Books People Rave About

There are many, many wonderful admissions books available to students and their parents in a variety of areas. Here are some of the best.

1.  ABOUT THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS
If you want to find out how the admissions process (or some aspect of it) works from “the inside,” these books analyze what is currently going on, but don’t tell you what to do.

  • Steinberg, Jacques. The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College. New York, The Penguin Group (Non-Classics), 2003.
    New York Times education writer, Jacques Steinberg, gives a fascinating behind the scenes look at admissions from the perspective of Ralph Figueroa, an admissions officer at Wesleyan University. In many ways, this is what takes places at many private universities in the US.
  • Thacker, Lloyd. College Unranked: Ending the College Admissions Frenzy. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 2005.
    Thacker, a veteran college admissions counselor, is the editor of this book comprised of essays written by presidents and admissions deans at leading colleges suggesting that the current college admissions scene is fraught with problems and should somehow be turned around to better meet the needs of students.

2.  ADMISSIONS “HOW TO” AND ADVICE
Books in this category generally tell you what to do in applying to colleges.

  • Mathews, Jay. Harvard Schmarvard:  Getting Beyond the Ivy League to the College That Is Best for You. New York, NY, Three Rivers Press, 2003.
    Well known Washington Post Education writer, Jay Matthews, uses his enormous treasure chest of knowledge and wonderful wit to explain what the myriad of college admissions elements are all about.
  • Springer, Sally P., Jon Reider, Marion Franck. Admission Matters:  What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting into College (paperback). San Francisco, Ca, Jossey-Bass, 2nd edition, 2009.
    This is probably the best, most reliable, comprehensive book every written about college admissions.

3.  COLLEGE, MAJOR AND PROGRAM RANKINGS
These publications offer rankings of colleges in general, and/or specific kinds of majors, sports, activities and programs in colleges.

  • Antonoff, Steven, Ph.D. The College Finder: Choosing the School That’s Right for You. Westford, MA, Wintergreen Orchard House, 3rd edition, 2008
    Antonoff provides lists and lists of very useful information ranging from what colleges and universities offer the best majors from Anthropology to Design to Leadership Studies to Winemaking, as well as what kinds of learning environments are offered at different schools, what kinds of students go to different colleges, etc.  Very useful.
  • U.S.News & World Report. America’s Best Colleges, 2010 Edition. Washington, DC, U.S. News.
    While many college admissions professionals eschew the rankings that America’s Best Colleges offers, many others appreciate the up-to-date information it provides re median 25th-75th percentile scores for all the colleges in the US, as well as current information on application deadlines, ethnic make-up of the colleges, most popular majors, and expenses for tuition, room and board.

4.  OBJECTIVE ADMISSIONS GUIDES
This category of guides provide objective information about colleges in the U.S. (and sometimes Canada) including Number of Students, High School courses, GPA and Test Scores Needed, Early and Regular Application Due Dates College Costs, Usually updated after every school year, these publication provide “the facts Ma’am, just the facts.”

  • Edwards, John K., Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (Ed). Guide to Architecture Schools, 7th Edition. New York, Association of Collegiate Schools, latest edition.
    If you want to go to architecture school, this is the one and only book to get. All accredited architecture programs are described, as well as useful information about how to apply.
  • The College Board. College Handbook 2010, All-new 47st Edition. New York, The College Board, 2009.
    The most comprehensive, up-to-date demographic information about every accredited college and community college in the US.
  • The College Board. Book of Majors 2010, 4th edition. New York, The College Board, 2006.
    The most comprehensive list of academic majors and programs that exists. Identifies 900+ majors at 3600 colleges in the categories of Associate of Arts, Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate.
  • Everett, Carole J., Peterson’s College Guide for Performing Arts Majors, 2009. Lawrenceville, NJ, Peterson’s, A nelnet company, 2009.
    This is a must book for any high school student wanting to major in dance, music or theater. Everett offers information about the special admissions processes for these different majors, as well as advice about how to put together effective admissions pieces, including audition.
  • Loveland, Elaina.  Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers. Los Altos, CA, SuperCollege, LLC. 2008.
    Loveland offers wonderful, useful information about colleges for actors, artists, dancers, musicians, and writers, not only identifying lists of the best programs by state, but also offering advice about how to apply to the special programs.

