<p>Anybody read it? Use it for their apps? It's my bible right now, but I feel like some of the things she says are contradictory to what colleges are saying, possibly because it's 2 years old and college admissions have gotten crazier by the minute...</p>
<p>I wish I had it (they don't sell it where I live, and I don't have a credit card to order it online), but with my early applications (the majority of my applications) due in a little over a month, it wouldn't do much but make me depressed. From what I've gathered here, it basically tells how impossible admissions are today and how almost every aspect of an Ivy League/Ivy equivalent application has to be absolutely perfect. What does it say that's contradictory?</p>
<p>It's out of date and includes some silly advice. Prefer current information from admission officers </p>
<p>as you plan where and how to apply.</p>
<p>The "out-of-date," "silly" book is one we obeyed like a bible, with 100% winning results 3 yrs ago. We combined its contents with what was current at the time, & with our common sense. In other words, we merely adapted its ideas in the few areas where adaptation was indicated (due to things like meeting, talking to, admissions officers). As with other kinds of literature, interpretation & application of the material to one's own circumstances are the key responses.</p>
<p>I've read it. I like the essays but the activities sheet was wayyyyyy too long IMHO.</p>
<p>lol, my chart is really long. Not a laundry list, but it explains my one-of-a-kind ECs in thorough detail (at 6 pages). Even though I'm homeschooled and probably get a bit more leeway when it comes to extra documentation, I think I'm going to cut it down.</p>
<p>Clarifying...</p>
<p>We didn't do a chart. Again, one's own intuition & judgment come into play to shape the contents, figuratively & physically, into the format most readable to a committee, relative to those activities & the intended communication.</p>
<p>The main point is to classify/categorize, include key elements such as prioritizing in importance, quantifying when possible or appropriate, & explaining succinctly the activity & role.</p>
<p>Thus, we used an outline instead, with bolded titles & an indented format with sufficient white space to make for efficient reading. Phrases rather than long sentences which slow the reader down. The committee wants a summary of data, not a narrative. (The narrative is saved for the essay.)</p>