<p>When looking for colleges that I might find interesting but don't yet know about, I've used these tools:
[url=<a href="http://bit.ly/collegeRecommendations%5DMy">http://bit.ly/collegeRecommendations]My</a> Chances.net College Recommendation Engine | My Chances.net - College admissions predictions.<a href="automatically%20creates%20recommendations%20for%20you%20after%20you%20select%20'advisors'%20based%20on%20their%20interests%20and%20test%20scores">/url</a></p>
<p>This is low-tech, but have you looked at the Fiske Guide to Colleges? One feature D liked is that for each school, there is a list of similar schools so that you can check them out as well.</p>
<p>^ That’s the whole point! No one knows what is important to a particular student; such rankings end up being one-size-fits-none. Why do you care about someone else’s opinion of what’s best for you? They know nothing about you!</p>
<p>Barrons Profiles of American Colleges has been the bible for college selection for nearly 50 years.</p>
<p>Also the web sites students review.com and princetonreview.com have a cornucopia of anecdotal and survey knowledge about various aspects of colleges.</p>
Well actually if you were to conduct a survery on campuses seeking the same questions Fiske Guide likely answer for you… the results you get will more than likely be a reflection of Fiske Guide rankings.</p>
<p>Just read a bit about the Fiske guide. It’s very impressive how independent they are, accepting no money from colleges, etc. Sounds trustworthy. I guess I’ll be shelling out for this, too. This thread has a nice mix of quality free and paid guides, probably everything I need. Thanks, folks.</p>
<p>You don’t need to conduct the survey; Fiske does it for you. One of the most valuable things that Fiske provides – and which the rankings do not – is commentary from students. </p>
<p>Fiske doesn’t rank, although it does provide some of the same statistical info that USNWR does. The schools are listed alphabetically.</p>
<p>One of its most useful features, which the rankings also do not have, is a page-and-a-half narrative on each school containing information that is important if you’re seeking a good fit, such as the the physical campus/climate/community, best programs, quality of the residence halls and food, sports and recreation, etc. The point is to give you a basic “feel” for the school. Fiske also provides cross-referencing on similar schools, and it was this feature that eventually led my D to the school she’s now attending; she never would have heard of it otherwise.</p>
<p>jeffson: I think you’ll find that it’s well worth the $20.</p>