The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2002

Rating:
Summary: A Parent Review (Note: I am an adult, not a 12 y/o child!)
Review: As a parent of a college sophomore and a high school senior, I have used and appreciated Ed Fiske's books for several years. The task of evaluating and comparing different schools is a very difficult one, so both of his books have been wonderful resources. The Fiske Guide 2000 is dog-eared from the hours that my daughter and I have gone through it, and because we trust Fiske so much she will apply only to the schools he reviews. My older daughter attends and is greatly enjoying Beloit College. Fiske's reviews of Beloit and the other schools she had applied to were tremendously helpful in guiding her to that decision. My younger daughter (Julie) and I have visited over a dozen schools that Fiske has reviewed, and I have found his descriptions to be accurate and thorough. I would like to mention, too, that The Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College is a wonderful resource for students, but is even more essential for parents. It really walks you through the college decision process beautifully, and is a great complement to his other book.

All in all, I don't know what we would have done without the expertise of Edward Fiske. Julie will be choosing her college within the next 6 months, and I have confidence that her choice will be a wise one, in large part because of the guidance of Edward Fiske.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource!
Review: As a professional college advisor, I purchase the updated version of the Fiske Guide to Colleges for my office the moment it is available. Why Fiske as opposed to the Princeton Review, Kaplan or Peterson's you ask? Because, in my opinion, it is one of the best publications on the market today.

There are several features which make it both unique and user-friendly. For families just beginning this difficult process, I have found that the most useful inclusion in this guide is the section where it states where students who apply to a certain college also apply. So, if you research Georgetown (of course I had to use my alma mater for an example) and really like the school, Fiske would tell you that students who applied to Georgetown also might apply to universities like U Penn, Duke, Harvard, Johns Hopkins and UVA. Thus, Fiske is a great help in expanding and creating a student's list. It is also an excellent starting point.

Another one of my favorite features of this guide is that it discussed the academic strengths of a college. If for example, you are thinking about engineering as a major, Fiske will let you know if that is considered to be a strong program of study at a particular university. While some may feel that high school seniors do not really know what they want to study or do in life, I have found that a student who wants to study chemistry, for example, will often end up majoring or minoring in a science or related field. The same holds true for those interested in liberal arts or social science. While this generalization does not hold true in every case, it is a trend that I have noticed. If you are concerned about switching majors and not locking yourself into one particular program, look for a school that is strong across the curriculum as opposed to one that focuses in a particular area. By examining Fiske's strength of program listings for each school you are interested in, you will better be able to determine if a school can meet your academic needs.

There is one way in which Fiske could improve future guides. It would be useful to have a table in the Appendix which listed schools by strength of major. Hence, if you were seeking an institution that was strong in economics, you could reference the appendix's economics section and review a list of schools whose economic programs were considered strong. This would make the guide easier to use.

Overall, I would advise you to make the Fiske Guide one of your first purchases when beginning the college process in January of your junior year. It will be an excellent resource and serve you well up to the day you mail your applications.

Rating:
Summary: What You Should Know Before Choosing A College
Review: Fiske's Guide to Colleges 2001 is a definite must for any high school senior that is looking to apply to selective colleges and universities. Fiske paints a vivid picture of each and every college he writes about, from academic life to parties, one can obtain an overall feeling of the college from this book. This book really helped me to narrow down my college list and pick the schools where I would be most comfortable at. (We just have to hope that I'll get into them now)... All in all, an excellent investment.

Rating:
Summary: This book satisfies more than just one type of reader.
Review: I bought this book a really long time after I started to give final thought to those colleges who had accepted me. I still had yet to hear from one school, but I was pretty set in my ways concerning where I'll end up fall. Several of the schools that I had considered and had been accepted at were contained in the Fiske Guide. It was interesting reading the evaluations of those colleges and it taught me some I didn't already know. Before I knew it, this book had opened my eyes. I really liked the way Fiske used an easy to read format in preparing his guide. Instead of focusing entirely on academics, he focuses on many other issues, as well. It's truly interesting to read and understand some of these college's and university's histories. Fiske also sets the reader off by compiling his most interesting schools. Somehow, all three schools that I'd been accepted into and was considering were best buys. He gives a graphic, in depth description of how the students revolve around a particular school on a daily basis and questions them on what they like and what they don't. There is no exchange for the actual campus visit to the school you might be interested in. However, the Fiske Guide is a fantastic starting off point. Let it broaden your horizons on higher education in different parts of the county like it did for me.

