Between the lines.

COLLEGES THAT CHANGE LIVES: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges By Loren Pope Penguin Books, 2006; 320 pp; $15; http://us.penguingroup.com

ADMINISTRATORS ITCHING TO READ THE ADvice that today's prospective students are getting may want to take a spin through this book. Author Loren Pope, a former newspaper editor and college administrator, has compiled a list of schools that provide transformational experiences for students--whether through inventive course requirements, intriguing majors, new facilities, or faculty-student learning opportunities.

None of the schools are in the Ivy League, and many don't have instantly recognizable names, yet they have outperformed most Ivy League IHEs on several fronts, including in the percentages of graduates who become scientists and scholars, says Pope.

The book provides chapters on each of the colleges and universities, offering insights as to what practices, offerings, and facilities make them stand out. Some of the schools bend toward the intellectual, while others go out of their way to enroll students who are adept in non-academic ways.

Pope makes some broad generalizations. Discussing out-of-work Harvard grads, he says, "The Ivy alums didn't know how to handle nonsuccess; the graduates of these colleges would." In Pope's view, students from, say, Ohio Wesleyan just fare better in the face of challenges.--C.M.F.