Customer Reviews

The Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College: The Complete Guide to Everything You Need to Know to Getting into and Pay ing fo r College (1997)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've found "The Fisk Guide to getting into the Right College" the best college guide around and I've read them all. It takes you step by step through the intire college sellection process. The emphesis is on "The Right College" not the the most presitigious or the biggest. I especially liked the sections titled, "The Case for Small Colleges", "Public vs Private", and "Best Kept Secrets". The section on financial aid is particularly helpful.

This is a good, short guide to US colleges.

Many of us parents may not want to admit that our college hunting began with a book that offers snippy little "bytes" about schools, and categorizes them under titles like "other well-known universities" but this book sure is helpful in the initial sorting process. Especially good if the student has no access to a college / guidance counsellor.

We started with this book, & ended up referring to it again and again. But other useful college selection publications are the annual Kaplan Newsweek college selection issue (out in summer), Colleges That Change Lives (Pope), and the ultra-conservative Choosing the Right College by William J. Bennett. (Latter is very useful even to Leftists because he evaluates schools for their political tendencies... a very good read)!

I'm going to agree with the other reviewers that this is an excellent book that is clearly and intelligently written. It stresses the "fit" of the college and helps both parents and students easily understand the admissions process. It also does a good job with explaining the ins and outs of financial aid. I feel some books like Get Into Any College by Gen and Kelly Tanabe offer advice that I wouldn't recommend and others such as How to Get Into The Top Colleges by Richard Montauk and Krista Klein are guilty of panicking students about the necessity of getting into a prestige school instead of the best fit. I feel the Fiske book helps families relax and feel informed. There is a self-assessment quiz at the beginning that does much to help students figure out what kind of college is best for them.

I have no complaints about this book at all, but if they wanted to improve it, they could expand their section on popular majors and the listings of schools that are strong in those majors. Fiske's other title, The Guide to Colleges, does a fairly good job of detailing each school's best departments, but it would be terrific to have more of that information here as well.

CollegePlanGuy@aol.com
volunteer counselor
(free college counseling available to economically disadvantaged students)

We are just beginning our college search, and based upon prior reviews decided to purchase this book. While I am not sure if I concur with the opinion of the author on how he categorizes certain schools, most of what is written is informative and actually, written in an entertaining way. Many of the other books on the subject are 100s of pages of statistics, in contrast, Fiske provides detailed information and resources in which to expand your search, while making the read entertaining.

For those just beginning the search, this is an invaluable book, cleverly written and informative. I would recommend it as well as other Fiske books on the subject.

Of all the books read about the admissions process, and believe me I've read them all, the "Fiske Guide to Getting into the Right College" is the bench mark. It takes you step by step though the admissions process. It gives insight into how things work, what to look for, it explains finiancial aid packages, and points out the advantages both of small liberal arts colleges and of large universities. But what really separates this book from the others, is that in addition to expaining everything about the college selection process, it helps you to determine what you want in a school. The title sums it up best, it's about choosing the the school that is right for you.

I liked this book because it includes short write-ups on the colleges in addtioni to information on the admission process. Very helpful for generating some initial ideas on where to apply.

This book gives an excellent overview of the college process from searching, interviewing, evaluating to financial aid. Very valuable is the "One hour college search" chapter which exposed us to many great colleges that we were not familiar with. I had checked this out from the library and then bought my own copy as it's definitely a great resource. If I only could read one book, this would be it. My college bound daughter will benefit from reading it.

Easy to read with tons of information from two experts in the field. A great book to help begin the college search process. I would highly recommend it to parents of high school students.

I am finding this book very helpful in my college search. It is written fairly colloquially, which makes it easy to get excited about reading it. It provides "insider info" about college ratings, admissions, and searches, giving you the "big picture" and encouraging students to find a college that is a good match. Before I read it, I was uncertain/confused about "this whole college thing" and got overwhelmed often. The thoroughness of the book is helping me stay calm and feel confident, because it dispels the mystery behind every facet of the college search. I would recommend it to any college-bound student.

My parents have spent countless dollars on brand-name college prep guides and other application materials. They've been to all the stores and websites, purchasing what they think provide the best college guidance and support. I've looked through all twenty-two of them. They form this monstrous tower in my bedroom. Once I covered this and read it from cover to cover, I felt the most poised for the daunting task of applying. It is definitely the best book I've read about college -- the best of my library of them. Now, I can say with confidence that I know what I want out of my college experience.

Moral of the story -- DON'T let your parents spend hundreds on lots of fat, dense textbooks that claim on their covers that they will help you. Fiske's Guide to Getting Into the Right College asks the right questions. It forces you think deeply on what you really want out of your four years in college. Where do you see yourself thriving? What are your true interests? In what environment to do I learn best?

This book is easy to read, straight-forward, affordable, and one of the most comprehensive guide out there. I also highly recommend Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice -- an important, indelibly helpful read in conjunction with this one. Students who are college bound (or even Ivy bound), read these books early in your High School career. They will literally guide you down the winding college path.

So, if you really care about your future and your happiness and prosperity in college, then read these books. After I read them, I learned that college doesn't merit all this hype when a world of opportunity will unfold no matter where you attend and your ultimate success hinges less on which college you choose, but rather on what you make of it once you are there. I know I've got four of the most invigorating and rewarding years of my life just ahead and this book makes sure I will make the most of them.