<p>You are a wise curmudgeon. ;)</p>
<p>Admission Matters by Sally Springer et al. Current (2nd Edition, 2009), well written and organized.</p>
<p>Our library</p>
<p>A is for Admission - Michelle Hernandez - read this when they’re in 9th or 10th grade. </p>
<p>How to Get Into the Top Colleges - Richard Montauk, Christa Klein - nuts and bolts of college admissions process with lots of quotes from different deans of admissions. Strategies for different types of kids. Pretty comprehensive. </p>
<p>Acing the College Application - Michelle Hernandez - A must have for filling out the common application and applications for other competitive schools. Her ideas on using an Activity List are terrific. She also has excellent essay strategy. </p>
<p>On Writing the College Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance and the College of your Choice - Harold Bauld - D thought this was just the right advise on how to find her own voice. </p>
<p>If he’s already in 11th grade and I had to choose one book, I’d choose How to Get Into the Top Colleges.</p>
<p>Although it is not a classic “how to get in” book, I think the College That Change Lives argument has a lot of merit.</p>
<p>The only downside to the “CTCL” book is that it lacks any schools in the West. </p>
<p>I think there are plenty that change lives in the western part of the US. I would love to see this updated.</p>
<p>I have lived in the West my entire life, and been around higher ed for a career. While there are probably schools in CA he could have covered, the ones he did (Evergreen, Whitman, and Reed) are pretty much the ballgame. Maybe Gonzaga, but the list gets pretty thin after that. The proliferation of small LACs is pretty much an east of the 100th meridian phenomenon.</p>
<p>On college essays, this is invaluable:</p>
<p>amazon.com/What-Dont-Know-Keep-College/dp/1592403026/ref=pd<em>sim</em>b_3</p>
<p>Title:</p>
<p>What You Don’t Know Can Keep You Out of College: A Top Consultant Explains the 13 Fatal Application Mistakes and Why Character Is the Key to College Admissions </p>
<p>Author:</p>
<p>Don Dunbar</p>
<p>The great thing about this book is that is discusses pitfalls. Though it tells you how to write a good essay, it also tells you what NOT to write.</p>
<p>I know from a friend that his daughter, who had stellar stats, was rejected at her safety and I am pretty sure she broke one of the rules (don’t complain about how other kids had it easier than you in life, it sounds negative and like you might have an attitude towards others).</p>
<p>This book can save people being unnecessarily rejected due to a bad signal sent in a essay.</p>
<p>Very very helpful book.</p>
<p>Used it with my daughter’s essays, she landed in her reach school. Obviously, this is not a cause and effect, but her essays were strong and she made sure they did not break any of the rules.</p>
<p>Oxy or Pomona? </p>
<p>Most of the LACs mentioned in that book have about 1000-2000 students. I think that is why so many aren’t included.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone, I will continue to read the summaries on Amazon or if I’m lucky the library has some I can check out for free.</p>
<p>Samurailandshark, you need to do it like this for the OP:</p>
<p>College P<em>R</em>O<em>W</em>L<em>E</em>R<em>.com. And U</em>N<em>I</em>G<em>O</em>.com. The Op will have to remove the asterisks.</p>
<p>I did figure it out. And also the U<em>N</em>I<em>G</em>O one that was censored, another good site I already knew about.</p>
<p>If you’re trying for only one book to cover everything I second “How to Get Into the Top Colleges.” It had everything in it and my son and I turned to it a lot throughout the process. He especially found it helpful prior to interviews.</p>
<p>If you’re willing to go with a few more, I like the Bauld book and “Acing the College Application.” I agree with GorgesDad that Don Dunbar’s book on mistakes to avoid is helpful.</p>
<p>I agree–</p>
<p>liked The College Admissions Mystique by Bill Mayher<br>
and The Gatekeepers…</p>
<p>later bought A is for Admission which was helpful
more so than Playing the Game</p>
<p>you will have to google for search engines and help online…some are much better than others…</p>
<p>For essays
On Writing the College Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance and the College of your Choice - Harold Bauld</p>
<p>I can’t wonder if “A for Admission” is becoming dated, given that acceptance rates to the Ivy League are about half of what they were when she was on the admissions staff at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>^^ I think it is dated…which is why it was “helpful” yet not nearly as good as Admissions Mystique </p>
<p>she gives lots of tables and stats…which were helpful for looking at AI…</p>
<p>Playing the Game was “ok” - probably great for a football parent - kiddo isn’t a football player and frankly we knew everything in principle by the time we got the book…</p>
<p>There is a recent updated edition of A is for Admissions, which reflects the new realities</p>
<p>For anyone who wants a list of what many recommended:</p>
<p>Getting in" by Katherine Cohen
Fiske Guide to Colleges
Admission Matters by Sally Springer et al. Current (2nd Edition, 2009)
“Choosing the Right College” and is edited by John Zmirak.
A is for Admissions by Michelle Hernandez
Acing the College Application - Michelle Hernandez - A must have for filling out the common application
The College Admissions Mystique by Bill Mayher
Choosing the Right College
Loren Pope’s Colleges That Change Lives
Writing the College Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance and the College of your Choice - Harold Bauld
What You Don’t Know Can Keep You Out of College: A Top Consultant Explains the 13 Fatal Application Mistakes and Why Character Is the Key to College Admissions by Don Dunbar
The College Admissions Mystique by Bill Mayher
and The Gatekeepers…</p>
<p>Thanks everyone ;)</p>
<p>I think I’ve read most of the ones that have been mentioned here and I agree that there is not one good all inclusive book. I enjoyed reading Harvard Schmarvard and The Gatekeepers for an understanding of how the admissions process works. I liked this one - [Amazon.com:</a> Finding the College That’s Right for You! (0639785387336): John Palladino: Gateway](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Finding-College-Thats-Right-You/dp/0071423060/ref=sr_1_6?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285348050&sr=8-6]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Finding-College-Thats-Right-You/dp/0071423060/ref=sr_1_6?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285348050&sr=8-6) and Colleges that Change Lives for specific college reviews. For starters, I think it’s good to just go to your local library and see what’s available and inter-library loan others. If you like them and think you’ll refer to them again, buy them new or used on Amazon. I was very glad I didn’t pay full price for some books that only talked about the “top schools”.</p>
<p>I like College ******* (http://**************.com/). It is comprehensive, honest, and easy to read.</p>
<p>I don’t know why it won’t let me say *******, so I guess i’ll just spell it out: College P R O W L E R</p>