Every Catholic’s Guide to College is a valuable resource for Catholic families looking for colleges that support Catholic living and discipleship. It was written by Katherine O’Brien, founder of Celtic College Consultants, who has helped many teens work through the process of getting into college. Selected colleges meet one or more of the nine criteria listed on page 10 of the book. Among the criteria are inclusion in the Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College (which itself has very selective criteria), that the college hosts FOCUS missionaries, and the inclusion of one or more Catholic dorms on campus. The criteria are so specific that an institution that does provide support for Catholic students might be missing from the book. As O’ Brien explains, “The selection criteria have been chosen in order to provide a list of schools where finding a community of faithful practicing Catholic collegians is highly likely.” The result is a listing of more than 300 colleges and universities that includes both secular and Catholic colleges, so it is broader in scope than resources such as the Newman Guide. It should be helpful for students (and families) already strongly committed to their faith as well as to those less strongly committed but who still want the availability of Catholic support.
The book addresses the need for a college to be suitable in other ways. Of course, it must offer the major a student wishes to study, but it also has to fit the student in terms of academics, campus life, and cost, as well as athletic opportunities for some students.
Colleges are listed alphabetically, and each listing includes the college website and phone number, Catholic aspects of the college, percentages of male and female students, institutes or research centers hosted by the college, costs, percent of financial needs met, four-year graduation rate, athletic conference, score ranges for college entry exams, types of degrees offered, and undergraduate majors and/or fields of study.
With almost 600 pages, this is a hefty book. You can purchase it in either a Kindle or print edition, with big savings on the Kindle version. New editions are published each year so check for the latest edition.
