Are there any reliable listings of colleges that will let us know about schools with such things as best financial aid, best career placement services and so on? -- Looking
Answer: You definitely need to get the Princeton Review's "Colleges that Pay You Back" book. It lists the schools where you get the best return on your tuition investment -- in other words, the best bang for your buck. It also addresses the major concern of college applicants and their parents about paying for college and finding a job that pays back on that investment. You can also get much of this information and how it was obtained at princetonreview.com/colleges-pay-you-back.
On the "Top 50 Colleges That Pay You Back" list, the top five colleges are:
1. California Institute of Technology
2. Princeton University
3. The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art
4. Harvey Mudd College
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology