The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2004 [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Edward B. Fiske (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks; 20 edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402200609
• ISBN-13: 978-1402200601
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #770,813 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than a list - but how updated?, August 7, 2003

By	"bonchocolat" (Wilmette, IL USA) - See all my reviews

Unlike many college guides that confuse the quality of student's who get accepted or rejected as a measure of the quality of the education, the Fiske guide attempts to go beyond mere stats and numbers. So, while you will find Median test scores, number of applicatants and percent accepted, you will also find ratings on quality of academics, quality of life, overlaps, etc. Especially helpful are the guides to each school's strongest (as opposed to most popular)departments. Beyond the stats listed for each school, there are fairly long essays on each school, so that you get a real feel for the culture of each school. This is both Fiske's strength and weakness. While it is helpful to learn that at Northwestern "some call the political atomosphere 'apathetic'" - a fact demonstrated during the Iraq War earlier this year, these essays do NOT get "Entirely Updated Every Year" as the cover claims for the guide. The stats for Harvey Mudd are identical in every way in both the 2001 and 2004 edition - down to the number of applicants (1517)and percent of male/female - something I find hard to believe. Further the essay for the school says "the computer science major has been considered weak in the past but students say there have been improvements" That's in both editions as well - and i have no way of knowing whether the 2001 copied 2000, etc - so that information is at best out of date and those students long gone. Fiske needs to flag statements like that where they talk about ongoing changes in the essays and follow-up on them. Still, its a great way to begin narrowing down choices based on what a college offers students, not just what a student offers the college's applicant-ranking numbers game.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent College Guide, August 29, 2004

By	D. Liang (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of the best college guides I have ever read. It's very informative and it's ratings of the academic, social etc. aspects of the colleges give a very nice scope. What I like most about it is that it lists the strongest majors in each college, not just the most popular ones...the first book I have seen with this.
I've heard that the essays aren't entirely updated each year, like advertised, but I haven't bought any of the previous versions, and the essays are still very helpful.
One of the BEST

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything cast in a positive light, August 12, 2004

By	College-Selection-Crazed Mom (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Although my high school senior daughter and I are finding this book to have good information, we both noted that every review tells you how great the school is. You can still distinguish the differences between schools based on your own filters, but after you have read two or three reviews, it starts to feel more like marketing material than like "tell it like it is" analysis.