<p>I suspect the author may end up reading this thread at some point. And if he does, I also expect he will thoroughly enjoy all the comments, both positive and negative, although for different reasons.</p>
<p>Just finished the book. I found it thoroughly entertaining (although not terribly insightful) and would certainly recommend it to someone interested in “the process” that is colelgea dmissions. I have to agree with Xiggi. It is not that he is not an “average joe,” it is that Ferguson went through the book without humility. To digress, that is why I love Bill Bryson so much–he takes you on a journey to a new place with a humble curiosity that makes you really appreciate his perspective. I could not say the same about “Crazy U.”</p>
<p>I’m still chuckling over the dad you rewrote your rewrite!</p>
<p>Wish the Borders or B&N carried it here. I don’t want to buy it but want to read it. Disappointed to find out that BSU is UVA. I hardly call that an “average” kid’s landing. I was hoping that this was truly a story of someone with a kid with good but not excellent grades, decent, but not high SATs looking for affordable options. That’s the book I’d like to write with this year’s experience with my 4th kid.</p>
<p>I’ve read enough reviews to want to read the book-I have a junior and there is considerable stress in our house. I think the book brings humor to the situation, and we could use some. I do wonder how his son got into UVa however. UVa is a tough ticket.
As far as the CC criticism, I check this site constantly for a number of topics dealing with individual schools etc. This site has been a Godsend for me. But, it can be overwhelming, and my D says she gets depressed, because everyone seems to have better “stats” then she has. I told her that I suspect many of the kids who post…lie. After you have been here awhile you can sift through the BS, and so many people have such useful advice and information.
This site is my bible, but…I still intend to read the book, and I suspect I will love it.</p>
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<p>Will come in handy when reading Crazy U with the hope of finding something useful to HELP your child. Inasmuch as everyone can use a bit of levity, that is about all you’ll get out of it. If this book is a “crash course” for parents, Amy Chua’s book should the seminal work in laissez-faire parenting.</p>
<p>I have to say that I enjoyed this book immensely and the mere act of both parents reading it reduced the stress level in the house. This is my 3rd time around and it never gets easier. It does seem that most everyone writing here may have missed a very significant message of the book; that perhaps you need to trust your kids instincts a little more and land the helicopter for a while.</p>
<p>Not sure if this link from today’s WSJ is accessible to all, but here goes:</p>
<p>[Andrew</a> Ferguson: Congratulations! You’ve Been Accepted to BSU - WSJ.com](<a href=“Andrew Ferguson: Congratulations! You've Been Accepted to BSU - WSJ”>Andrew Ferguson: Congratulations! You've Been Accepted to BSU - WSJ)</p>
<p>I just finished Crazy U. and found it funny and engaging, an easy, breezy read. But the section of the book concerning finances had me scratching my head. To hear Ferguson tell it, the first time he heard the letters FAFSA strung together was some time after his son had completed all his applications. Umm, really? Only someone who truly has no concern about financing a kid’s education would be THAT uninformed so late in the game. Of course, had he spent more quality time on CC (rather than dipping in only long enough to get fodder for dissing the site and the community) he certainly would have known a lot more than he professed to know at that point.</p>
<p>A little late to the party—just finished the book, got it out of the library. I agree it wouldn’t be worth purchasing, and am also somewhat annoyed that BSU turned out to be a very coveted school…on the other hand, I hope the kid is making the most of the opportunity. I actually found myself wishing he could get into Georgetown, since that seemed to be the single moment that sparked his intellectual enthusiasm.</p>
<p>What I found most interesting was the “value” aspect. Of the small LACs that we visited, several offered SERIOUS job placement (Goucher, Wheaton (MA)). That certainly should be a priority for those families looking for “value,” per se.</p>
<p>mothek, you mention an aspect of the book which relates to a hard question that Ferguson waits until towards the end of the book to briefly confront: is a degree from X College really <em>worth</em> the cost and effort? Of course it is, right? That’s a universal truth which no one could seriously question. </p>
<p>But then you wonder, well, how do you measure “worth”? By the job attained after graduation? If you pay more for a better school that means your child will get a higher paying or more influential position, no? And we all know the majority of higher-educated folks with the biggest salaries and most important positions are alumni of the best schools, don’t we?</p>
<p>Or maybe college is really more about knowledge, not career training? The higher the tuition the more learning acquired, correct? Unlike before admission, there is no SAT-like exam given to departing students, but no doubt if there were the scores would demonstrate an intellectual and cultural expansion and enrichment clearly proportional to the thousands of dollars invested. Agreed?</p>
<p>Or maybe cold analytical logic does not apply because the worth is more ethereal? The more selective the school the more estimable the immediate assumptions made about a graduate. It’s the pre-conceived perception, the automatic prestige. That pays for itself doesn’t it?</p>
<p>Or maybe, as the author seems to imply, this question is just too uncomfortable for most folks to dwell on. Right or wrong, it is what it is. We are irrevocably invested emotionally in our college dreams, and while unquestioned faith in its worth could ultimately prove fallacious, to not join in on all the craziness, well, that would just come across as truly insane. Right?</p>
<p>As a W&M grad, BSU is a very apt description of UVirgina. when the son says he wants to major in beer, he found the perfect school. Loved the book.</p>
<p>PLEASE, do not revive old threads. they should be used for informational purposes only.</p>