Rating:
Summary: An Average Guide, not the Best
Review: I have both the Fiske Guide to Colleges and the Princeton Review version. The Fiske book focused more on the strength of certain academic programs at the various colleges. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm not certain what I want to study in college-this info really isn't important to me right now.

The Princeton Review had a more accurate view of the students social life, conclusions which were reaffirmed when I visited college campuses. I'd buy both books, but the Princeton Review 331 Best Colleges is easier to read, has more information on financial aid and important statistics, and is almost totally based on student surveys.

Rating:
Summary: Gives the information you want to know
Review: I like this book because it goes beyond more traditional college guides in that it discusses social life, ethnic makeup of the student body and even the political mix of the students. It delves into the academic rigors of the school and whether there is any time left for socializing after the studies are completed. It describes the architectural style of many campuses and in general, as well as giving the essential information as to admission, expenses and course offerings, it also gives a fairly detailed glimpse into what student life is like. It even points out the relative stregnth and weaknesses of academic departments. This book is great for both parents and prospective students. The list of colleges covered is not exhaustive but, the way the schools are covered is great. As the father of a prospective student, I highly rate this book. In addition to my review as a parent, I hope prospective students also post reviews to see how the book rates from their viewpoint.

Rating:
Summary: Good but not candid
Review: If you're conducting the college search, you definitely need to read this book. It is very comprehensive and provides tons of useful information to get you on your way. I am the author of The ABC's of College Life, a savvy street-smart guide, and I give the Fiske Guide to Colleges two thumbs up!

Rating:
Summary: not just great, NECESSARY
Review: Since the age 14, I have looked at Peterson's and CollegeBoard and all the websites and guidebooks in between, and yet it was not until I opened this great book that i was satisfied. I did not want the stats anymore, I did not want the tuition costs, NO.. i wanted the experience of the school from the student's perspectives presented in a logical, unbiased manner without spending hundreds of dollars on plane tickets and car rentals for endless campus visits--- we have a winner! If you look through the book you can see that there are both ups and downs listed. For example, Boston College, he pointed out didn't have the qulaity of education to justify its popularity. Pro's and Cons are listed. Fiske clearly describes various aspects of the schools through quotes tediousley collected from student surveys. The phrase- "straight from the horses mouth" couldn't be more appropriate here. My routine as i approach my senior year is: think about college, start stressing, stress some more, whip out the ol' Fiske guide to review my top choice schools, and then be able to breath again.... The book is good for both a lost student or anxious parent. It includes a range of colleges for all types of people, and if you are just lost and read the book cover to cover-- it is truly the best starting place. You can start to figure out what you want in a college and which colleges have it. I would reccommend strlongly reading the introduction explaining his ratings, and i hope you buy this book because wherever you are in the college process- It is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Out of date information recycled year after year
Review: When deciding on a college in 1991, I extensively used this book. I liked the story-like format that gave a glipse of what I believed to be what a particular school would "feel like" if I attended it. I ultimately chose Pomona College and graduated in 1996.

One of the passages from the 1991 book describes that students sometimes relax by "tossing a frisbee between kegs of beer parked on the lawn". Pomona's alcohol policy was changed in 1990 to EXPLICTLY prohibit any activity of this sort...this SIMPLY WASN'T ALLOWED...in fact this passage was so out-of-step with campus culture as to be laughable. During my first two years at Pomona (1992-1994) there was something of an alcohol gestapo that sought out students drinking in their own rooms, to say nothing of stomping out any possiblity of public consumption of alcohol. The point is, at least one of the book's descriptions about campus culture was WAY off base...perhaps it was a remnant from an earlier time (mid 1980's?) when campus culture would have permited public consumption of alcohol....perhaps the book was just a year or two out of date?

Well, in ensuing years I sometimes picked up the latest Fiske guide in a bookstore to see what was being written about my school. 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000...each edition maintained the same passage about kegs on the lawn.

I began to wonder if Fiske ever actually revised the content of the book apart from adjusting the fluctuating SAT and demographic numbers. I have not read the 2002 version, but BE WARY. If their description of my school can maintain a grossly incorrect passage for more than a decade, what might be written about the school that you're interested in that is similarly incorrect or outdated?

DO NOT TRUST THIS BOOK to get it right. Use multiple sources and VISIT the schools you're thinking about if you can afford to do so! Good luck to you!