Fiske Guide to Colleges 2010, 26E,   ISBN:9781402209604

Customer Rating: 

while the book obviously covers all major colleges and universities, do not expect details on lesser known (even when quite large) ones. Separate entry on Eastern Carolina U. for example, even with 10K+ students? sorry, about one sentence on it as if it was exactly the same as NC State.

Customer Rating: 

I was enjoying the excerpts until I noted that the guide lists Cooper Union among the most costly colleges. In fact, although the stated annual tuition is $35,000, all 1,100 +/- students get a full scholarship. Of course, the cost of living in NY is not inconsiderable, but it is still quite a deal for a superb education, and the reason it is one of the most selective institutions in the country.

Customer Rating: 

Fiske gives an overview of hundreds of colleges using the same format for each school. The scores, quality of life, seriousness of each school ratings are very helpful. The only confusing part is comparing what a particular school's primary majors are with the listing of what schools have great programs in each major--somewhat contradictory.

Customer Rating: 

The selection of reviewed colleges is odd - there seems to be no particular logic and colleges I would have expected to find in here were absent. The reviews of the colleges in here are good but I assumed it would have been more comprehensive in its coverage. For example, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Bradley University are not in here.

Customer Rating: 

I think the book is easy to read with helpful profiles. Gives you a subset of colleges instead of trying to be all encompassing. Looking in the front, by public or private and strength areas by majors is a good place to start.

One gap is that the cost model is not particularly helpful, especially for folks who live in the Northeast. I would suggest categorizing further by geographic region and also costs for out of state students versus residents.