What Colleges Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know)

What Colleges Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know)
Author: Elizabeth Wissner-Gross
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2007-07-31
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780452288546

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 (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know)

What Colleges Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know)
Author: Elizabeth Wissner-Gross
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 461
Release: 2006-08-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1101217995

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.

Game On

Game On
Author: Susan F. Paterno
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Total Pages: 203
Release: 2021-06-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1250622654

Director of the Chapman journalism program—and mother of four recent college grads—Susan F. Paterno leads you through the admissions process to help you and your family make the best decision possible. How is it possible that Harvard is more affordable for most American families than their local state university? Or that up to half of eligible students receive no financial aid? Or that public universities are rejecting homegrown middle- and working-class applicants and instead enrolling wealthy out-of- state students? College admission has escalated into a high-stakes game of emotional and financial survival. How is the deck stacked against you? And what can you do about it? Susan F. Paterno, a veteran academic and journalist, answers these questions and more in Game On. Paterno helped her four very different kids navigate the application process to a wide range of colleges, paying for their four-year educations on a finite budget. She incisively decodes the college admission industry—the consultants, the tutors, the rankers, the branding companies hawking “advantage”—and arms you with the knowledge you need to make the system work for you. You’ll learn how to narrow your focus, analyze who gets in and why, and look for the right financial fit before considering anything else, including geography, reputation, and, especially, ranking. Among the tools and insights in Game On: · Why forty years of failed free-market policies have led to skyrocketing tuition and historic levels of student debt · Why applying to college has become a bewildering maze and how to find your way to a successful result · Why college costs are more terrifying than you think · How to read beyond the rack rate to negotiate the best financial package with the least debt · Why merit is a myth, but merit aid is essential · The difference between family debt and student debt and how to split it A playbook for the Hunger Games of higher education, Game On explains the anxiety, uncertainty, and chaos in college admission, explodes the myth of meritocracy, exposes the academy’s connection to America’s widening gap between rich and poor, and provides strategies to beat—and reform—a broken system.

The College Solution

The College Solution
Author: Lynn O'Shaughnessy
Publisher: FT Press
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2008-06-06
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0132703327

“The College Solution helps readers look beyond over-hyped admission rankings to discover schools that offer a quality education at affordable prices. Taking the guesswork out of saving and finding money for college, this is a practical and insightful must-have guide for every parent!” —Jaye J. Fenderson, Seventeen’s College Columnist and Author, Seventeen’s Guide to Getting into College “This book is a must read in an era of rising tuition and falling admission rates. O’Shaughnessy offers good advice with blessed clarity and brevity.” —Jay Mathews, Washington Post Education Writer and Columnist “I would recommend any parent of a college-bound student read The College Solution.” —Kal Chany, Author, The Princeton Review’s Paying for College Without Going Broke “The College Solution goes beyond other guidebooks in providing an abundance of information about how to afford college, in addition to how to approach the selection process by putting the student first.” —Martha “Marty” O’Connell, Executive Director, Colleges That Change Lives “Lynn O’Shaughnessy always focuses on what’s in the consumer’s best interest, telling families how to save money and avoid making costly mistakes.” —Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher, FinAid.org and Author, FastWeb College Gold “An antidote to the hype and hysteria about getting in and paying for college! O’Shaughnessy has produced an excellent overview that demystifies the college planning process for students and families.” —Barmak Nassirian, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers For millions of families, the college planning experience has become extremely stressful. And, unless your child is an elite student in the academic top 1%, most books on the subject won’t help you. Now, however, there’s a college guide for everyone. In The College Solution, top personal finance journalist Lynn O’Shaughnessy presents an easy-to-use roadmap to finding the right college program (not just the most hyped) and dramatically reducing the cost of college, too. Forget the rankings! Discover what really matters: the quality and value of the programs your child wants and deserves. O’Shaughnessy uncovers “industry secrets” on how colleges actually parcel out financial aid—and how even “average” students can maximize their share. Learn how to send your kids to expensive private schools for virtually the cost of an in-state public college...and how promising students can pay significantly less than the “sticker price” even at the best state universities. No other book offers this much practical guidance on choosing a college...and no other book will save you as much money! • Secrets your school’s guidance counselor doesn’t know yet The surprising ways colleges have changed how they do business • Get every dime of financial aid that’s out there for you Be a “fly on the wall” inside the college financial aid office • U.S. News & World Report: clueless about your child Beyond one-size-fits-all rankings: finding the right program for your teenager • The best bargains in higher education Overlooked academic choices that just might be perfect for you

