I think the Fiske book is too big and intimidating for our S19 right now. We have the 2017 version and I’ve earmarked some pages for him, but the size of the book itself makes it a little daunting. He hasn’t opened it yet even though it sits out on a desk where he does his homework every night.
I set up an email account for him exclusively for college info and then subscribed to the email lists of 15 schools that I thought may be on his list. He has yet to open any of the emails but he likes getting the snail mail they now send. That’s about the speed of his interest right now- reading cool pamphlets about a school’s science programs or their study abroad options takes about five minutes and they are easy on the eyes. These little chunks of information have definitely been starting points to come good conversations.
I’m not going to have him check the box on the PSAT to receive mailings from any and all schools. We will continue to be deliberate in our info seeking so he’s not overwhelmed or thrown off by getting mailings from schools he isn’t considering.
@Lindagaf I checked the 2017 version out of the library and left it in the car on a six-hour roadtrip with no WiFi connection. D20 did thumb through it. I figure I will buy the 2018 or 2019 version when the time comes for more serious contemplation.
She has no desire to have a life-changing experience at college.
I agree with what Stem2017 above about the USNews & World Report being really the best in terms of providing very helpful objective factual information based on common data set numbers the schools report on in the latter half of the booklet/magazine. It also includes great articles about colleges, such as focusing on Freshman Success, various articles of interest to prospective college students and a closer look at specific colleges in selected states. Although the rankings part of the report in the first half is somewhat subjective even though based on objective criteria, it’s the most comprehensive and close to accurate ranking book there is. I would not put much weight on Forbes, which has preposterous rankings, or any of the others, except Niche for measuring college life. As for Fiske it has a noticeable bias in favor of all the SUNYs it lists in the book, esp. the four university centers --giving more “stars” for academics, quality of life and social than any of them deserve, especially compared to other schools that are clearly a lot better academically objectively. Fiske makes Albany, for example, better ranked academically than most other public and private colleges in the US. And Fiske ranks Binghamton, for example, on par with the elites public schools of Michigan, Cal Berkeley, UVA, UNC, etc…, Fiske’ rankings become less credible in my opinion. Have to wonder if their are SUNY editors or backers associated with the Fiske publication. Princeton Review top 381 is a better guidebook than Fiske but it omits from its list several solid schools that are clearly better than some of the schools that are included in the top 381. Michigan State and SUNY Buffalo are two schools that come to mind as being deserved of inclusion in the book.
My kids were 4 years apart and I bought new books so not to miss anything – but in retrospect I could have used the old books and updated test information with the USNWR and checked requirements online. Like you my two kids also applied to a very different set of schools.
FWIW I do like Fiske but I did find that the Princeton Review Best Colleges book was also excellent and it covered a wider list of colleges so that proved to be very helpful as well – especially for my S who applied to some schools that were not covered by Fiske (or the Insiders Guide). If you buy a new book you may want to consider getting Princeton Review.
I have multiple versions of some college books, and I noticed that the only thing updated between years is the statistics. Much of the prose is the same, although a few lines are changed here and there.
If you refer to the Common Data Set for each college online, you can get the most recently published data that way instead.
So I would not recommend updating. Just buy books you do not have already, to enjoy a new narrative perspective.
I love college guide books. My son and I take them with a grain of salt, but a lot of the writers’ impressions end up aligning with ours-- or at least, after visiting a school, we can pick out lines that reinforce what we thought.
My son found The Insider’s Guide very funny. The Ultimate Guide to America’s Best Colleges also has some humor. Both are richly detailed. We also have, and like, Fiske and the Princeton Review. Reading all four, plus College Confidential and similar sites with student reviews, begins to reveal some commonalities across the different commentaries on the culture of each college.
@TheGreyKing , can you explain your comment about commonalities further? Do you mean they all are able to give an accurate idea of the character of a given college? In your opinion, does one of them do that best?
Since your son has not been on many college campuses…and has not taken a tour…my advice still goes. The FIRST trip does not have to be to schools that he has a high interest…or even any interest in applying to. It can be a trip with a cross section of college TYPES so that he can begin to formulate what he IS looking for in a college.
Yes. I think that, if you read all four books’ comments about Wesleyan and Colgate, for example, you will have a good impression of each school’s unique culture… and how some colleges are very different from other colleges (such as the two I picked for this example). Your son might still be interested in visiting two decidedly different schools, but will have an idea of what to be on the lookout for and/or inquire about with students you meet while you are there. What cultural aspects in the descriptions tend to draw him towards a college, and which raise questions that a visit may answer to his satisfaction or not?
Insider’s Guide and Ultimate Guide tell the most about social aspects. If your son is tentative about reading about colleges, these are probably the best “hooks” into it, because the descriptions can be funny. The Ultimate Guide’s entry on Sarah Lawrence, for example, has light-hearted commentary on the most favored pants style and a certain annual party; these anecdotes are cleverly combined to paint a picture of the prevailing social milieu there. For each college, The Insider’s Guide has quotes from current students like “what I would change” and “what to bring with you” that are funny and also revealing, like “Bring weed; you’ll make lots of friends.”
But you may want to go light, since it is his sophomore year and you are picking up on cues from him that he may not be ready yet to think about leaving home and going away to college (I.e., “much to his annoyance”). I just left the books lying around during my son’s sophomore year, and sometimes he would pick one up, read a bit, and occasionally share out a quote he found funny. It was not until the end of the summer before junior year that he was really more ready to start saying where he wanted to visit, etc. After our first tour in August, he got more into it.
For college color if you have any Fiske from last decade it is fine–they do very little updating of the main text. I found the Insiders Guide does a bit better with major text updates every few years.
Wait to spend money on guide books. Check out various ones from your public library and then decide which one(s) are worth owning- either for you or your son.
No wonder he has no interest- he is just approaching the halfway mark in HS! A lot will change in the coming months and years. He’s immersed in his HS world now- let him enjoy it without pushing the future beyond it for now. Six or more months from now he can start looking. That will be junior year.
I agree with exposing him to several college campuses of various types for now. Seeing small/large, urban/suburban/rural, elite/average, public/private campuses during casual drives and walking some will show him similarities and differences in the physical environment. That will make it easier to differentiate the ones he sees with potential. He will learn what is the norm, desirable et al before focusing on the educational aspects.
For some contrast, I’d recommend getting Frank Bruni’s “Where You Go is not Who You’ll Be”. It’s really easy to get lost in the admissions game and to focus on rankings. I think Bruni’s book provides some fantastic perspectives.
My son has zero interest in rankings, and as I have been through it once before, I do understand the process. He is unlikely to apply to any very selective colleges. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.
I would first start with College Board’s " Book of Majors" to let your son find what he’d be interested in studying. This book is really worth getting, since it has a list of schools that have the major( s) / schools that your son would be interested in .
Majors? Many kids switch majors multiple times during college. I’m not sure I’d be giving a rising HS senior who isn’t really interested in exploring college a book about college majors.
@Lindagaf is your son receiving any mailings from colleges? It’s easy enough to sign up for those…of course…it’s impossible to stop getting them once you’ve signed up! But that’s one way to get info informally to,the kiddo.