Location:Home » » Subjects » What Colleges Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know): 272 Secrets for Getting Your Kid into the Top Schools
Product Description A sought-after packager of high school students shares 272 secrets to help parents get their kids into the top schools
Targeting the savvy parents of today?s college-bound teenagers who seek to gain a proven edge in the college admissions process, this book reveals 272 little-known secrets to help parents get their kids into the school of their dreams.
Did you know? ? A child?s guidance counselor can help reverse a deferral. ? A parent can help get a child off a waiting list. ? There is a way for students to back out of Early Decision once they?ve been accepted.
Based on the controversial insider information Elizabeth Wissner-Gross has gleaned from working as a highly successful packager of high school students and from interviews with heads of admission at the nation?s top colleges, this book empowers parents by decoding the admissions process.
WHAT COLLEGES DON'T TELL YOU September 11, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After reading this book, I was glad that I didn't purchase it, but instead borrowed it from a friend. The whole book is a list of `secrets' for getting your kid into a top school. Some of the more helpful secrets, I thought, were not so much secrets as much as they were good old-fashioned common sense. One example of this can be found on page 245, where secret 231 gives you a list of questions that your child should not ask during a college interview. A few of those questions: Is the drinking age really enforced on campus? Are there dorms for smokers? Are drugs tolerated? Is there a wakeup call in the dorms?
Another example of common sense is found in secret 160, it suggests that your kid doesn't sabotage his own admissions by putting inappropriate e-mail addresses in his college application. Secret 160 gives examples of such e-mail address: Naked1, or Druggy2, or XFelon3, or Crack4, or Jailbird, or Dumbchick.
The least helpful secrets, to me anyway, were mostly over the top helicopter parenting tips. A few examples:
SECRET 60, suggest that your child's backpack is "family property" and should not contain anything personal. It says to go through your kid's backpack nightly (the author is talking about a high school aged child). Make folders for each course and keep score on course averages.
SECRET 63, "Secretly organize your child. Foolish parents complain to teachers or other parents that their kid is so disorganized or keeps a messy backpack or even a messy room. Invade. Clean up the kids act."
As a parent, I was able to find a few helpful hints, but not enough to justify spending $15 for my own copy. If you are considering purchasing this collection of 272 'secrets' let me add my own secret...Take an hour at the book store and skim through these secrets with a cup of coffee before spending your money.
My thought: A college should meet the true needs, skills, talents, and ambitions of the student, not the capability of the student's parent to manipulate not only their kid, but also the admissions office of their perceived "top school".
This book helped me get into the Ivy League! May 4, 2008 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I know this book is written for the parents, but, as a student, I found this book to be EXTREMELY helpful. I'll tell you the difference right off the bat: as a high school senior, I applied to renowned universities like Johns Hopkins, Tufts, and Boston College, and was not admitted to any of them. I was forced to go to the one public school I applied to and was very bitter about it. The first year at my public college, I tried to transfer to Johns Hopkins, hoping that my previous wait-listed status meant I would make a terrific transfer student. I was rejected once again... Then I bought this book the following year, and I was able to get into every college I applied to after that, including Cornell. I went from being turned down by second-tier schools to getting accepted into the Ivy League.. all from taking advice from this book.
Other reviewers complain about the cut-throat and perhaps manipulative approach this book wants parents to take, but I didn't read this book as a parent. The tips I focused on instead were the ones about the application process itself. I do believe that parents should encourage their kids to take part in extracurriculars in which the child both enjoys and stand outs, but someone that deserves to go a good school should be able to handle their own homework deadlines and applications. The book instead should be taken as guidance for things like writing a non-blase application essay, getting good recommendations, what to do on college interviews, and how to show an admissions committee that a student's qualities and passions are essential for their university.
Essential November 25, 2007 1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I also was sorry this book was not available until my daughter's senior year. And I wish the same author's book for high school parents had been available earlier, too. We struggled through the high-anxiety of senior year (and are fortunate to have a college freshman who received a lot of fat envelopes and is happy with her choice). We had the benefit of an enormously talented college advisor at school, but not every family does. For them especially, this book is essential. One will never think the same way about things again and can avoid some now-obvious mis-steps. She will not take away all the worry. That goes with the territory.
Indispensable Consumer-Oriented Reference September 15, 2007 3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Having recently gone through the college admissions process with two children, we've looked at most of the books in this category. What sets this book apart from the others is the fact that the author is unquestionably on the side of you, the consumer. Ms. Wisner-Gross lends transparency to the business of college admissions, and offers many suggestions reflecting her ability to think outside of the box. This book was extremely helpful to us, and a clear favorite.
Getting Your Child Into a Top School September 1, 2007 8 out of 11 found this review helpful
The presentation emphasizes the importance of monitoring grades from the 9th grade onward because this provides a good predictor of future performance. In addition, parents should track grading rubrics. Student practice is important to solidify knowledge of the technical subject areas. i.e. math, science and foreign language
Sometimes, group study can make tedious work more palatable and manageable. The author provides a list of excellent colleges that do not require an SAT score. i.e. Bates, Bowdoin, and Harvey Mudd engineering school. Olin College provides a free engineering school. The author recommends that students provide a resume, chart and no picture.
Essays should provide a sincere recitation of your accomplishments and what you plan to contribute to the college. Applicants should demonstrate a passion for the area of study in the application. In addition, areas of strength should be emphasized.
The authors really do not explain the pitfalls of selecting a top school. First of all, what is a top school? Is it a place with a 100% job placement rate or a place where only PhDs are hired or a place where top SAT scorers are highly sought out? In my own experience, it is important to visit the institution of choice and talk to current and former students. Do students seem to be happy? Are they overworked? Do teachers teach or do student teachers take up most of the teaching load because professors are too busy publishing and doing research? These are all areas to be investigated because college is a multi-year commitment in time and money.
The author doesn't say so; however, a top school consists of the following: o excellent job placement/prospects in your major area of study o good preparation for graduate school work, if ever contemplated o comprehensive teaching by academic types or working professionals o a current curriculum (although professional licensure courses of study are mandated by state or federal law) o a reasonable cost for the value of the education provided o a roster of accomplishment by the alumni i.e. Professional licensure, PhD or graduate education, publishing, inventorship, identification by the print media
There are things you do not want in a top school. i.e.
o professors or teachers who delegate too much teaching to assistants o instruction that is too esoteric or theoretical o an institution that doesn't link the education to professional placement o too much adherence to bell curves and rigid grading rubrics o teaching that assumes too much prior background in the subject matter o an environment which is not conducive to learning o an unaffordable cost for the education
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