Grown and Flown

Grown and Flown
Author: Lisa Heffernan
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2019-09-03
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1250188954

PARENTING NEVER ENDS. From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with your teens and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood The high school and college years: an extended roller coaster of academics, friends, first loves, first break-ups, driver’s ed, jobs, and everything in between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? Enter the co-founders of Grown and Flown, Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington. In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition, they launched what has become the largest website and online community for parents of fifteen to twenty-five year olds. Now they’ve compiled new takeaways and fresh insights from all that they’ve learned into this handy, must-have guide. Grown and Flown is a one-stop resource for parenting teenagers, leading up to—and through—high school and those first years of independence. It covers everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic—such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life—it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars. Consider this your parenting lifeline: an easy-to-use manual that offers support and perspective. Grown and Flown is required reading for anyone looking to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.

What High Schools Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You toKnow)

What High Schools Don't Tell You (And Other Parents Don't Want You toKnow)
Author: Elizabeth Wissner-Gross
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2008-06-24
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0452289521

From the author of What Colleges Don’t Tell You, a plan to help parents of middle and early high school students prepare their kids for the best colleges In order to succeed in the fiercely competitive college admissions game, you need a game plan—and you have to start young. In this empowering guide, Elizabeth Wissner- Gross, a nationally sought-after college “packager,” helps parents of seventh to tenth graders create a long-term plan that, come senior year, will allow their kids to virtually write their own ticket into their choice of schools. Parents should start by helping their kids identify their academic passions, then design a four-year strategy based on those interests. The book details hundreds of opportunities available to make kids stand out that most high school guidance counselors and teachers simply don’t know about or don’t think to share. This indispensable guide should be required reading for any parent whose child dreams of attending one of the country’s top colleges.

Love Life

Love Life
Author: Rob Lowe
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2014-04-08
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1451685750

On the heels of his New York Times bestselling Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob Lowe is back with an entertaining collection that “invites readers into his world with easy charm and disarming frankness” (Kirkus Reviews). After the incredible response to his acclaimed bestseller, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Rob Lowe was convinced to mine his experiences for even more stories. The result is Love Life, a memoir about men and women, actors and producers, art and commerce, fathers and sons, movies and TV, addiction and recovery, sex and love. Among the adventures he describes in these pages are: · His visit, as a young man, to Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion, where the naïve actor made a surprising discovery in the hot tub. · The time, as a boy growing up in Malibu, he discovered a vibrator belonging to his best friend’s mother. · What it’s like to be the star and producer of a flop TV show. · How an actor prepares, for Californification, Parks and Recreation, and numerous other roles. · His hilarious account of coaching a kid’s basketball team dominated by helicopter parents. · How his great, great, great, great, great grandfather may have inspired everything from his love of The West Wing to his taste in classic American architecture. · His first visit to college, with his son, who is going to receive the education his father never got. · The time a major movie star stole his girlfriend. Linked by common themes and his philosophical perspective on love—and life—Lowe’s writing “is loaded with showbiz anecdotes, self-deprecating tales, and has a general sweetness” (New York Post).

Hey AdmissionsMom

Hey AdmissionsMom
Author: Carolyn Allison Caplan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2019-03-15
Genre: Study Aids
ISBN: 9781733764100

