What will a college campus be like ten - or even five - years from now? What is right - and what is very wrong - with college curricula these days? Will a traditional college degree go by the wayside, now that there are online classes available in so many fields? Is a traditional college education the right choice for every young person? How can families choose the best post-secondary school for their young person? How should a young person go about choosing a major? Is a gap year a good idea? How do prospective students and their parents get an honest view of a school they're considering? Why do many students, whether in traditional face-to-face classes or online classes, leave school? Which colleges are the most innovative?

These are a sampling of the many questions William J. Bennet , editor at large of The Chronicle of Higher Education, answers in College (Un)Bound, and he answers them very thoughtfully. Readers won't agree with everything he says, and some things he says seem counterintuitive and contradictory ("get into the most selective college you can - BLAST the cost!" -- but then he discusses how appalled he is with high student loan debt these days). However, he does make some excellent points.

Bennet also points out all the non-academic features colleges have these days simply to attract students. I can understand offering nice residence halls and good food service, but why offer climbing walls?

I say four stars for this book because I would've liked to see more about what to do about the things that are going wrong. How do we put a stop to grade inflation and get the rigor back into college education? Also, as a college instructor myself, I would've liked to see more about one more important topic: What do we do with the students who come to campus underprepared? These underprepared students are both non-traditional students whose skills simply need a little extra time to come back to them, but also the eighteen-year-olds who somehow managed to slip through the cracks in high school.

Quick verdict: Very good, hits many problems right on the nose, but needs more!