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

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More About This Book

Overview

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 theyfive 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.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
A self-styled "educational strategist" and mother of two high achievers, journalist Wissner-Gross has found a keenly sought after niche in helping parents "package" their children for college admission. The author's approach is to endow the student's advocate, usually a parent who has the most time to devote to the task, with the skills to elicit and enhance the student's natural accomplishments, rendering him or her desirable to colleges. Through sound experience, and the use of scattered case profiles, Wissner-Gross demonstrates that even students with extremely unlikely prospects for admission to good colleges can succeed handsomely when they are wisely packaged-i.e., when their specific academic passions ("the current buzzword") are extracted and polished. The author highlights 272 "secrets" to winning at the college application process, from answering the Big Question of why a specific college would take one's son or daughter to preparing for standardized testing and interviews with college admissions officers. Most helpful is the author's advice gleaned from admissions officers about the best and worst kinds of application essays ("Avoid writing an essay about a luxury tour"), and her reminder to stay persistent even when a student is waitlisted at her college of choice. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780452288546
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 7/31/2007
  • Edition description: Reprint
  • Pages: 336
  • Sales rank: 215,235
  • Product dimensions: 5.62 (w) x 8.52 (h) x 0.73 (d)

Meet the Author

Elizabeth Wissner-Gross, trained as a journalist, has for ten years succeeded in helping students, including her own children, gain admission offers to Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, and other competitive colleges.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5
( 9 )

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(3)

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(2)

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Sort by: Showing all of 9 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 30, 2007

    Too much parental involvement, but good advice

    I am a sophomore in high school, and am trying to do everything I can to present myself better to colleges. As soon as I started reading this book, I realized that it would be a waste of time. The author, in her own words, states 'students expect their parents to offer full service right through high school and organize more than just soccer schedules.' I'm sorry, but this might be the book for non-motivated, unsecure, lost high schoolers, but definitely not for me. Parents DO play a part in helping nurture their children and open up their interests, but they ARE NOT the reason that students get into great colleges. I agree with the previous reviews. The advice on getting into colleges is great, but the whole concept of the full parental involvement is completely overwhelming, and will probably leave your child unsecure, and begging for the 'mommy' once they hit college. Students should learn to be interested in subjects, manage their time, and complete tasks mostly on their own, not with a mentor breathing down their back 24 hours a day. And to sum it up, I AM a very successful student, whose parents gave me guidance when I needed it, and didn't control every minute of my life.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted September 5, 2009

    I wouldn't recommend.

    No real revelations here. The vast majority of the "secrets" in this book are just plain common sense.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted August 17, 2009

    Who Knows?

    Applying to college is stressful; this book confirms that, though, who doubted it? I appreciated the thought, research and overall concept. There were some solid ideas about organization, how to obtain information, the reality of the competition that exists, what the mind set is (might be?) when your child's application is reviewed. But I kept thinking, "Who would really do all of this stuff?" Some of the ideas are outlandish, while others are worth the price of the book. If you're interested in gleaning information to help you feel prepared, this is a great resource. My conclusion? Who knows if this will help in the end, but I'm glad that I read it.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 23, 2009

    Great read for the ambitious

    This book offers wonderful insight into the compeitive world of college and getting into the college of one's choice. Many points in this books confirm the facts that many already know but it also adds various points that are essential to the next ambitious competitor seeking admission into one of the best schools that this nation has to offer. An aspect that is very appreciated of the author is her flexibility. She knows that every student has a "top" school that will suit his/her needs and although it may not be on the top 100 colleges list, it is a school that the student will find success in. She clearly points out that every student should have the oppurtunity to study where they want, therefore this book will help any student. Not just the ivy leaguers. The only badside is that if more people find out all of her outstanding secrets, there may be increasing compeition and hardship for the aspiring students.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 21, 2006

    What an Eye-Opener!

    This book, What Colleges Don't Tell You is a most helpful book for every parent. Reading it has given me much insight as to what college admissions and college preparation are all about.I have been reading it cover to cover and found so much valuable info that I want to praise the book to the highest. I give it ***** (5 stars). Anyone whose child is in high school must read this book. I wish I knew all about it when my first child was entering college, but I will use it now for the second and third.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted September 26, 2006

    Please, do your children a favor: don't read this book

    As a college-bound senior, I have read countless books on the admission process. All of them claim to boost a student's chances at acceptance to a 'top' school none of them are worth the paper they are printed on. _What Colleges Don't Tell you (And Other Parents Don't Want You to Know)_ is by far the worst. It encourages parental over-involvement taken to a whole new level. At times, the Ms. Wissner-Gross's advice borders on frightening. This sort of parenting has created a generation of chronically dependent, miserable adolescents incapable of thinking for themselves. The book is not without merit. I am sure that, if a parent followed all of its advice, his or her child would be sought after by many 'top' colleges. But there's a catch: the child would be completely unable to care for himself/herself. So before reading this book, as yourself: do I want my child to be accepted to College X, or do I want him/her to be able to survive once he/she gets there?

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  • Anonymous

    Posted August 10, 2010

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    Posted February 4, 2012

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 27, 2011

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