Clark University is included in the 2012 revised and updated edition of the “Fiske Guide to Colleges,” which identifies “the best and most interesting of the more than 2,200 four-year colleges in the United States.”

The Fiske Guide is compiled by former New York Times Education Editor Edward B. Fiske, known as a leading independent voice in college admissions. Colleges featured in the “Fiske Guide to Colleges 2012”were selected with several broad principles in mind, beginning with academic quality. The guide covers a range of subjects including student body, academics, social life, financial aid, campus setting, housing, food, and extracurricular activities.

Here are excerpts from the Fiske Guide’s pages on Clark University:

“If Clark were located an hour to the east, it would have become the hottest thing since Harvard. Worcester is not Boston, but Clarkies bring a sense of mission to their relationship with this old industrial town. Clark is liberal, tolerant, and world renowned in psychology and geography.”

“Clark started out differently, serving only graduate students. Though it now caters mainly to undergraduates, the school continues to challenge convention, pioneering new teaching methods, pursuing new fields of knowledge, and finding new ways to connect thinking and doing. ‘Its urban location gives it a distinct identity,’ a senior says. ‘It is also fairly progressive, making room for students to satisfy a wide variety of interests.’ ”

The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2012 is available at stores, online and in an interactive version for iPad users.