Hope College continues to fare well in a variety of college guides as the newest editions begin to hit the shelves.

Hope is among the select number of colleges and universities nationwide listed in the book "Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College," the latest edition of which was released by Penguin Books on Tuesday, Aug. 28.  The college has been included in the book since the publication debuted in 1996.

The book's eight-page chapter on Hope notes that "Hope College raises higher education's moral and intellectual levels.  It is a place where parents can send children of a wide range of abilities in the full expectation that their talents will be increased, their vision broadened, and their ethical acuity sharpened.  The result: graduates who have an expansive view of the world and their place in it and who want to put their talents to good use."  The Hope chapter further says, "Every school in this book runs on the power of student-professor relationships; there's simply no other way for a college to do the life-changing work of mentoring and teaching students.  But at Hope, more than anywhere else, students mention how much their professors care about them as people, not just as mini academics."

"Colleges That Change Lives" was written by Loren Pope, who also oversaw the book's revision in 2000 and 2006.  Pope, who was a former education editor of the "New York Times" and also founder of the College Placement Bureau, a college administrator and the author of "Looking Beyond the Ivy League," died in 2008.  The newest edition was revised by Hilary Masell Oswald.

Hope continues to be listed among the best liberal arts colleges in the nation in the annual rankings compiled by "U.S. News & World Report," in the first tier, at 100th out of the more than 250 institutions that are considered national liberal arts colleges.  Hope ranks in the top 20 among all national liberal arts colleges for "Best Undergraduate Teaching," continues to be included among the 33 institutions of all types that the publication recognizes for providing outstanding undergraduate research/creative project opportunities, and is one of the 75 national liberal arts colleges in a listing of "A-Plus Schools for B Students."  Hope is also one of six national liberal arts colleges identified as "2013 Up-and-Comers," institutions nominated by college administrators for having "recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus, or facilities."

The rankings were announced on Wednesday, Sept. 12, and are featured on the "U.S. News & World Report" web site at https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges.

The “Fiske Guide to Colleges,” now in its 29th edition, continues to include Hope as one of only about 300 colleges and universities (from among more than 2,200 four-year institutions nationwide) that it highlights as “the best and most interesting institutions in the nation—the ones that students most want to know about.”  The guide does not rank the institutions it selects, but instead includes statistical information for each--such as enrollment, test-score ranges and graduation rate--and multi-paragraph profiles that discuss qualities such as the academic and social environments.

The “Fiske Guide” profiles are based on questionnaires sent to administrators and students at the institutions selected for conclusion.  The 2013 guide notes that “Hope’s “academic and athletic programs continue to grow and prosper, helped out by an array of new facilities.”  One of the students quoted observed that “The academic programs, particularly the research and collaborative opportunities, far surpass those of Hope’s rivals,” while another commented that students “tend to be very involved in academics, extracurriculars, athletics, and social events.”

Hope is among the slightly more than 300 colleges and universities highlighted in the 2013, 39th, edition of “The Insider’s Guide to the Colleges,” compiled and edited by the staff of the “Yale Daily News.”  The colleges and universities are not ranked but instead are listed alphabetically by state.  In addition to providing enrollment information, test-score ranges and other statistical data, the guide features insights from interviews with students and narrative profiles of each of the institutions.

The guide notes that “Hope College provides its students with solid academic programs, the personal attention possible only at a small school, and a warm social atmosphere, all structured around a core of Christian values.”

Hope is one of 650 institutions included in the "America's Top College" guide published by "Forbes Magazine."  Hope is 223rd in the "Forbes" listing, which bases its rankings on five general categories: graduates' professional success; how satisfied students are with their college experience; student debt; student graduation in four years; and students' achievement in obtaining nationally competitive awards such as Goldwater scholarships, National Science Foundation fellowships and Fulbright awards, or going on to earn a doctorate.  More information, including the rankings, can be found online at:  http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/