Welcome to a no-nonsense, unconventional approach to college admissions! Hey AdmissionsMom: Real Talk from Reddit from the voices of r/ApplyingToCollege, with Carolyn Allison Caplan, aka u/admissionsmom FRONT DOOR COLLEGE ADMISSIONS HELP Discover what over 100,000 engaged r/ApplyingToCollege subscribers are learning about as they discuss a fresh approach to college admissions. With Hey AdmissionsMom, Carolyn and the kids from r/ApplyingToCollege give you a place to stop trying to figure out what your top schools want in you and instead ask yourself, What do I want out of life when I leave high school? What do I see for myself? You're a talented, interesting student, and when you really know who you are, you're going to make the best decisions for yourself As a sophomore or junior entering the college admissions process, maybe you're overwhelmed by the paperwork, school descriptions, test score requirements, extracurricular activity options, and the daunting task of figuring it all out without losing yourself. Others of you already started the college admissions process and feel okay about your applications, but you're struggling with the personal statement or essays. Or, you want permission not to be a carbon copy of the ideal student and want out-of-the-box ways to be yourself, both in life and in the admissions process. And you're not just managing your expectations, but also your parents. College admissions can be especially intimidating if your high school sucks, you're first in your family to go to college, or you haven't always been a model student. You might also be a concerned parent or mentor looking for a guide designed not to stress you and your kid out and might even help with that as you learn the ropes of college admissions. For all the times you or your high school student thought, "There has to be a better way," when you hear advice about high-performance, achievement, and crazy amounts of EC's (extracurriculars)... You were right. You just found it. Hey AdmissionsMom: Real Talk from Reddit In this refreshingly honest, irreverent digest of college admissions questions and answers from u/admissionsmom and the subreddit, r/ApplyingToCollege, you'll find 37 bite-sized chapters of practical information, inspiring personal stories, insider tips, and yes, we have to be honest about this here - the occasional swear word, too. The time is NOW for you to: Focus on who you are, what you want from life, and how college fits into your goals, not the reverse Write essays and personal statements that actually sound like you, the real you Stop being one of 50,000 students applying to the same 20 colleges Stay positive even if you're not valedictorian or you didn't cure cancer (nobody else has either -- yet) Find questions asked by students just like you, so you don't feel alone or like you're the only one who doesn't already have it all figured out Take a deep breath as you learn about mindfulness By the end of Hey AdmissionsMom: Real Talk from Reddit, you will have peeled back the layers of your authentic self and be able to appreciate your personality traits, interests, and talents as you breathe and apply to college with a smile.

Who Gets In and Why

Who Gets In and Why
Author: Jeffrey Selingo
Publisher: Scribner
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2020-09-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1982116293

From award-winning higher education journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Selingo comes a revealing look from inside the admissions office—one that identifies surprising strategies that will aid in the college search. Getting into a top-ranked college has never seemed more impossible, with acceptance rates at some elite universities dipping into the single digits. In Who Gets In and Why, journalist and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo dispels entrenched notions of how to compete and win at the admissions game, and reveals that teenagers and parents have much to gain by broadening their notion of what qualifies as a “good college.” Hint: it’s not all about the sticker on the car window. Selingo, who was embedded in three different admissions offices—a selective private university, a leading liberal arts college, and a flagship public campus—closely observed gatekeepers as they made their often agonizing and sometimes life-changing decisions. He also followed select students and their parents, and he traveled around the country meeting with high school counselors, marketers, behind-the-scenes consultants, and college rankers. While many have long believed that admissions is merit-based, rewarding the best students, Who Gets In and Why presents a more complicated truth, showing that “who gets in” is frequently more about the college’s agenda than the applicant. In a world where thousands of equally qualified students vie for a fixed number of spots at elite institutions, admissions officers often make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors—like diversity, money, and, ultimately, whether a student will enroll if accepted. One of the most insightful books ever about “getting in” and what higher education has become, Who Gets In and Why not only provides an unusually intimate look at how admissions decisions get made, but guides prospective students on how to honestly assess their strengths and match with the schools that will best serve their interests.

The College Trap: What Colleges Don't Tell You! What You Need to Know.

The College Trap: What Colleges Don't Tell You! What You Need to Know.
Author: James W. Wilcox Jr
Publisher:
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2019
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781681112794

As a former Academic Dean for Strayer University, James Wilcox, Jr. was alarmed at how many students did not know about accreditation. No one had ever talked to them about early college programs or even taking courses before stepping foot on a college campus. He grew weary of students saying that they wish they would have talked to him before they enrolled at certain colleges.James Wilcox, Jr. was angered by how colleges took advantage of low-income and first-generation college students. Many of these students trusted admissions officers. However, little did they know that they were just a meal-ticket and a salary increase for a dishonest admissions counselor.