Customer Reviews

Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice

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It's rare that I will take the time to rave about a book on Amazon, but this book is most certainly worth it. I have read literally dozens of college-advice books, and - without question - Dr. Hernandez' book has been the most helpful. In fact, if I could have only read one college-application book, this would most definitely be my choice (2nd place going to "On Writing the College Application, by Harry Bauld).

This book is remarkable because of the author's attention to detail. Unlike any other author, Hernandez takes you through the college application literally question-by-question. She also addresses minor questions that I've asked myself before: Should I type or print my application? What order do the supplemental-pages go in? How can I include my AP scores on the common application? etc. etc. All of this stuff may seem trivial now, but I promise you, when you get down the deadline and need a quick answer - you'll thank me (or more specifically, you'll thank the author). This book has what you need to know; no other book I've read goes into this kind of detail.

Because Hernandez' walk-through is for the common application, you can literally follow it step-by-step for 90% of the schools you apply to (it's relevant for all colleges though). I found her writing style is easy-to-follow, yet detailed enough to provide real insight. In addition, as a former English teacher, Hernandez knows her stuff and is able to offer practical advice for the dreaded essays.

The example essays that are used are eye-opening, because none of the kids are out-of-this-world extraordinary. For example, one girl writes about her love for band, but is successful because she conveys a passion in her writing. Passion is one of the words that Hernandez hammers in her writing, because passion is what will help you stand out from a crowd of similarly qualified applicants. ACING will teach you how to weave this passion throughout all of the facets of your application.

As a former Ivy-league admissions officer (i.e. someone who actually evaluated applications for a living), it'd be hard to argue with Hernandez' qualifications. She has gone on to start a college consulting firm, www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com, and the near 100%-acceptance rate of her applicants speaks for the success of her methodology. Obviously, what she's doing works and WORKS WELL.


To close, allow me to reiterate that I have read almost every current college-application book out there. This is the ONLY book that I've read multiple times, and is the single most helpful book on the market. Highly, highly recommended.

Michele Hernandez is one of the best private college counselors in the nation. She is also the author of the excellent college guide "A is for Admission." This book is one of the best among the 10 ones I have read. "Acing the College Application" is not as rich in insights and information as "A is for Admission." This is because it is focused on a more mechanical and narrow topic (how to best fill the actual application so as to maximize your chances).

Nevertheless, I still give this book a strong 5. This is because Hernandez advice on many of the details of filling application is so valuable. There are tons of strategic mistakes one is bound to do just out of ignorance. She gives you the inside scoop on how admission officers read, interpret, and assess the data and qualitative information you provide them. Without understanding somewhat how their brains work, you have little chance of getting in top college regardless of your academic record.

The first half of the book is mainly dedicated to the various essays you have to write to complete an application. Thus, this book doubles up as an excellent college essay guide. She teaches you everything you need to know to be successful on that one count.

Near the end, she covers broader topics in several very interesting chapters, including: what to do if you are deferred or wait listed, early action vs early decision, and weighing your options once you are accepted. Unlike many of her counterparts, Michele Hernandez gives you many other valuable strategic details unencumbered by political correctness. She gets so many things rights that others either miss or get wrong. Regarding early action or decision, she has actually looked at the acceptance rate data and she strongly recommends you use these tools to your advantage to get into a most selective schools. If you don't you are not serious about getting in Princeton, Stanford, and similar schools. Regarding the wait list thing, make sure you find out why you were wait listed. If they say it is because the pool of applicants was unusually competitive; you may as well move on. You are toast. But, if they say it is because they are missing something in your application, you are still right in there. And, you have a good chance of impressing the admission officer with strong follow up. That is a valuable piece of information I had never read anywhere [find out why you are wait listed and respond accordingly].

Overall, I strongly recommend this book. Obviously, you should read it after reading "A is for Admission" to establish a broad based foundation in the college application and selection process. Another top-notch book I strongly recommend is "The Early Admission Game." The coauthors have studied the acceptance data and have measured with the greatest accuracy the advantage in using early action/decision program vs going the regular admission channel.

Michele A. Hernadez the author of "Acing the College Application" is an expert in the field of admissions. With a doctorate in education and her own college consulting business she boasts that she has close to 100% success rate at getting her clients admitted to top colleges.

Sadly most of us can't afford a top notch counselor like Dr. Hernadez and often find ourselves floundering in piles of college applications overwhelmed by the daunting task of filling them out.

Fortunately, Dr. Hernadez has written "Aciing the College Application" to help you present yourself in the best light possible. Learn how to highlight skills, talents and passions in just a few pages.

And the book offers excellent information. It includes an indepth look at the common application. The truth about essays. How to ask guidance counselors and teachers for recommendations.
Which academic subjects, activities and work experience to mention and more.

Sadly the more college preparation books I read the more disagreements I have found. For example,
one issue she discusses is if you should type or handwrite the application. She suggests handwriting as it looks more like the student themselves completed it. Another book I read said that you should type it because studies have shown that papers that were typed were given better grades than handwritten papers. Thus good typing could make the difference between being admitted and being rejected.

She also suggests using blue ink. I was surprised by this as I have always been told black ink was the most professional. On a whim, I called an admissions office and asked (feeling rather anal) which color ink they would like the application written in. The woman who answered said definately black as it was the most professional.

The book also lacks an index. Thus looking for particular information can be time consuming.

Overall its a helpful book and a little fine tuning could make it one of the best.

After being accepted early decision to Princeton University, I had to write a review of this book! I was fortunate enough to find it near the beginning of my junior year of high school, and it stayed with me right up through the agonizing process of completing applications and ultimately gaining admission from my top choice school.
This book is a guide to completing your applications to college--something you've probably worked all the way through high school to get to, but find quite confusing once you are there. However, the way you present yourself on your application is the only way that admissions officers will ever get to know you, so the way that you "market" yourself is of prime importance! In fact, when asked how the admissions office distinguishes among the thousands of applicants with similar profiles, a Harvard admissions officer told me point-blank that "it all comes down to the applicants who can present themselves well on paper." After getting to know some of the other accepted students at Princeton, I, too, would agree: We didn't all cure cancer or publish novels while in high school, but we were all able to effectively convey our curiosity, initiative, and personality well on paper.
So the thing that I think makes this book the best one out there on the subject is that the author, a former assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth, knows exactly what it looks like to present oneself well on paper and, conversely, what it looks like to present oneself poorly on paper. The book presents you with the vantage point of the officer who will be reading your application and deciding whether or not to spend a spot in the freshman class on you. The book also gives you practical, thorough advice on filling out your activity list, writing your essays, getting recommendations from teachers, making your interview work for you, and when to send in supplemental material. There's even a very illuminating chapter on whether or not you should consider applying early action or early decision, which heavily influenced my choice to apply to Princeton under the early decision plan.
To close, I would like to say that this was probably the single most helpful book that I had around as I filled out my applications. It showed me how to work with my profile and high school activities and make it stand out to the admissions committee. It's also great to know that Dr. Hernández is, first, an educator, and it's hard not to get the sense that she truly wants to help students succeed. I highly recommend this book.

I picked up this book not knowing what to expect, with only the willingness to finish some apps. If you have a low GPA, low test scores, low involvement in school, etc. this book will not get you into a good college. What this book will do, however, is tell you how to accentuate your positive attributes, how to show off the intellectual curiosity and passion that the elite universities look for. Including sections on describing extracurriculars, sample essays, tips on filling out the forms themselves, and information on the general admissions process, the book proved quite useful.
PS: As for myself, I got into Columbia, Duke, Williams, and a number of other colleges; I feel books like this played a key role in refining my applications to make me look my very best.

Faced with the terrifying task of starting my college applications, I decided to pick up a book for help. At first, I did not know what to choose, but I finally settled on Michele Hernandez' book because it's so helpful and easy to read. She's very to the point and includes all the essential information, and I felt most confident with her book that I would obtain the information I needed to gain admission to the selective colleges that I am applying to.

Her section on supplementary materials and the interview is especially helpful. I would definitely recommend all high school seniors to purchase this book! It -really- helps.

Acing the College Application is the best book any college-bound Senior could buy. One of the greatest things it provides is a sample activity list. Many students do so many extracurricular activities that it can be hard to package your responses into the tight confines of an application. Hernandez makes this possible, through an activity list, that allows you to elaborate in greate detail without sounding pretentious. My application was greatly enhanced because of this asset. She also offers interview advice and tells you the real deal about extra materials. She answers your every question in this short, easy to read book. I love Michele Hernandez!

Our son is currently engaged in his college hunt. He's a fairly well qualified high school junior...top 10% of his class, varsity sports, Eagle Scout, outside job, etc. We thought this college thing would be a fairly easy process. WRONG!

We are so thankful to have discovered this book. Dr. Hernandez does a superb job of explaining the entire process of applying to a "highly selective" college or university. She provides a behind the scenes look at how a college application is screened, while providing many practical and insightful recommendations on completing the process. Had we not discovered this book I can assure you our son would have made some egregious errors when completing his applications.

To date we've visited Cornell, Duke, Wake Forest and UNC-Chapel Hill. Each of the college admissions lectures we received at these institutions validated the information in this book. It was as though Dr. Hernandez was prescient. If you've not already done so, I cannot encourage you enough to VISIT COLLEGES. Listen to their admissions presentations. Take their tours. Talk to their students. You'll learn a great deal that's not addressed in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review college selection guides. And it's FUN!

Run, don't walk to purchase this publication. It's a quick read. Have a highlighter handy.

I also highly recommend "The Early Admissions Game" by Christopher Avery. It's imperative you understand the effect of "Early Decision" on the college acceptance process.

Good luck during your college hunt!

Jim

This book is basically an instruction manual for applying to college. I particularly like the step-by-step instructions for filling out the common application form, and I think that the advice throughout is sound. The book is very thorough, well organized, and written in a way that will be easy for teens to use. I really think that this book is essential for kids who are applying to private colleges.

The only reservations I have is that the book does not alway make clear what is imperative, and what is merely an opinion of the author. As a parent, I would recommend supplementing the book with other sources of information to help get a better understanding of the process.

Michelle Hernandez does it again. A is for Admission was our family bible for our first two kids but I have to say that this one is just as useful if not more so if you've actually sat down to complete applications. For the first time, we get a real insider's view of every aspect of the college application and how it's judged by selective admissions officers. The examples from her own students (the cover says she runs her own business as well) are fantastic and would give any student a jumping off point from which to begin. I know our kids had trouble starting their essays, but once you read some examples, it's much easier. This is the only book we have found that covers every essay included in the application, not just the main essay. As usual, the writing is excellent and informative and the author's chatty style makes it a quick read. Our bet is that this book will be an even bigger hit than her first book. Congrats on a job well done.