<p>My son is a high school junior who heard from a friend about a weekend retreat later this spring. The idea behind the retreat is that you spend a weekend with admissions experts (former admissions officers, expert application advisors, etc) and talk about the ins and outs of the process, as well as brainstorming strategies on how to get in & how to create the perfect application. </p>
<p>My son is a great student with high potential, but has anyone had experience with retreats like this? Are they truly helpful? If so, do you have any recommendations on which ones are the best?</p>
<p>Depends on who’s offering it . . . can you provide a link?</p>
<p>In general, I think that just about ANYTHING that gets kids more interested in the process is a good thing. The earlier they start thinking about it, the better!</p>
<p>But, there are plenty of college advising companies that are just looking for another chance to take money out of YOUR pockets. They say “college admissions,” and your checkbook opens. After all, who isn’t willing to pay a little bit (or a lot!) if it will help their kid get into college?</p>
<p>So, is this a non-profit org that’s really into this to help the kids . . . or is it another for-profit scheme to separate well-intentioned parents from their hard-earned money?</p>
<p>Be aware that there isn’t ANYTHING about the college admissions process that you and your student can’t learn here on CC . . . from financing, to application writing, to college selection. If there’s a book out there that can help, you can be sure that someone on CC has already recommended it. (You want my list of recommended books for high school juniors? Just ask! :))</p>
<p>Thanks so much for your reply! The program is the one run by Michele Hernandez, Application Boot Camp. Even though Ms. Hernandez is an expert, keep in mind this was NOT a consideration for us, since it’s $14,000. That’s 1/3 the cost of a year of tuition for just four days! We’d have to be insane to spend that kind of money. I guess I was just asking to see if anyone knew about programs that were more reasonably priced, or perhaps ones run by non-profits. I know of a few that are only around $300 for two or three days. </p>
<p>And yes, I would LOVE your list of recommended books for high school juniors. I really appreciate it! Thank you for your kindness :)</p>
<p>Do you want books for the parent to read or the HS Jr himself? I have read many books but have not had any luck getting my HS Jr to read any. Links to articles work well…</p>
<p>Will happily share the books I have found useful, if that is indeed what you want. Just LMK.</p>
<p>Gatekeepers by Jacques Steinberg, Michelle Hernandez’s book obviously, Crazy U, Neurotic Parent’s Guide (just to help keep your sanity–will make you laugh and cry), and there was another one written by someone who worked at Duke, but I cannot recall the title and I found it a bit depressing! There is also one written by a man who worked as a GC at Oyster Bay HS (Acceptance). Most of these should be available at your library.</p>
<p>Now, if you already have a Jr, you probably don’t have time to sit down and read four or five novels. The books listed above are books I read last year when I was trying to familiarize myself with the process and how it has changed since I applied 30 years ago. If you just want books that describe the schools, I have liked Fiske Guide and Insider’s Guide to the Colleges. This was the one I used back when it was one-fith the size and called the Yale Insider’s Guide. I also have 376 Best Colleges (Princeton Review) but don’t find that as useful as Fiske. </p>
<p>I read the library books and bought the guide books before I knew about CC, so as Dodgersmom said, you can find all of this info and more on CC, but if you need an overview of the process, these books may help.</p>
<p>Check with your own college alum association. The admissions staff at my alma mater run short workshops every year for alums’ kids during the reunion weekend.</p>
<p>As mentioned above: [Acceptance[/url</a>] by David Marcus. Just a wonderful inspiring book about the admissions season for one small group of public school kids with an absolutely amazing guidance counselor.</p>
<p>Another vote here for Fiske Guide to Colleges as a great starting point for finding some colleges. And for spending time on CC – the resources out here are honestly better than any book.</p>