Book: Who Gets In And Why - A Year Inside College Admissions
Author: Jeff Selingo
Pages: 320
This is my 90th read for the year
This is the author's story of following several students and several colleges admission process throughout one year. Jeffrey Selingo visits a selective private university, an elite liberal arts college, and a flagship public college to get some insight on how admissions officers are choosing students to attend their institutions. He also follows several students who have big dreams that change over the course of the year as they apply to schools. He delves into how getting in is more than good grades and SAT scores - especially in a world now that schools are becoming test optional. He shows that colleges do have an agenda - and meeting that agenda, and often their bottom line - is more important than the student.
This was a great book. I have two high school juniors who are starting to make a college list. The author follows these students in 2019, but he has updated the book with information as it relates to post-pandemic admissions and even the 2023 students who were enrolling. He talks deeply about how getting into college has changes with a large uptick in students applying and school going test optional and how prooving that you are a well rounded but serious student is the name of the game. It went from giving me great information also to giving me the cold hard reality that getting into college - especially the ones that kids dream about - is a shot in the dark. The author shares many stories of sitting in the admissions offices and listening to how students are picked (or not). I also enjoyed following along with the students whose dreams of very elite colleges got a hard dose of reality come spring when their acceptance letters came.
For me it gave me some good ideas to help my kids narrow their search and ultimately help them find a place where they will be happy. College is what you make it is the theme of this book and a good message.
Stars: 4.5
No comments:
Post a Comment