Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different (2nd Edition)

Journal of College Student Development, May/Jun 2008 by Milobar, Drea

Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different (2nd Edition) Donald Asher Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2007, 287 pages, $21.95 (softcover)

Donald Asher's book, Cool Colleges: For the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different, is an interesting and innovative take on college guide books. For this book Asher collected and analyzed the suggestions and recommendations of numerous college presidents, deans, and directors of admissions from around the nation. It informs readers about a variety of highly competitive schools, schools with unique programs, and schools located in scenic environments. It is a worthwhile read for high-performing high school students and their parents who are interested in learning about "cool" higher education opportunities.

Asher described himself as a very inquisitive and gifted young student. He often found that it was difficult to stay interested in an educational system that was not designed for students in need of a more challenging environment. Asher discovered a unique program at the largest university in his state that allowed him to attend college prior to graduation from high school. Unfortunately, the institution that he attended was not a good fit for him and he ended his studies after one semester. Asher s past experiences as a talented and gifted student motivated him to conduct research and write this book. Cool Colleges is dedicated to providing information on college options, with the talented and gifted student in mind.

In the introduction of the book, Asher clearly stated the purpose of Cool Colleges and he was successful at reaching the intended purpose within the contents of the book. He also honestly addressed the research methodology used and the challenges he found in order to limit subjectivity. Asher also acknowledged his known biases which are very important for informed readers to consider.

Asher is a baby-boomer and noted that his point of view differs from that of today's young people. Asher commented on his bias that large universities are not good places for young people as undergraduates and how this impacted his book. He noted that he has studied at a variety of types of colleges and universities and tried to remain objective, but his experiences impacted his report nonetheless.

Asher suggested that this guide is not meant to be the primary college guide book in a counselor's office, but that it should be one of the many resources students utilize in their college search processes. He next addressed the fact that Cool Colleges did not cover the issue of cost and admissibility to the specific colleges and universities. And lastly, the organization of the book is listed as a limitation. Cool Colleges is organized by chapters that can be somewhat arbitrary.

This reviewer found it to be very helpful that Asher openly addressed the limitations and biases of Cool Colleges. He did not conceal his views and opinions and how they impacted his work. I also appreciated that Asher shared three methods on how to use the book in the introduction. These methods included reading select parts of the book that are found interesting to the reader, utilizing the table of contents to find schools in chapters that sound interesting, and looking up specific schools and similar or "Cross App" schools in the table of contents. Asher also included various tips, notes, and book references throughout Cool Colleges. This information can be useful to high school students and their parents who are interested in learning about additional resources to explore.

A weakness that needs to be addressed is the organization of the book. Because Cool Colleges is not organized in the same manner that more traditional college guide books are written, this can lead to some confusion for readers. In many traditional college guide books, schools are listed alphabetically or by geographic location. Many college guide books are organized in this manner in order to assist readers in finding the information they are seeking in a quick and efficient manner. Because Cool Colleges was organized using an arbitrary taxonomy, it may be time consuming to locate information on a specific school if readers do not consult the index first.

Overall, this reviewer believes that Cool Colleges will be well received by high-achieving high school students and their parents. Asher took a refreshing and unique approach to sharing information about highly distinct colleges and universities across the nation. Asher was successful in addressing his target population while keeping his intended purpose in mind when he wrote this book. Cool Colleges would also be beneficial for high school counselors, career counselors, student affairs professionals, and students in student affairs programs.

Reviewed by Drea Milobar,

AIB College of Business