NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Aug. 23, 2006--After years of pouring through run-of-the-mill colleges and ho-hum universities, SparkCollege, an imprint of SparkNotes, discovered 95 schools that all students should know about. These schools are called "treasure schools" because that's exactly what they are - hidden treasures. Gems. They put learning and community above a national football championship, offer more than cookie-cutter majors, and favor small-group learning over teaching assistants and 300-student lecture halls.
Published by SparkNotes, a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, Treasure Schools features 95 truly unusual schools, schools that do things in their own way. For example, St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, uses readings from the great books of Western civilization to teach lessons that can be applied in virtually any field. Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, gives detailed feedback rather than letter grades. And at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, nicknamed "Hard Work U," tuition is waived in exchange for 15 hours of work per week.
At all of the treasure schools, you'll find:
-- Proven success records, rivaling even big-name colleges.
-- Teachers who teach.
-- Individualized plans of study.
-- Affordable price tags.
-- A major focus on undergraduates.
-- A commitment to doing things a little differently.
Also included are detailed lists that show the schools with the most creative students, best first-year orientations, best alternative grading systems, schools with ghosts, the most popular campus radio stations, and more.
Treasure Schools lets the distinct personality of each school shine out from among the college clutter. After reading this book, students and parents will ask:
"Why hasn't anyone told us about these schools?"
About SparkNotes
Founded in 1999 by four Harvard seniors, SparkNotes, a wholly owned subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), is producing a new generation of smarter, better, and faster educational resources for high school and college students to use on and offline. Originally launched as SparkNotes.com, the company has quickly become the world's most popular educational Web site with more than ten million registered users. In response to demand from students, parents, and educators, SparkNotes began printing their products in 2002. There are now more than 450 educational titles in print.
