motivates young adults to go to college and to choose a career? This scholarly research study examines the multiple and interrelated variables which influence the educational and occupational aspirations of American high school seniors during the transition to college, their attainment levels in early adulthood, and the economic, psychological and social influences on educational attainment and early occupational attainment. The research involved surveying more than 2,100 high school seniors (Class of 1972) who responded five times between 1972 and 1986, from approximately age 18 to age 32. The complex multivariate methodology process analyzes the dynamics of the variables of: socioeconomic status, gender, ability, academic performance, significant others' influence (parents, teachers and peers), educational and occupational aspirations, marital status and number of children, and educational and occupational attainment.

The study finds that the level of educational attainment is determined, in order of significance, by: ability, academic performance, significant others' influence, and socioeconomic status. Further, the author posits that occupational attainment is a consequence, in order of magnitude, of: ability, academic performance, educational aspiration, socioeconomic status, occupational aspiration, sex, significant others' influence, and the number of children. In addition, the process of aspiration and attainment is consistent for men and women.

Includes five figures, eleven tables, an excellent bibliography and an index.

Recommended for teachers, school counselors, educational administrsators, school board members and parents.

Highly relevant, stimulating reading recommended for anyone (and everyone) involved in higher education. The Family Track articulates many unspoken concerns of American academics through autobiographical pieces, interviews, and critical essays. From eldercare to parental leave, commuter marriages to children with special needs, the topics are as pertinent as they are undiscussed among faculties. Challenging and engaging, with practical strategies for developing family-friendly campuses.

I bought this book at the suggestion of Ms. Mentor (a.k.a. Emily Toth) who touted it in one of her wise and witty columns in "The Chronicle of Higher Education". As usual, Ms. Mentor provided "Impeccable Advice for Women in Academia".

Graduate students thinking about making careers as professors should read this book carefully, especially if they have or would like to have children. Each author in the edited volume describes her valiant attempt to have a family life and an academic job at the same time. It's not a pretty picture. The narratives are personal and powerful. Several are horror stories about the inhumane treatment of new professors who are also new mothers.

Although this book is most relevant as a cautionary tale for women entering academia, it is also a "must read" for anyone interested in the history of feminism. The memoirs of some of the senior female academics, pioneers in their fields, reveal awesome courage. This is the printed mentor that I've seen other books purport to be.

My one concern is that the book's bleak honesty may discourage some graduate students, or create the impression that it is better to wait until after tenure to start a family. I'm a clinical psychologist whose specialty is counseling doctoral students and junior faculty, and I don't condone waiting until after the tenure review to begin living. The average path from grad student to tenured associate prof now takes more than 17 years (gulp). Putting essential goals on hold for that long shrivels the ovaries. If you want both the baby and the job, go for it!

I really felt that I learned a lot from this book. It is important that those considering a tenure track job/career read this as others have mentioned. I think it's even more important that administrators read it.

I had a slightly better experience, with lots of support from both colleagues and family so I'm more optimistic about my chances for tenure. Either way, it is important that we understand how it was for women even 10 years ago before they could stop the tenure clock to have children. No wonder so few women are full professors now. It's sad. The main lesson I took from this is that w/o a good support network and a husband/partner who significantly helps out, tenure is unlikely. Also, it's unlikely if anyone gets sick or has any disability. It is sad that this is the reality, but important that we know this.

Palladino's book fills an important niche, especially for the majority of students who rank in the middle 50% of their classes. Each of the 150 colleges profiled alphabetically receives two-three pages of condensed coverage so it's easy to acquire a sense of what they each offer. Palladino's writing is clear and his descriptions are concise. "The Heart of the College" section on each school is the most worthwhile and enlightening. Here, Palladino attempts to capture the college's distinctiveness by focusing on culture, character, and the spirit of the faculty and students. Thus, readers can catch a glimpse of the elements that differentiate one school from another and is useful when trying to find schools that are "good fits." This is a necessary guidebook that immediately narrows the "search" for midrange students and is useful for identifying colleges that match what a student is looking for. Indices at the back categorize the 150 colleges by geographical and state location, size, and admissions difficulty, very helpful when looking for colleges outside one's local area. 5 Stars!

If you've looked through the Fiske or Princeton Review guide and realized that most of the schools listed are too selective for your child, this is probably the best guide for you. There is a little bit of overlap between the guides to the "best colleges" and Dr. Palladino's book, but not too much, so you will be getting different information. Even if you're insisting that your child go to a school listed in Fiske, if your child is a "mid-range" student, it might be good to see if Palladino lists the school in this book, as his choices are known to turn average students into ones that excel.

The best thing about Palladino's book is his very intelligent system of determining how the schools were included in the book. He wants schools to be relatively small (under 7,500 students), have a good freshman retention rate (75% or higher), a good graduation rate (50% or higher), a high percentage of faculty with terminal degrees, an average class size below 30, the availability of "transition to college programs," free psychological counseling, a good variety of athletic and extracurricular activities, a good rate of students going on to graduate school, an impressive distribution of core requirements, and he prefers residential campuses over commuter campuses. There are even a few more conditions, and he defends his reasons for basing his inclusions on these factors very well.

Because of his thorough system, I think parents should feel confident that the colleges he's chosen to feature are good ones. Further backing Palladino up is the fact that some of his choices overlap the less selective schools recommended by such experts as Loren Pope and Jay Mathews. There are a few schools in Palladino's book that might be too difficult for the average student, such as Elon University, but I feel he's nearly always accurate with his assessments. While I really do think there are some schools in Fiske that would accept the "mid-range" student, you will have a greater variety of choices in this book, and I highly recommend it.

CollegePlanGuy@aol.com (free educational advising available for economically disadvantaged students.)

