Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges 2015

A Reference Resource for Answering “What” Questions about Colleges

What is Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges 2015 ?• Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges 2015 is a print guide to every

college in the US & Canada (and some international schools)• Provides information about:– the campus– enrollment process– costs – academic programs

• The guide also features informational articles aimed at those searching for a four-year college & starting/undergoing the application process.

How to Find a Copy

• Peterson's (Firm). (2014). Peterson's four-year colleges 2015.

• Available: – In Print Reference

Collection (378.73 PET). Located on the 1st floor

– eBook (Amazon)

Questions Answered by this Guide

• Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges can be used to find information on every four year college in the US & Canada and many international schools.

• This guide includes information for over 2,600 colleges

• about:– Campus Setting– Enrollment– Cost– Academic Programs

• Use this Guide to answer questions like these:

• What academic programs are offered at a university?

• What is the cost of attending a university?• What are the enrollment requirements?• What is the campus setting like?• What is the student-faculty ratio?• What types of financial aid are available at

an institution?• What are the most frequently chosen

baccalaureate fields at a university?• Which colleges are located in a specific

state?• What percentage of applicants are admitted?• When are applications due?• And many more….

Why Use Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges 2015?• Peterson’s college guides are reliable & widely

used.• The guide provides comprehensive

information about colleges in the US & Canada.

• Written for anyone searching for a four-year college.

Organization

• Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges contains four main sections:– 1) The Advice Center– 2) Profiles– 3) College Close Ups– 4) Indexes

Let’s Explore each section

The Advice Center• Location: pages 2-53• Contents: Informative Articles

covering:– The College Admission Process– Choosing Schools– Standardized Tests– Distance Learning– College Visits– & more..

• Use: Use this section to read expertly written articles on selecting, visiting and applying to universities.

• Navigate: Use the Table of Contents on page 1 to navigate to articles in this section of the guide.

Profiles (Colleges At-A-Glance)• Location: pages 57-1021• Contents: arranged alphabetically by

state • Information for over 2,600 colleges:

– Campus Setting– Enrollment– Cost– Academic Programs– Contact Information

• Use: Look up information about colleges

• Navigation: Browse the listings alphabetically by state or use the Indexes to locate the profile of a specific university.

College Close Ups

• Location: pages 1033-1496• Contents: In-depth information about 400 colleges

written by officials from each institution.• Use: Get more information about selected

institutions.• Navigation: Browse the two-page profiles or use the

Geographical Listings of Close Ups Index (p. 1695) to search for Close Ups by area.

Indexes• Location: pages 1497- 1695• Contents:

– Indexes of the college profiles by:• Majors• Entrance Difficulty• Cost Ranges

– Alphabetical Listing of Colleges– Advertisers Index– Geographical Listing of Close Ups

• Use: Search for universities by major, entrance difficulty or cost rangeOR

Search for colleges by name alphabetically to find the page on which the institutions profile is located.

How to Use Peterson’s Four-Year Colleges: Five Search Strategies

• Strategy 1: Searching by Geographical Location• Strategy 2: Searching by College Name• Strategy 3: Searching by Major• Strategy 4: Searching by Entrance Difficulty• Strategy 5: Searching by Cost Range

Let’s explore each strategy

Strategy 1: Searching by Location

• When to use this strategy: • You need information on colleges in a specific state.• You need to know which colleges are located in a

specific state.• Process: – Locate the Profiles section (page 57) as it is organized

alphabetically by state THEN

– flip through the profiles until you arrive at the section of interest.

Strategy 1: Searching by LocationProfile section arranged alphabetically by state

Colleges listed alphabetically by state

Strategy 2: Searching by College Name• When to use this strategy:

• You need information about a specific college that you know by name.

• Process: – Locate the Alphabetical Listing of Colleges and

Universities (p. 1677) THEN

– Locate the institution of interestNEXT

– Use the page number listed to locate the college’s information in the Profile section.

Strategy 2: Searching for a College by Name

Colleges listed Alphabetically by name

Use pages numbers to locate a college’s information in the Profiles section

Strategy 3: Searching by Major

• When to Use this Strategy:– You need information on colleges that have programs in a

specific major• Process:

– Locate the Major Index (p. 1497) as it is arranged alphabetically by major.

THEN– Locate the major of interest and review the corresponding list of

colleges that have academic programs in that major. NEXT

– Use the name & location information provided to locate the listed colleges in the Profiles section using strategy 1.

Strategy 3: Search by Major

Majors Index arranged alphabetically by major

Major

Alphabetical list of colleges with academic programs in the major

Use the school location information to search the Profiles section using Search Strategy 1 OR use school name to search the Alphabetical Listing of Colleges and Universities using search strategy 2.

Strategy 4: Searching by Entrance Difficulty• When to Use this Strategy:

– You want information on how difficult it is to get into a specific college– You want to search for colleges based on how difficult it is to get accepted

• Process: – Locate the Entrance Difficulty Index (p. 1663) as it lists colleges by degree of

difficultly gaining admittance. THEN

– Locate the category of difficulty of interest and peruse the alphabetical listing of colleges in the category.

NEXT– Use the name & location information to locate colleges of interest in the

Profiles section using Search Strategy 1 OR the alphabetical listing of colleges index.

Strategy 4: Searching by Entrance Difficulty

Entrance Difficulty Index: Ranks Colleges by difficulty in gaining admittance

Category of difficulty

Alphabetical list of colleges in the specific category of difficulty

Use the school location & name information to search the Profiles section using Search Strategy 1 OR the Alphabetical Listing of Colleges to find more information about a college.

Strategy 5: Search by Cost

• When to Use this Strategy:– You want to know the Cost Range of yearly attendance at a college– You want to search for colleges in specific cost ranges

• Process: – Locate the Cost Ranges Index (p. 1671). Cost Ranges are listed from

least to most expensive. THEN

– Locate the range of interest and peruse the schools listed under that range alphabetically.

NEXT– Use the name & location information to locate colleges of interest in

the Profiles section using Search Strategy 1 OR the alphabetical listing of colleges index.

Strategy 5: Searching by Cost Range

Cost Range

Alphabetical list of colleges in the cost range

Use the school location & name information to search the Profiles section using Search Strategy 1 OR the Alphabetical Listing of Colleges to find more information about a college

Get More Detailed Information

• After you have selected schools that interest you using the search strategies described you can search the Close-Ups section (p. 1033) of the guide for more detailed descriptions of colleges of interest.

• The Close-Ups section is arranged alphabetically by college name.

• Not all colleges will have a Close-Up profile– If a college you are interested in does not have a Close-Up

profile visit their website for more information.

Further Assistance

• Should you need further assistance using this resource or have any questions about your college search please – Call the reference department at (XXX) XXX-XXXX

OR– Email questions to xxxxxx@xx.org

OR– Stop by the reference desk located on the 1st floor

anytime Mon-Fri 9am-5pm