I recently purchased the 2020 Fiske Guide and can’t put it down. But, there are several schools that my D22 is interested in that are not included in the 2020 edition, and we would love to read the same type of review of those schools. Is there a list anywhere showing what schools are included in the 2019, 2018 etc. editions? Or are there any other sources that offer the same type of reviews?
TIA
@PickleParent: It would be helpful to know of some schools that are of interest to your family, but not included in the Fiske Guide To Colleges 2020. That might help some to discover resources regarding those particular colleges & universities.
Unfortunately, some helpful college guides experience short life spans and become quickly outdated.
I love the Fiske Guide. Important to read carefully as the Fiske writers & editors are skilled writers who engage in diplomacy.
Princeton Review is another good college guide book which includes more schools.
Curious to read about several Christian schools not included: Barry College, Roanoke College, Samford and Messiah. Would also like to read the same type of review about UA-Huntsville. I’m sure there are others I haven’t noticed are missing, but these for now. For a long time she was focused on Liberty (I think because it’s the most-attended school of graduates of her Christian high school and therefore the most talked about), but I think she’s finally off that train. I’d still like to read a Fiske-style account of Liberty - I know there are probably lots of opinions on it elsewhere ;).
Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia (Rome, Georgia area = Northwest section of Georgia) is one of my favorite schools.
Largest campus in the country in terms of acres. Also, one of the most beautiful. Outstanding campus for cross-country & distance runners. Absolutely beautiful !
Over 95% receive merit scholarships.
Berry admissions downplays the Christian aspect, but it exists in deeds & thoughts, but not in a fashion that would make a moderate individual uncomfortable.
For all of your mentioned schools, I use the school websites–although I have visited & run at Berry College several times. I do not know of a single negative about Berry College other than the male/female ratio of 60% female (a plus for guys, but a possible negative for females).
I have spent some time on the Berry website and looks like heaven to me ;). My daughter is a runner and I think she would enjoy the setting – probably my only concern about it is that it does seem a bit isolated. My daughter is very competitive at a unique sport not offered (yet) at colleges (pickleball), so that adds an unusual kink in the search. She can’t imagine going to a school where she wouldn’t have access to advanced play nearby. That may be hard to understand for a non-pickleballer but it’s just a huge part of our lives. I do think it will be a good outlet for her, and it’s a great way to connect to the community. Right now, if she were looking at Lipscomb and Berry and felt evenly about the two in terms of fit, she would absolutely chose Lipscomb because there’s excellent play around Nashville. It’s a very rapidly growing sport, so two years from now will likely look very different with more play everywhere. But, the more remote/isolated schools will probably be harder for her to easily access play (which will be important in terms of time-management).
And now I realize that Lipscomb is another one missing from Fiske :).
Having said all of that, Berry is definitely on our list to visit.
FYI, Roanoke is a traditional LAC - not a “Christian College” along the lines of Messiah, Liberty, Calvin, Wheaton (IL), etc.
If your public library is open, there are plenty of other college guide books, plus websites like Niche or Unigo.
Thanks. eb. I was thinking that Roanoke was Christian but must’ve gotten it jumbled up with so many others. I stalk Niche, for sure, but many of the student reviews are very outdated. I love that the Fiske guide gives a good taste of the campus vibe, tells what programs are strong, etc. I’ve found those types of reviews harder to come by. I am going to check into the library to see if I can get my hands on the 2019.
I second the Princeton Review website, it’s free if you register, and you can see the same write-ups that are in the book, plus more.
Here is the link to Berry College’s academics page, but you will have to create an account to read the full section. There are also sections on admissions, student body, fin aid, campus life, and more. https://www.princetonreview.com/college/berry-college-1023032#!academics
Niche can be misleading. Roanoke is listed as a “christian college” but as I said, it’s nothing like the above schools I mentioned in that they have no mandatory church, religious ed classes, etc. I think the Niche “christian colleges” are simply those affiliated with a church, which is majority of all private schools. For example I don’t think anyone would think of Duke as a “christian college” yet according to Niche it is.
For what it’s worth, when I think of Christian Colleges, I think Messiah, Wheaton, Calvin, Oral Roberts, Liberty, Eastern, Hope, etc. These are school that talk about their Christian mission on their home page…
“Hope College is a four-year liberal arts college where academic excellence and vibrant Christian faith join together in a supportive and welcoming community in downtown Holland, Michigan.”
“Wheaton College is an explicitly Christian, academically rigorous, fully residential liberal arts college and graduate school located in the Chicago area.”
“Messiah College is a top-ranked private college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences in the northeastern U.S. With a reputation for successfully integrating rigorous academics and Christian faith into all of our academic programs…”
“Calvin University is a world-class Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Here, you will discover a bold, transformative education that’s grounded in Christian conviction.”
“Eastern University is a Christian university offering more than 160 nationally-recognized undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certifications. Our core values of faith, reason, and justice are woven throughout all of our programs.”
BTW, I found Fiske descriptions to often be outdated as well. In fact, I sent their editor an email a few years back when they referenced Emory students having the option to watch Atlanta Thrasher hockey games, but the Thrashers had left Atlanta 6 years prior to the Fiske publication.
@PickleParent I don’t know much about the other Christian schools you mentioned, but I’m familiar with Messiah, which is 12 minutes from my home. Messiah has an excellent reputation in this area (South Central Pennsylvania), has a wide range of programs (including liberal arts and sciences, nursing, engineering, education, music, and art), has top D3 men’s and women’s soccer teams, and is overall a very caring place. They do require weekly chapel attendance. Emphasis is on growing one’s faith and service to others rather than on rigid dogma.
@eb23282: There is no longer any reference to the Atlanta Thrashers ice hockey team in the Fiske guide To Colleges current edition.
@Publisher - I assumed. Their response to me at the time indicated they would be reviewing the entry. Nonetheless, the experience certainly made me question how accurate the rest of their information was if it took a random person and 6 years to get them to update their summary.
If she needs Pickleball have you tried searching for schools that offer it? Seems to be many that do. It is indeed an up and coming sport. Can she get recruited? Came across this scholarship application https://pickleballpad.com/scholarship/
If you google “guide to Christian colleges,” a couple of things pop up. Some are old, but this one looked promising: https://myblueprintstory.com/christian-college-guide. In case the link doesn’t work, it it to something called Blueprint, published by
NACCAP (North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals).
I have a 2017 Princeton Review Book and Roanoke is listed. PM me and I can screen shot pix if allowed or we can exchange emails. It says it’s a Lutheran affiliation and quality of life is 89, and most poplar majors are BA, psychology and biology. They recommend 4 years of FL.
if you’re specifically interested in Evangelical Christian (Protestant) colleges, Hope, Wheaton IL, and Calvin are stronger academically; Messiah is a bit easier to get into, somewhat like Elon v. Roanoke in non denominational terms.
Berry would also be considered strong academically, Roanoke a bit easier.
You might want to look into Luther or (if academic rigor is important) St Olaf. If Catholic colleges also “count” in your search,
Liberty, Oral Roberts… aren’t generally considered academically rigorous since their main criteria for admission are more faith-related.
Yes, I tend to think of Liberty and Oral Roberts as not that rigorous … and I wasn’t impressed with how the COVID crisis was handled at Liberty.