Best College Guidbook(s) for Helpful Insights

[onemoreinthenest]

We have a bunch of old college guidebooks that are 3-4 years old (Fiske, US News, Yake Insider, Princeton).

Thinking about refreshing/adding to the collection both to ensure we have the latest info and to get some new perspectives.

I know a lot of good student perspective can be found here and on other websites, and lots of quantitative data can be found on CollegeBoard and the school site,s etc.

Wondering what guidebooks other parents find useful for subjective (but accurate and meaningful) perspectives on top-50 type colleges/universities?

[Moreover]

I just go on our local library website, and start seeing which college books look interesting and put them on hold. Then zip in and pick them up. Then, I would decide which ones might be worth buying.

[ALF]

Colleges That Change Lives, by Loren Pope

The Hidden Ivies, by Greene & Greene

Cool Colleges, by Donald Asher

[emeraldkity4]

I liked the titles ALF mentioned.
Be forewarned that the top 50 schools changes depending on which way you're standing.

[chicamisteriosa]

The Insider's Guide to the Colleges!

[dodgersmom]

Absolutely agree about Cool Colleges by Donald Asher - one of my favorite books!

For a more traditional guide, I'd suggest: Choosing the Right College. To get a sense of what it includes, you can visit the website: CollegeGuide.org.

[onemoreinthenest]

Great suggestions on books I'd heard of but not read -- please keep the recommendations coming!

[livesinnewjersey]

I disagree with College that Change Lives - it's a perspective that may open your mind but remember he evaluated these schools many moons ago, when colleges were a lot less expensive- which I think tuition is a game changer.

[Lakemom]

I tried a few books but they seemed dated or slanted in one way or another so I did not find them to be so helpful.

[nyermom]

For basic facts, I prefer Princeton Review to Fiske. I think the consistent placement of the sidebar info (SAT, GPA, etc), makes it easy to thumb through in formulating initial lists. The "student life" passages seem pretty honest too. I get annoyed with Fiske for not sticking to alphabetical order. I'm using a PR guide from 2011 and it seems up-to-date, for the most part. Comparing it to later guides, some info is different--mostly deadlines for EA/ED etc. (but really, you should be checking the websites by the time you're considering that). I wish someone would update the CTCL book because the info is nearly a decade old and there have to be other up-and-coming schools that would fit this description.

[MaineLonghorn]

MODERATOR'S NOTE: It is an infraction of the Terms of Service to "spell around the filter," which includes giving hints about the name of any website that is filtered by CC. Please don't do it.

[1214mom]

I haven't even seen it but I understand there's a book called Rugg's Recommendations that's supposed to be very good. I used the Fiske lists of colleges for certain majors to help come up with lists for my kids to run through.

[BeanTownGirl]

Rugg's guide is unique because it lists recommended colleges for each major. It sorts each list into several categories based on their selectivity. It is a great starting place for researching colleges. I think the newer editions are electronic only??? Amazon has the 27th edition from 2009, but his website store has a PDF version of the 29th edition.

Welcome to Rugg's Recommendations

[OHMomof2]

Revised/updated CTCL: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143122304

"For the latest edition of this classic college guide, Hilary Masell Oswald conducted her own tours of top schools and in-depth interviews, building on Loren Pope's original to create a totally updated, more expansive work. "

[jym626]

My s's found the Yale Daily New's Insiders giude to colleges the most helpful,