Customer Reviews

Admission Matters: What Students and Parents Need to Know About Getting into College

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For three years, my daughter and I read U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking of colleges with growing anxiety, a feeling that she had to apply to "the best" ones. Thank heavens for Admission Matters with its message that my daughter should apply, not to the "best" colleges but to the right colleges, ones which will allow her to blossom.

Admission Matters is really three books. The first contains a wealth of information on how to choose "good fit" colleges. The second offers a behind the scenes understanding of what happens in the admissions office, and the third provides a no-gimmick approach to preparing a strong application.

The authors were able to write a book that was valuable to my daughter and to me. They could not have done that without a deep understanding of the anxiety applying to college creates within the family. Well done!

Finally, a how-to-apply-to-college book that won't make you, or your kids, break out in a cold sweat.

There are no cute tricks here, no half-baked theories, and most thankfully, no anxiety-producing rankings. Just everything you need to know about finding the right college, and getting accepted there--while keeping your sanity.

As a mom of two, I've read many, many college admissions books, but none cover the process from beginning to end as thoroughly as Admission Matters. The chapters on fit (yes, it is possible to be unhappy at Stanford!) and applying early are worth the cost of the book alone. The section on athletics as a "hook" was eye-opening.

Sure, you'll still need Fiske's Guide or one of the other huge tomes that provide the lists and score ranges--but this is the book you'll want to refer to when you finally sit down with your kids to narrow down the choices and get the applications rolling. It's a winner!

As a college counselor, I try to read pretty much everything published in the field, with an eye to recommending the best for my students. After all, applying to college can be a frightening process, all the more alarming because of its complexity and apparent inscrutability. In this second edition, Admission Matters takes the reader through the whole process - from identifying colleges that are right for a given student, through applying for admission and for financial aid, to how to choose which college to attend once accepted. The authors unravel the complexity, explain the jargon, and clarify the seeming inconsistencies of admissions decisions. There are worksheets to help students identify their own priorities in the college search, charts to illustrate the elements of standardized testing and to graph decisions "by the numbers" (prepare to be surprised), practical advice on visiting colleges and interviewing and crafting an essay, a sample blank Common Application, a timeline for the process, and a worksheet for comparing financial aid offers. This book is so complete, so professional, so readable and clear that - for the first time in all the years I've been advising students - I am buying a copy for each of them.

"Admission Matters" attracted me for a number of reasons--the background, experience and knowledge of the authors is compelling, but moreover I chose this book because as the parent of three with two already in college and the third an applicant now, I was hopeful that I would find new details and advice regarding the competitive hurdles that my youngest will be facing. My hopes were more than fulfilled! This book is an engaging and informative resource that blends just the right amount of humor, candor, anectodal details, encouragement and reality for parents and their college bound kids. It is also organized to facilitate quick reads of sections and question areas of greatest interest. This is a refreshing and valuable guide in the high-anxiety sea of college planning.

Many books about college admissions - especially those written by high priced admissions consultants - leave readers with the impression that you need to use some sort of secret (and sometimes devious) trick to get into the college of their choice. This book is different. Sally Springer and Marion Franck demystify what goes on behind the doors of college admissions offices every spring. They provide solid, down-to-earth advice about deciding where to apply and preparing an application that will make admissions officers take notice. No devious or secret tricks here: just great information and terrific ideas that will boost your chances of having a mailbox full of "fat envelopes" come April. Highly recommended.

I'm a huge procrastinator, even when it comes to really important stuff (like applying for college!). Admission Matters had great charts and timelines that have helped me get on track quickly. Although this book isn't exactly pleasure reading material, the quotes and stories made it fun-for a book about college admissions. Overall, the book has been really helpful and informative. Highly recommended!

Admission Matters by Sally Springer and Marion Franck was the most helpful of all the books I read about college admissions. I especially liked the insiders view of what goes on in the selection process in college admissions offices. Even more helpful was the discussion of how important it is to find which colleges are really the right match for my son. After reading this book I feel well prepared to help my college bound son with his college applications.

I have read virtually every book written about selective college admissions and I can tell you that this book is the most up to date, clear, and comprehensive guide you can find. I especially appreciate chapter 3 on how colleges make their decisions, which seems like the biggest mystery to students and parents. The way the authors explain the process from the college side makes absolute sense. While 2 highly selective colleges may make different decisions on the same applicant, you learn that the outcome can be unpredictable but at the same time, not random. You also learn that while you might be qualified to attend a certain college, you may not necessarily get in depending on the institutional priorities of the college and the class they are trying to create. In addition to this valuable information, students and parents get tips on how best to approach each part of the college admissions process. They leave nothing out. You learn how to put together the best list of colleges for you, that are good fits academically, socially and financially. You learn how to rank schools for yourself, instead of buying into the published rankings. In fact, if you follow the advice in the book, you'll have at least 8 first choice colleges to apply to. The authors finally include a whole chapter on how to finance a college education, which in an economic downturn, is critical to understand. So, if you are just embarking on this process or want to get a head start, and you can only invest in one book, this is the book to buy.

As a high school senior, I've been having the usual problems with finding a college that I feel is right for me, and then actually going about the process of applying. Not only was this book helpful in answering nearly all of my questions, but it is written in an interesting, friendly manner that I found heartening in the midst of a process that has been incredibley stressful! I recommend this book not only to high school students but their parents as well - my Mother read it and she loved it too!

This is an outstanding book. What I appreciate most about it is its thoughtfulness. Where other books present statistics and give only brief attention to very important topics, this book presents a fair, smart, and thorough account of the World of Admissions and encourages you to sit down and think about things, guiding you along each step of the process.