Fat Envelope Frenzy: One Year, Five Promising Students, and the Pursuit of the Ivy League Prize [Paperback]

Joie Jager-Hyman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2008

A former Ivy League admissions officer, Joie Jager-Hyman follows five bright and eager high schoolers—students from diverse ethnic, social, and financial backgrounds—as they each put their best foot forward on the road they hope will lead them to the hallowed halls of Harvard University.

At once a remarkable true story of dedication, achievement, and heartbreak and a guide for success in an ultra-competitive environment, this important work deserves a place in the home of every family that has ever dreamed of receiving that coveted “fat envelope” in the mail. Jager-Hyman also offers a startlingly frank appraisal of the college admission process and the important roles race and class continue to play in a student's efforts to attend the best school possible.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A former admissions officer at Dartmouth, Jager-Hyman decided to select five promising high school seniors and follow their progress through the college application process. She'd been concerned with what she calls fat envelope frenzy (fat envelope refers to the fact that acceptance brings many pages of info and forms to fill out, while rejection is just a single-page letter) and an obsession with accomplishment predicated on the myth that college admission is contingent solely on merit. On the contrary, Jager-Hyman says, colleges have many conflicting admissions objectives, making their policies confusing. Jager-Hyman then introduces the five high school students she's chosen to follow. Four of the five are incredible overachievers: in addition to nearly perfect grades and test scores, one's an Olympics-bound gymnast, one's a world-class pianist, one's a talented engineering student, and another's an Ethiopian-American math whiz. The fifth, a plucky Dominican-American, has lower scores and grades; her struggle for admission to the Ivies is more complicated, but potentially more instructive. Jager-Hyman follows all five through the emotional high points of the process—deciding where to apply, writing essays, going for interviews, awaiting the fat envelopes and then deciding which to accept. There are few surprises; all these talented students end up going to great schools. In the end, Jager-Hyman's book is padded with too many asides, and she offers little insider admissions advice. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Jager-Hyman’s engaging stories of real students provide a much-needed reminder that the road taken may mean more than the destination, and---whatever the college-admission outcomes--there are many such roads to happiness and success.” (Sally Rubenstone, senior counselor, CollegeConfidential.com )

“Fat Envelope Frenzy will rivet all readers and make everyone who applies to an Ivy League college - whether they are accepted or not - feel infinitely better and infinitely wiser. Unmissable.” (Naomi Wolf, bestselling author of The End of America )

“[A]n engaging and informative book that every parent with a high-school student will want to read.” (Wall Street Journal )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 231 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061257168
• ISBN-13: 978-0061257162
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,699 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book., March 12, 2008

By 

Kate Torgovnick (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fat Envelope Frenzy: One Year, Five Promising Students, and the Pursuit of the Ivy League Prize (Paperback)

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's still shocking to me how hard it is to get into an ivy league school, so it's great to get a former college admission's officers take on thing. The author definitely demystified things--for instance I never knew that being wait-listed in all but the rarest cases means your out.

But the best thing about this book is the five kids who are followed during the year they are applying to college. One is the US champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Another spent his summers in China working in orphanages. Another is a math machine. And a fourth had his family home trashed in Hurricane Katrina. All such fascinating teenagers, with really moving stories.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, insightful and engaging, March 15, 2008

By 

R. Bloom (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fat Envelope Frenzy: One Year, Five Promising Students, and the Pursuit of the Ivy League Prize (Paperback)

Fat Envelope Frenzy is a wonderful, engaging, easy read. I kept tearing up as I read it - at the students essays, as they received their letters of acceptance and sadly for some, rejections. Aside from the personal stories of the 5 students, I also found myself learning a lot from the author's insider knowledge about college admissions and the history of the admission process. I thought I knew it all about the admissions process, but this book taught me a lot. A+

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A quick, intereseting, and informative read, March 14, 2008

By 

Melvin JHM (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fat Envelope Frenzy (Kindle Edition)

Joie Jager-Hyman's "Fat Envelope Frenzy" is both informative and interesting. In fact, I read the whole book in one day! The author does an excellent job of demystifying the college admissions process, which I must admit, has baffled me ever since I went through it myself years ago. However, what makes the book truly special are the engaging stories of the talented, dynamic students whom the author followed for a year. Ms. Jager-Hyman writes about these individuals with great respect and without reducing them to stereotypes. I definitely recommend this book!