College Guide Books

TheGreyKing
Thu, 11 May 2017 15:27:46 +0000

Yes. I think that, if you read all four books’ comments about Wesleyan and Colgate, for example, you will have a good impression of each school’s unique culture… and how some colleges are very different from other colleges (such as the two I picked for this example). Your son might still be interested in visiting two decidedly different schools, but will have an idea of what to be on the lookout for and/or inquire about with students you meet while you are there. What cultural aspects in the descriptions tend to draw him towards a college, and which raise questions that a visit may answer to his satisfaction or not?
Insider’s Guide and Ultimate Guide tell the most about social aspects. If your son is tentative about reading about colleges, these are probably the best “hooks” into it, because the descriptions can be funny. The Ultimate Guide’s entry on Sarah Lawrence, for example, has light-hearted commentary on the most favored pants style and a certain annual party; these anecdotes are cleverly combined to paint a picture of the prevailing social milieu there. For each college, The Insider’s Guide has quotes from current students like “what I would change” and “what to bring with you” that are funny and also revealing, like “Bring weed; you’ll make lots of friends.”

But you may want to go light, since it is his sophomore year and you are picking up on cues from him that he may not be ready yet to think about leaving home and going away to college (I.e., “much to his annoyance”). I just left the books lying around during my son’s sophomore year, and sometimes he would pick one up, read a bit, and occasionally share out a quote he found funny. It was not until the end of the summer before junior year that he was really more ready to start saying where he wanted to visit, etc. After our first tour in August, he got more into it.