<p>A tad late, I know...but what is everyone's favorite college guidebook? My friends tell me PR is good, my GC uses Fiske's...</p>
<p>Thanks!! :)</p>
<p>Barron's or Petersen's are my faves, with the nod going to Barron's. Fiske's is okay too. Princeton Review is outdated and often sophomoric and puts too much emphasis on kids comments that are often just plain wrong or inflammatory. </p>
<p>You still have time, but you better get working and make your initial list of 20 schools...and then work it down to 10-12.</p>
<p>thanks!! :)</p>
<p>Fiske Guide to Colleges is the best!</p>
<p>Next tier: Barron's Guide and The Insider's Guide to the Colleges</p>
<p>P Review is kind of stupid. It uses an unscientific internet poll of students at each college. Whichever school has the highest percentage of students saying they have the best library is ranked as having the best library. It makes for interesting reading and can sort of identify the character of schools, but the top ten lists are utterly useless.</p>
<p>Fiske Guide is by far the best introduction to colleges and universities. The short articles on each school do a really good job of accurately presenting a summary of the academics, social scene, etc. Read between the lines. You can identify the party schools, the study schools, the sports schools, and so on and so forth. Great place to start.</p>
<p>thanks!
just discovered I inherited the US News ultimate college guide from a family friend. comparable, or go for Barron's/Fiske?</p>
<p>No, definitely Fiske. I use Fiske, then Barron's. Here's how I use them:</p>
<p>Fiske: The summaries are generally shorter and cover every aspect of the college experience. I can also tell what the students are like because they have SAT scores, strongest programs, academic/social/quality of life rating, etc. (and a paragraph about them). It's a summary one, so I use it to find out basic info about a college.</p>
<p>Barron's: It's a little more in-depth in some areas, but not in others. If I'm still interested in a school after reading about it in Fiske, then I'll probably read about it in Barron's to see if there's anything else interesting.</p>
<p>I would definitely suggest Fiske, and would suggest Barron's as well. The the latter has fewer schools (just the most selective ones), even though some in Fiske but not in Barron's are just as good academically or whatever.</p>
<p>PR is amusing, but not as good.</p>
<p>I have them all and I think Fiske is the best.</p>
<p>
[quote]
P Review is kind of stupid. It uses an unscientific internet poll of students at each college.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Well, it's not stupid and of course it's unscientific: it's a survey, a poll, yeah.</p>
<p>I do wonder why they did away with the Best Overall Academic Experience and Hardest to Get Into lists. They probably realized that most schools in the Ivy League are faux selective, and it's difficult to quantify or rank something such as an "experience."</p>
<p>thanks again! will get Fiske then, and perhaps Barron's too in that case :)</p>
<p>Wait a minute....Barrons is like HUGE....every college conceivable. Most selective, Highly selective, Very selective, selective, less selective.</p>
<p>I dont agree that Fiske's is superior. Its all a matter of personal taste. Check them out off the shelf and decide for yourself. </p>
<p>In either event, these directories are very useful....but they are just snapshots. SOME of the information in them is a bit dated, even if it says 2009 edition. </p>
<p>There are other directories as well like Choosing the Right College etc.</p>
<p>well, I mean, I have a fairly set list of colleges at this point, I just need a general reference now, if any big book at all :) so...I'm not gonna go <em>too</em> crazy with this :P</p>
<p>Good for you. It doesnt matter to me. Everyone has a preference about what book suits them the best. I dont get a commission, lol.</p>
<p>The other value of these directories is its a quick reference to COMPARE with other schools, even if you arent applying there....and if you have friends who ask about schools or seek ideas....or just to flip through from time to time.....and use as a resource when questions come up. I just like books sometimes and get tired of webpages. UGH.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>If you really only want to check out a few colleges, I wouldn't get any of those. Grab a notebook, and take the book to the Border's Cafe lol. Write down important stuff. Don't waste the $20+ if you're only gonna check out 10ish colleges haha. Guess I'm frugal lol. Got my books from the library. :P</p>
<p>Good point HottYank.....that is certainly a cheaper way to see what you want to find out. I just like having the resource in the family and to help people understand more (or refute inaccuracies or myths) about some schools, and like I said, its a great comparison tool. Believe me, when admission results come out in December and April, it will come in handy. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>haha thanks both of you! :)</p>
<p>i use this thing called a library =P
they've got them all there haha</p>
<p>haha my library is soooo bad, and getting books transferred from others in the network takes eons >_<</p>
<p>The two of them in combination, without a doubt! Fiske is cautious, general, fair, informative. PR digs up the dirt along with the props. My D, who tired of all the college application guide hype, said she found the PR synopses of "what students say" about academics, student body, and campus life to be the most helpful guidance she received during the college search process.</p>
<p>well....beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I found PR to be full of gross generalizations and sensationalist dribble that was often really inaccurate and very outdated. The least helpful and useful. But kids will go to what they think their peers are saying.</p>
<p>I think Fiske is marginally better than PR. Just my personal opinion. </p>
<p>But while I still think that Barrons is the largest (it is) and most detailed, it does lack the "students say..." category. Choose the Right College I also found somewhat helpful.</p>
<p>Whatever. You use what you think is the best book(s) for you. ALL OF THEM are preliminary research tools. Even colleges warn you about them.</p>