Updated and completely revised, the ultimate family guide to managing a college search in a positive way. Is your family just starting to think about visiting colleges? Maybe you are in the throes of the college search, feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. Miss a deadline? Should you be looking in-state or out-of-state, big school or small? How do you pay for it, and what is a "FAFSA" anyway? The Truth about College Admission is the easy-to-follow, comprehensive, go-to guide for families. Brennan Barnard and Rick Clark-with combined decades of experience and insight from both the high school and university sides of the process-provide critical advice, thoughtful strategies, helpful direction, and invaluable reassurance during the long and often bewildering college admission journey. This book covers every important step: searching for colleges, creating a list, weighing financial considerations, crafting an application, learning what schools are looking for academically and outside the classroom, and understanding how colleges decide whom to accept. Helpful sections like "Try This," "Talk About This," and "Check In" show your family how to have open and balanced conversations to keep everyone on the same page, feeling less stressed, and actually enjoying the adventure together. This completely revised second edition includes new information on affordability and aid that addresses important financial considerations. It also explores changes in standardized testing and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Truth about College Admission is the practical and inspiring guidebook your family needs, an essential companion on the path toward acceptance to college.
Brennan Barnard is the director of college counseling for Khan Lab School and for the College Guidance Network. He also serves as the college admission program advisor for the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Making Caring Common project. Rick Clark is the assistant vice provost and executive director of undergraduate admission at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Preface Introduction: How to Use This Book Part I 1. Why Are You Going to College? 2. Remapping the Admission Landscape 3. Wedges of College Admission Part II 4. Paying For College 5. Creating a College List 6. The College Visit Part III 7. Admission Plans, Deadlines, and Application Review 8. Classes, Grades, and Testing 9. Essays and Short Answers 10. Activities, Interviews, and Recommendations Part IV 11. Admission Decisions 12. Making Your College Choice 13. Closing Letters Acknowledgements Suggested Further Reading Web Resources Glossary References Index
Updated and completely revised, the ultimate family guide to managing a college search in a positive way.
At last, a book about the college admission process that doesn't promise secret tips for admission (hint--there are none!) but instead provides advice from two respected and experienced professionals. If families are looking for how to manage the college admission process in an ethical, thoughtful, student-centered way, this book provides an important road map written in a way that even the most reluctant student will find engaging. --Thyra L. Briggs, Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid, Harvey Mudd College Honest, insightful, and practical. Barnard and Clark give straightforward guidance to families working to make sense of an ever-changing higher education landscape. Their experiences and reflections provide organization to a process that can feel, at times, overwhelming. --Erica Sanders, Director of Undergraduate Admissions, University of Michigan In a time when the college admission process seems fraught with mystery, anxiety, and competitiveness, this book achieves something most college guides don't: it balances the why with the how. The authors guide students and families through the deeper questions of why they want to go to college and what they hope to achieve. They then demystify the process and provide tactical and solutions-driven support for a student's journey to higher education. If you are looking for a book to help you navigate the admission process with passion and purpose, this is the one. --Dr. Angel B. Perez, CEO, National Association for College Admission Counseling THE admission guidebook for families that will take them through the entire college admissions process. --Maureen Fenton, Grown & Flown
