How reliable are Fiske's ratings?

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I am looking for a college with really good academics but one that still has a really good party scene and is warm/hot and has 5,000-15,000 students. When going through Fiske's guide to colleges, I was having a lot of trouble finding a college with those number of students in that type of climate with a 4 star or above rating for academics and a 4 star or above rating for social. Are those types of ratings unrealistic, or are the ratings not accurate, or am I just very inexperienced with this whole process (I am) and miss a lot of colleges that fit the above criteria?</p>

<p>Thanks,
JH</p>

<p>Fiske’s ratings seem reliable, but there will be some inconsistencies. Social and quality of life tend to be more “subjective”.</p>

<p>I have a couple guides, and I think FISKE is the most accurate or at least giving information I look for compared to other guides.</p>

<p>I think it would be wise to use FISKE to narrow down your search of schools to apply for, but nothing beats visiting schools and asking students there</p>

<p>That’s great, thank you. Does anyone know of any schools that would fit what I am looking for? Safety/match/reach?</p>

<p>A little bit about me:</p>

<p>2200 SAT</p>

<p>780 on Math 2
740 Chemistry</p>

<p>5 AP Chemistry and English Language</p>

<p>Very Rigorous courses, and my school is well known.</p>

<p>I had a summer job, and I have a lot of community service.</p>

<p>Although I love music, I am not looking for a music school because I am interested in engineering, chemistry, economics, business, and/or political science.</p>

<p>I hold a leadership position at my school, and got an internship.</p>

<p>I am really close to the teaches I have writing my Letters of Recommendation, so I know they will be very good.</p>

<p>Does anyone know of any school that fits my description of my ideal school in my first post?</p>

<p>And could you say whether you think it is a safety, match, or reach based on this post?</p>

<p>Thanks,
JH</p>

<p>Have you looked at what your family can afford/is willing to pay?</p>

<p>Have you looked into the honors college at University of Alabama? I believe with your stats and assuming you are out of state you would be eligible for a full-ride scholarship, or maybe it’s only full tuition, which is still great.</p>

<p>Have you tried the SuperMatch on this website? Scroll up and look to the left. You seem to have some specific criteria that it can search within.</p>

<p>Consider (from more to less selective, approximately):</p>

<p>Stanford
Duke
Georgetown, Vanderbilt
UVa
UNC-Chapel Hill, USC (California)
University of Miami
Wake Forest
Tulane, UT-Austin</p>

<p>Yes, use the SuperMatch on this website: [College</a> Search - College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/]College”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/)</p>

<p>We used it and it came up with my son’s final choice again and again no matter how many criteria we kept adding. It is spot on and really accurate. My kid loves his school.</p>

<p>@Erin’s Dad,</p>

<p>While the cheaper the tuition is, the better for my family, tuition cost will not be a deciding factor in my college decision and financial aid is not something my family needs.</p>

<p>I’ll definitely look at University of Alabama and the super match search tool. </p>

<p>Thank’s for all the responses everyone!</p>

<p>Anyone else have any other suggestions they could add?</p>