Dream School by Jeffrey Selingo

DREAM SCHOOL by Jeffrey Selingo (Who Gets In and Why) is the latest round in his writings about “Finding the College That's Right for You.” Here, Selingo leverages his decades long experience plus surveys with thousands of parents collected during two years of research; he once again stresses the benefit of looking beyond super selective schools. The book is divided into three main sections which outline often faulty assumptions, the “new admissions landscape,” and what to look for in a dream school. An appendix lists specific colleges (Hidden Values, Breakout Regionals, and Large Leaders), with a brief description and anecdotal standout factor for each. Learning about and choosing between schools is a difficult task, filled with emotion and incomplete information. Called a “refreshingly practical approach to choosing where to apply” by Lisa Damour, resources like Selingo’s offer a helpful perspective to both students and parents. DREAM SCHOOL received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was the subject of a recent Family Action Network session with Frank Bruni (scroll to bottom of that page for video).

Soundbite by Sara Harberson

SOUNDBITE by Sara Harberson promises to share “The Admissions Secret that Gets You into College and Beyond.” Harberson has more than twenty years of experience in the field, having served in admissions offices at private colleges (University of Pennsylvania, plus Franklin & Marshall) as well being a Director of College Counseling at an elite high school. She now takes private clients and also shares information online through various sites, including AdmissionsRevolution.com and Application Nation.  In her new book, Harberson titles the first chapter “Four Years Reduced to Four Minutes” and stresses that “colleges can spend years cultivating a student to apply, only to spend minutes reading their application and seconds deciding their fate.” The next several chapters in Part 1 deal with “Understanding the Soundbite” and being honest about strengths, telling your story, etc. Part 2 is about “Crafting your Soundbite,” complete with a long list of rules like writing in first person, being bold and concise, and using nouns and verbs. Finally, in Part 3, she reviews “Living your Soundbite” and concludes with some helpful exercises and examples. Harberson’s conversational tone and active encouragement to pursue “self-awareness, intentionality, and story-telling,” finding what is essentially a unique selling proposition, make this text worth a look. Granted, there is a bit of a “self-promotional” aspect, but the concrete nature of specific examples and short exercises will be helpful to students and families, especially those new to the admissions process.

Who Gets In and Why & The College Conversation

WHO GETS IN AND WHY by Jeffrey Selingo (College (Un)Bound) is definitely generating “buzz” not only just with our Post High School Counseling faculty, but also in the media, with favorable reviews in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, plus a recent excerpt in The Atlantic. Throughout the text, Selingo uses numerous examples from shadowing admission officials at Davidson College, University of Washington, and Emory University to provide his take on “A Year Inside College Admissions.”  He notes the changes in acceptance rates over the last few decades (in 1990, Johns Hopkins was accepting 53 percent versus 11 percent today), due in part to the increased number of applications per student which is itself a function of increasingly sophisticated direct marketing campaigns. Selingo acknowledges that “human beings like certainty, and admissions procedures provide anything but.” However, he makes a valiant effort to describe the process, dividing his writing into three main sections: Fall: Recruitment Season; Winter: Reading Season: and Spring: Decision Season. WHO GETS IN AND WHY received starred reviews from Library Journal (“This well-researched work is an invaluable tool for college-bound students and their families …”) and from Kirkus (“Selingo, who writes that he is “astonished and frustrated” at the preoccupation with a small group of elite colleges, hammers home several points: Apply to colleges that will actually accept you. Consider what you and your parents can really afford, and carefully scrutinize financial aid offers. Think as much about what you will do once you’re in college as where you will go.”).  You can learn more from Selingo about his goals in writing this book in his short video:

 

THE COLLEGE CONVERSATION by Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg is exactly as described in its subtitle: “A Practical Companion for Parents to Guide Their Children Along the Path to Higher Education.” Furda (Dean of Admissions, University of Pennsylvania) and Steinberg (author of The Gatekeepers almost two decades ago) repeatedly offer advice to parents such as “this is your opportunity as a parent to set a tone that will encourage your child to value the four years of high school as its own experience, rather than as merely a means to an end” in an effort to ease some of the stress and pressure which students face. The authors explicitly note that parents, counselors and even those in the admissions field recognize “that students have been pushed too hard in recent years at the expense of learning and well-being.” Written before the pandemic forced some limits, Furda and Steinberg encourage students to carefully make the “tough decisions” about extracurricular involvement, be it for areas where they excel, those in which they truly enjoy participating (choir member vs soloist), or an opportunity for self-reflection and service to others.  The text is divided into sections (an outline of “conversations” and recommended activities) on the Discovery Phase, the Search, the Application, the Decision, and the Transition, with each offering helpful details and suggested timelines. All of this relevant information (e.g., mention to the common app spreadsheet on “First Year Deadlines, Fees and Requirements” and references to school-related services like Naviance) should prove useful insight, particularly for parents navigating the process with a child for the first time.

 

College Admission Essentials by Ethan Sawyer

COLLEGE ADMISSION ESSENTIALS by Ethan Sawyer does an excellent job of providing its promised “Step-by-Step Guide to Showing Colleges Who You Are and What Matters to You.” Sawyer encourages learning by doing; he begins with a chapter focused on Essence Objects, Values, and Core Memories Exercises. I was struck by his conversational voice and students will likely appreciate the “you can do this - let’s get to work tone” tone. Throughout the book Sawyer refers to the Treasure Trove of resources on his website which is indeed full of valuable information. In addition, he provides student samples in the book and often defers to another college admissions or counseling expert such as when discussing financial aid, completing the FAFSA, and analyzing award letters. The information in this text is well-organized, with specific chapters on topics like Early Decision and Early Action, Artists and Athletes, First Generation and Low Income students (see his Matchlighters mentoring program), LGBTQ+ students, Transfers and Veterans, plus an appendix with a detailed College Planning Timeline, beginning in 9th grade.

Obviously, this book was written prior to the pandemic’s impact with its shifts towards remote learning, fewer opportunities for traditional extracurricular activities, and restrictions on college visits. However, Sawyer does encourage students to find their passion and that clearly parallels the Making Caring Common Project where in June 2020 College Deans offered suggestions on admissions in response to COVID-19.  Overall, Sawyer understands students, speaks to them effectively, and truly seems to be concerned about them, as when he writes, “I told you at the start of this book my goal was to make this process easier, more fun, and more meaningful. I hope I’ve done that. I also hope this book has helped you discover more about who you are and what you care about.” COLLEGE ADMISSION ESSENTIALS is an exceptionally useful tool that I encourage all of our students to investigate.