Since 1980, Rugg's college book has helped thousands of counselors, parents, and students narrow down the overwhelming number of college options for young people. The 100 plus lists are VERY substantive, and Rugg thins out the USA's undergraduate college departments to a top 12%. To state, as a reviewer from Northfield, Minnesota did recently (July 17, 2006) "that the book is basically about location, etc." misses 98% of the book. A five-minute read of the five-page introduction informs one of what is in the book: the "top" departments at America's top colleges. How sad to have missed all that.

The purpose of this book is NOT to present eight paragraphs about Harvard, etc. There are other guides out there for that purpose.

I'm sure this book fills a useful niche, but I did not realize before purchasing it that there would be no discussion of the programs listed at the various colleges. It is a book of lists, pure and simple. A good jumping-off place, I'm sure, but it tells one nothing substantive (besides the basic info about location, etc.) about the schools and programs listed other than that they "made the list." It's a reference book to consult at the library or school counselor's office, not a book to invest in as a college-bound student or parent.

No pictures of students sitting on the grassy area in front of the ivy covered brick building. Plain and simple, who has the best major programs, period. Every colleges claims they have a fantastic math, art, etc... department. Rugg's is the book that gives you some idea of how good a certain major program is at a particular college. So if you are looking for a top physics program with a strong art program, you can find it. Ruggs is the go to book, it rates the major not the school's glossy brochure. Undecided? you can use Ruggs to find the schools that have strong programs in the 4 areas you are interested in so if your first major choice doesn't work out, you can change majors without having to change school. This book got us to our top 10 choices for schools based on area of interest.

Born of a desire to plumb the breadth and depth of collegiate choices and perhaps silence inquiring students and their parents, Rugg's provides an expanded index of the colleges, which details cross-sections of academia by major, might, and miscellany-the place for every college-bound student to begin their journey. Hmm, the average SAT score at Georgetown Univer-sity is 1330. And for the basketball team?

In March of 2000, I posted a review of "Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges" (then in its 17th edition) on amazon.com. I have continued to buy multiple copies of each edition since then for myself and for the college resource center at my school. Now, five years and five editions later, I want to sing the book's praises again.

In the college counseling profession, we now take "Rugg's" for granted. Reaching for it and expecting it to be there is like turning on the water faucet or flipping on the light switch. We depend on it and if it isn't right at our fingertips, something immediately seems wrong.

Fred Rugg, a former school counselor, is respected by members of his previous profession and is known for his book and for the seminars that he presents for high school counselors across the country. The author does not rank colleges the way that USNews & World Report does, and this is one of the many reasons why counselors have respect for his work. Rugg's approach encourages students to find colleges that will be good fits while avoiding the "more selective the college the better it must be" mind set that drives the magazine rankings.

The book's enduring popularity (22 editions in 25 years) is testimony to its usefulness in the college search process, especially in the list-building phase. The foundation of the book is the lists of colleges grouped by majors and divided into three levels of selectivity. The colleges on each list are "recommended" for each major based on Rugg's conversations with students at the colleges and high school counselors, his own visits to college campuses, and other research.

Rugg, in his characteristically honest and straightforward way, states that his "book is not perfect." No publication in this field is perfect, and no one book or other resource has everything you need to do the college search and application process right. "Rugg's" is one tool in the toolbox; it performs a needed function and performs it well.

"Rugg's Recommendations on the Colleges" is a helpful resource that contains good and current information. I am glad that it is widely available for students, parents, and counselors who need good information in the college search and application process.