5.  SUBJECTIVE ADMISSIONS GUIDES
Subjective Admissions Guides offer reviews of colleges from students and/or other interested people that provide readers a sense about the personality of different colleges.

  • Asher, Donald. Cool Colleges for the Hyper-Intelligent, Self-Directed, Late Blooming, and Just Plain Different. Berkeley, CA, Ten Speed Press, 2007.
    Asher provided the inside scoop on what different kinds of colleges have to offer, including Prep Colleges, the Ivy Leagues, Schools where scholarship is honored, the “Great Books” colleges, colleges that have an ecological focus, colleges that emphasize entrepreneurial studies, engineering, flying, sailing and the military, as well as men’s, women’s and minority focused colleges. This is a one of a kind, witty, useful book for students who are looking for any of the above mentioned categories.
  • Fiske, Edward B. Fiske Guide to Colleges 2010, 26th Edition. Napierville, IL, Sourcebooks, Inc., 2009.
    Brought up-to-date every year, this book provides descriptions from the point of view of students of more than 300 colleges and universities in the U.S. The comments are usually “right-on” and are very useful for students as they develop their college lists.
  • Pope, Loren. Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. New York, Penguin Books, 2006.
    Pope offers detailed information and descriptions of 40 small, liberal arts colleges in the United States, many of which most people have never heard about. By the time you finish reading this book, you’ll want to go to one yourself. This is a must read for any student, whether they are an A or a C student.

6.  SPECIAL INTEREST GUIDES
If you are an athlete, a student with learning or other disabilities, an international student, a member of a minority or religious group, or someone who wants to attend a special college summer program, there is a special admissions book written just for you.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

  • The College Board. International Student Handbook 2007.. New York, The College Board, 2006.
    A good book for international students who want to know about TOEFL requirements, special requirements and services at colleges, etc.

SPECIAL POPULATION GUIDES

Athletes

  • Brown, Stewart. The Student Athlete’s Guide to Getting Recruited. Los Altos, CA, Supercollege, 2008.
    A very detailed, useful book for students who may be or are recruited athletes.
  • Killpatrick, Frances and James Kilpatrick. The Winning Edge: The Student-Athlete’s Guide to College Sports. Alexandria, VA, Octameron Associates, Inc., 2008.
    Information and advice for athletes re how to apply and get admitted to colleges through their superb athletic skills.

Disabled, Learning Disabled

  • Kravets, Marybeth, M.A., and Imy F. Wax, M.S.  The K & W Guide to Colleges For Students With Learning Disabilities Or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, New York, Princeton Review, Random House, 2007
    A book filled with advice to learning disabled students about what to say and do about their learning issues in the college admissions process. Also provides the names of colleges that provide learning services and exactly what you can expect from them.
  • Lipkin, Midge, Ph.D. Colleges With Programs Or Services For Students With Learning Disabilities,3rd edition. Westford, MA, Wintergreen Orchard House, 2009
    By far, the most comprehensive book on what colleges and universities provide students who have learning disabilities.

Underserved Students

  • Rubinoff, Matt and Joseph Tavares, Center for Student Opportunity.  College Access & Opportunity Guide, Dubuque, IA, 2008.
    A wonderful resource book for underserved, first generation students.
  • Windmeyer, Shane L. The Advocate College Guide, New York, NY, Alyson Books, 2006.
    Written by Shane Windmeyer, a founder of Campus Pride, a book that lists the top 100 best campuses for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and more.

7.  OTHER RESOURCES

ESSAY WRITING

  • Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Boston, MA, Shambhala Publications, 2005.
    No writer knows better how to describe how to free yourself up to write well than Natalie Goldberg. She is the best!
  • Strunk, William, Jr., EB White, and Roger Angell. The Elements of Style, 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson Allyn & Bacon, 2008.
    This is a 50 year old, timeless book on how to write, especially for people who have trouble with grammar.

COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE

  • Conley, David T. College And Career Ready: Helping All Students Succeed Beyond High School. San Francisco, CA, Jossey-Bass, 2010
    In this enlightening new book about college readiness, Chapter 3 is particularly useful in helping students know what skills are needed to be successful at college.  http://www.collegecareerready.org/