The Smart Girl's Guide to College: A Serious Book Written by Women in College to Help You Make the Perfect College Choice by Cristina Page (Editor), Christina Page (Editor)
Reading level: Young Adult

"I know what you're going through," is how The Smart Girl's Guide to College begins, and throughout this witty and honest book the same sympathetic, big-sisterly voice prevails. Editor Cristina Page proceeds from the assumption that (as she herself experienced) most college-bound students can't make an informed decision because they don't know the right questions to ask. To that end, she includes a handy questionnaire to fill out when considering a college, plus a list of resources for more information.

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But this is not your typical college guide: instead of providing short, less-than-enlightening summaries of life at individual schools, most of the book consists of 27 fascinating firsthand accounts from college women around the country. Wisely, Page lets these students speak for themselves, and the result is measured, eloquent writing about one of the most difficult decisions a young woman can make. A black student writes about her life at a predominantly white school; a freshman feels lost in the crowd at a large state university; and an Idaho woman weighs in on the advantages and disadvantages of attending college close to home. Women's colleges, religious colleges, the Ivy League, even military academies--no option is left unexplored in these unusually thoughtful and candid accounts.