Dr. Palladino takes us on a word tour of some of the country's finest sectarian and nonsectarian private colleges,- so clear in exposition that we feel we have been on a personal visit to each site. The student or parent reader learns a brief history of the college, the content of special programs, and the college's central academic focus. Descriptions of student life, athletic programs and other amenities round out each entry. The clear content of the book thourougly fulfills the promiose of the title. Superb! Neil R. Dauler-Phinney, Ph.D.

this is a good book, but i can't help but to think that the old school college guidebook is a little outdated in today's tech-savvy world. i'm looking for a searchable tool, somewhere where i can enter in specific criteria that i'm looking for in a college and subsequently find the perfect college for me. i'd realy suggest using a website such as www.campuscompare.com that incorporates the quantitative information available in such a guidebook with the student-reviews and digital media that reveals the personality of the school, all in a searchable database, online format that i am familiar with.

The Fiske Guide presents thorough information on a remarkable number of schools. In addition to basic enrollment statistics, this book provides up-to-date contact information for admissions departments, enrollment deadlines, a list of the school's strongest programs/departments, a list of similar ("overlap") schools for each college or university, and an in-depth discussion of academic and social life at each school. Well-researched and accurate. I am an academic counselor, and I refer to this book *constantly*. It is far superior to other college guides I have read. A must-have for anyone embarking on the college search process.

This is one of the best college guides out there. It has a lot of great detailed information on the colleges including quotes from students. The number of colleges profiled is just right--enough to provide some options but not so many that it's overwhelming. I really like how Fiske shares which colleges are similar to the one you're interested in. That makes the college search a little easier.

I recommend this for every high school student applying to college. This book is a one-stop guide to hundreds of colleges that students consider.

-Stephan Schwartz Columbia University

I normally browse and skip sections in books like this but found myself reading word for word. Wonderful photographs, history of the girl's game of basketball and how it evolved. I learned how unique girl's playing the sport really was. I learned Iowa 6 on 6 was covered heavily by media all over the USA. I am wondering if something special was allowed to die with the advent of 5 on 5 girl's basketball. I found that many 6 on 6 players were quite successful playing 5 on 5 college ball. Lot's more to think about the directions we are sometimes led in the name of progress.

This was such an entertaining book, especially for those of us that grew up in Iowa, and fell in love with the game the way it's played there. It brings back memories and conjures up images of many nights spent admiring those high school heroes and hoping to someday join their ranks.

Upon finishing this magnificent book, do I laugh or do I cry? Girls' high school basketball and teaching young girls to play basketball is my life. But what relevance does this book have? This is the history of girls' basketball in a state far away from mine. There are no diagrammed plays or secrets to success. Is it worth the hardcover price? To that question I answer an emphatic " yes! " There are a number of men and women in North America, who like myself, have dedicated themselves to girls' high school basketball. We can give you a dozen reasons why we love girls' basketball and why we have dedicated our lives to it. We can give you another dozen reasons why basketball is so important to the lives of our young female athletes. But still, when all has been said, words cannot adequately capture what the experience means to all those involved. Within the 200 pages of text, this book explains an American phenomenon that has its roots in Iowa and has proceeded to touch the lives of millions of girls, coaches and communities. That is why in reading six-on-six, I sometimes laughed and sometimes was swept up in emotion. This book is a comprehensive history of girls' basketball in the state of Iowa. The research is careful, thorough and disciplined. But in addition to covering the history of girls' basketball in Iowa, the book represents one of the best documentations of the history of basketball ever printed. The photos and interviews take you into the lives of the players -- how they played the game, how they overcame the obstacles of the early years in terms of facilities, equipment and transportation and most importantly, what basketball did for them personally....how they felt about the emerging game of basketball. It also covers how the game changed and why the changes were made. Iowa is unique in girls' basketball. It is the only state that since the 1920s, has continuously sanctioned interscholastic play and it does so with an independent sanctioning body that is separate from the boys. Those of us who live in the big metropolitan areas tend to think of Iowans as down-home conservative people who live a stable uncomplicated life. While their may or may not be some truth to the latter, what is perfectly clear is that Iowa is the most progressive state in the union when it comes to girls' athletics. They implemented Title IX fifty years before it became the law of the land. They appreciate, support, praise and celebrate their high school female athletes. In Iowa, the Iowa girl is queen. How did this develop? Why in Iowa? All of this is explained. But the best part of the book are the interviews that give you a glimpse into the lives of the girls, coaches, superintendents and sport writers that made all this possible.... men and women that had great vision and understood why basketball and sports is so important to the lives of teenage girls. As mentioned, the book is not about strategy or tips but through interviews, I learned some things that have helped me in my coaching. These have to do with the psychology of girls and why certain aspects of the game and experience are so important to girls. And why as a coach, I must respect the girls' wishes. If girls' basketball means a lot to you, read this book. You will be inspired by one of the great success stories of the 20th century.

I was unsure of my decision of what university I wanted to spend my next 4+ years until I picked up this guide! It's fabulous information packed into a simple guide and a must read for all high school seniors on the school of their choice.

Upon my first touch of this book, I felt an invigoration that I have nary felt before. The intensity and passion with which it was written by, perhaps, the finest author of our (or any) time, is undeniable. It's a tale of misbegotten love, of rumor and romance that one cannot help but be swept away by. Do yourself, and all who know you, a favor and read this book. You will never be the same again, and it will make you yearn for the Furman experience. My highest and most impartial recommendation.

Are you searching for the REAL perspective on the college life at the schools you are applying to? This book is written by a student at Furman who surveyed other students at Furman. I went to Furman, have read this book and think that this is the BEST and most ACCURATE perspective on life at Furman University. Buy this book and the ones for the other schools you are interested in and you can feel confident in your decision.