This group includes so many knowledgeable and well-read people that I’m curious which books you’ve found most interesting and enlightening on the subject of higher education. What books would you recommend for students entering undergraduate or graduate school, or for parents who are fascinated by the topic? We enjoyed Zac Bissonnette’s books “Debt-Free U” and “How to be Richer, Smarter, and Better-Looking Than Your Parents.” I also find “A Beautiful Mind” by Sylvia Nasar to be interesting from the perspective of the history of higher education in America.
I loved “I Find That Offensive” by Claire Fox. Really speaks to the “save space” movement and what it means for our universities.
Well…, “Dear Committee Members” is a fiction book that gives an interesting perspective.
“How children succeed” by Paul Tough for education in general. Hope this helps!
Paying for the Party
There’s also a rich and wonderful history of the comic academic novel – Richard Russo’s Straight Man, Kingsley Amis’ Lucky Jim and David Lodge’s Changing Places are three funny titles to consider.
Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni was enlightening.
^^^ I’ll second the vote on the Frank Bruni book, it was probably the most impactful book I read on the college process.
Specific to the topic of paying for college, I’d recommend The Financial Aid Handbook by Stack and Vedvik. Their recommendations are very much in line with the conventional wisdom here on CC: spend a lot of time with the NPCs, and target schools where your kid’s stats places them in the top 25% of the student body. There’s an interesting chapter in that book where they talk about student debt, and the burden it can be on a recent college graduate.
Thanks for all the great suggestions!
Teaching to Trassgress by bell hooks is still white-hot.
Excellent sheep
Another novel --Moo by Jane Smiley
How to Win at College by Cal Newport
Bok & Bowen, The Shape of the River. Not what people on CC want to hear, generally, and maybe getting a little outdated, but still the most authentic document imaginable of elite establishment thinking.
“There Is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow” by Jeffrey J. Selingo.
*^ Teaching to Transgress (phone keyboard…)
Just suggesting, not meaning to endorse: Some of the popular titles are getting a tad dated, but books by college admissions officers about the admissions process are interesting. For example, Admissions Confidential: An Insider’s Account of the Elite College Selection Process by Rachel Toor. There are others by former admissions staff from Stanford, Dartmouth, Wesleyan, etc. Also, books from journalists, such as The Price of Admission: How America’s Ruling Class Buys Its Way into Elite Colleges–and Who Gets Left Outside the Gates by Daniel Golden.
The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College is a fascinating one, but maybe a bit dated. (2003).