I’m thinking there isn’t really any reason to upgrade, right? If I just add a point or 2 to all of the ACT scores, I’m guessing not much else has changed.
Off the top of my head I’m guessing Hampshire College has a different discription, or at least some mention of their current struggles. That’s the only big change that comes to mind.
I have the same question about 2017 vs 2020. I don’t think I will upgrade.
I just borrowed the Fiske 2020 edition from the library and, truthfully, not much other than SAT/ACT scores and admission rates has changed since the early 1990’s. (maybe even late 1980’s as I’m not sure when I first read it). Same with the Princeton Guide.
I was in a similar spot and decided to go ahead and buy the new edition. First, I checked the new one out of the library but found myself constantly wanting to dog ear the pages and make notes. Also, I find Fiske’s real value is in being on the kitchen table whenever needed, and the library wanted it back. Another consideration was making my younger child feel like the search was her search instead of an extension of the older sibling’s search. I decided that $15 for a new book was cheaper that revisiting 15 colleges.
@AlwaysMoving the biggest reason I thought about buying it was to reinforce to D21 that she isn’t just getting leftover info from D19, who she views as the golden child anyway.
But I think I’m not going to, because honestly I look at it more than she does and I don’t need a new version if there isn’t substantial new information. At some point I think/hope she will get stronger opinions. But for right now she is content to somewhat outsource the college search process to me.
I can’t comment on the newest version of Fiske, but the Insider’s Guide to Colleges has had the same written profile of my alma mater for more than a decade. I doubt that the teams of people working on these guides make visits to these schools all that much, and as another poster mentioned in another thread, the guides are probably relying heavily on colleges’ promotional materials/websites/catalogs, plus a few choice quotes from students who are probably not chosen at random.
That said, for the student/family who is about to dive into college visits and applications, it makes sense to pick up the newest guide. But if one wants to save money, grabbing the 2018 or 2017 version from your local library will work fine as well.
College is a major investment of time & money. An investment of $25 for one of the best college guides on the market seems very reasonable.