Recently I wrote a blog post about podcasts hosted by admissions experts. For those who prefer to get their information the old-fashioned way, here’s a list of books that tell it like it is.
Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni – Bruni is an award-winning New York Times journalist. In his book, he examines everything that’s wrong with the college admissions process. He then offers students and their parents a new perspective and a way to reduce the anxiety the process provokes. Bruni also emphasizes that, in terms of career/life outcomes, it doesn’t matter so much which college you attend, but how you make the most of your time there.
The Price You Pay for College by Ron Lieber – Named one of the best books of 2021 by NPR, Lieber honestly approaches the biggest financial decision many families will ever make: what to pay for college. Considering four years of learning and living on-campus costs $100,000 at many public flagship universities and some families are paying three or four times that much at private colleges, this book is a must-read.
Who Gets In and Why by Jeff Selingo – Selingo is an award-winning higher education journalist and author who embedded himself in three different admissions offices in order to write this book. In it, he sets aside long-held ideas of how to compete in and win the admissions “game” and focuses instead on changing our perception of what qualifies as a “good college.”
Colleges That Change Lives by Loren Pope – First published in 1996, Pope’s book has been a must read for parents and students for decades. The newest edition, written by Hilary Masell Oswald (Pope passed away in 2008), profiles 40 colleges which offer greater value than the Ivies and large research universities in terms of producing successful graduates. The book highlights colleges appropriate not only for A students, but also for those who get Bs and Cs.
Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic and What We Can Do About It by Jennifer Breheny Wallace – An award-winning reporter, Wallace conducted interviews with families and educators and conducted a survey of over 6,000 parents to expose the rise of “toxic achievement culture” and how we can fight back. Wallace explains what kids need is not more pressure from the adults to succeed in high school and get into a “good” college, but to feel like they matter and to know their self-worth is not based solely on their achievements. For more on the book, as well as a webinar the author hosted in late 2023, see this blog post.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused a Mental Health Epidemic by Jonathan Haidt – A #1 New York Times bestseller and a Wall Street Journal top 10 Book of 2024, The Anxious Generation is not, strictly speaking, about college admissions. However, it presents a frank discussion of the consequences of our virtual world and offers ideas that could help protect kids and make them more ready to face the challenges of college and adult life.
Happy reading!
