Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 331 Most Interesting Colleges 2005 (Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the 360 Most Interesting Colleges) [Paperback]

Kaplan (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 720 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing (June 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743251997
• ISBN-13: 978-0743251990
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,291,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not bad at all, December 29, 2004

By 

Darshan "darshan1" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 331 Most Interesting Colleges 2005 (Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the 360 Most Interesting Colleges) (Paperback)

This book is quite good. After the Fiske Guide to Colleges, I think this is my favorite. Even though Kaplan makes it plain that they are biased as the "un" in "unbiased" is crossed out on the cover, the book is more balanced and less negative than Princeton Review's Best 357 Colleges. Kaplan says that the book covers the "most interesting" colleges as opposed to the "most selective." However, they say right away that highly selective schools happen to be very interesting, so you will see mostly the same schools you will see in Fiske. Princeton Review has been faulted for including some big public universities for the sake of sales that, according to many, don't really belong in books on the best universities. Well, for better or worse, Kaplan has a few less state schools (as does Fiske). The "interesting" schools that other books leave out include many music or art schools or other specialty schools. For example, I haven't found Julliard or the Culinary Institute of America or Gallaudet University (for the hearing impaired)in any other books of the best schools.

The statistics in the book are understandable and helpful. I feel that Princeton Review does a slightly better job with their coverage of financial aid, but Kaplan is sufficient. Kaplan does something smart by offering a range of SAT scores for the middle 50% of accepted students for each school instead of giving a specific median score. Even though I think it's fun to see median scores, it can be discouraging to students who score below the median, and is therefore a less useful statistic.

I think parents and students will find this a good compromise between Fiske and Princeton Review. One reviewer said he felt that Princeton Review quoted student statements that made good copy instead of statements that accurately reflected a school's true nature. There's no way to know that for sure, but Princeton Review is pretty gossipy, so I have a sneaky suspicion that the reviewer is right. Fiske does a really great job explaining the academic strengths and opportunities of each school, but someone else pointed out that Fiske says so little that's negative that the reader has a hard time figuring out which school is best. Kaplan provides readers with more student opinion than Fiske, and while the reading is a fair amount drier than Princeton Review, it focuses on the classroom a bit more than the frat parties.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great help, August 14, 2005

By 

JWM - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 331 Most Interesting Colleges 2005 (Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the 360 Most Interesting Colleges) (Paperback)

The book was a great help for the college search. The layout is much more friendly and easier to read than other guides, and more personalized details make it less like an editorial staff writing it and more of your best friend tell you about the college.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the Only book you need, but good non the less, November 20, 2005

By 

Sally (Tallahassee, FL, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unofficial, Unbiased Guide to the 331 Most Interesting Colleges 2005 (Unofficial, Unbiased Insider's Guide to the 360 Most Interesting Colleges) (Paperback)

This book is great. When picking which college to go to, use this book along with Princetonreview, Fiskes, and another book of your choosing that catches your eye. Don't just rely on one book, each has it's own personality and will give you different insights on the schools.