<p>My daughter has all her applications in, and I'd like to read a bit about the schools she's looking at. While I know online reviews tend to be written by people who have something negative to say about the product they're reviewing, I still wonder if anyone can recommend a site they trust for reviews written by students? I stumbled onto one that was nothing but negatives - for every single school - and I know that can't be the whole picture!</p>
<p>I wanted to sign up with **************.com, but they want all sorts of information that will just be used to by college marketing departments to inundate us with yet more mailings - hope to avoid that!</p>
<p>Perhaps look at some of the college guide books such as Fiske, Princeton Review, Insiders Guide, College Pr***er. If you don’t want to buy them, see if you can find them at the library, from the guidance department office, or you can probably browse through them at a bookstore (and maybe purchase your one favorite book of the bunch).</p>
<p>Seconded. The student-review books tend to have a more balanced perspective than the online sites. I think those sites have their place, but primarily as a way of getting additional anecdotal support for the information you glean from the books.</p>
<p>The Insiders Guide and the Students’ Guide are the ones I have found most helpful in getting a student’s-eye view of campus culture.</p>
<p>Also, don’t overlook the college-specific data on this site. A lot of colleges have “Ask Me Anything” threads by current or former students, visit reports by prospective students, etc.</p>
<p>Finally, as a parent, be aware that some of the student guides are pretty frank about what goes on in college. Steel yourself for some reading about underage drinking, naked parties, hooking up in library stacks, etc. Just remember that practically every college has its seedy underbelly, but that doesn’t mean your daughter has to be part of it.</p>