Customer Reviews

Rock Hard Apps: How to Write a Killer College Application

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The book has very good points, points I applied to the 10-something drafts of my application. The book reflects the seriousness you should be taking with the application process because, well, think of how much you care about your #1 choice and your last choice to attend. Some of it is a tad obvious, yes. But she focuses your point-of-view to make yourself look good to the only person that matters in this process: the application reader. Most of the book is learning by example; she highlights three students of hers (that paid nearly $30K for her services) and showed them what they did. It mostly works. I wouldnt rave about this book but it does the trick. And I got into the best school on the planet for my major. So I would say by a stack of these types of books, including this one, and assemble your own guidelines from them. It puts your mind in the right places.

In a way, this book perfectly mirrors the author -- mostly flash with not that much substance. Although Cohen represents herself as "having worked in the admissions office," at Yale, she did so as a VOLUNTEER reader, not as an admissions officer. I wonder why the media have not picked up on her lack of experience compared to other authors. On that experience and her Madonna-esqe publicity sense, she has based a thriving business which by all accounts she runs well. However, that does not make her an experienced admissions officer and it shows in the text. This book will of course give students some case studies to base their own applications on, but ultimately, it won't help all that much besides the many well-published facts it regurgitates about admissions. The style is breezy and readable although the book feels like a plug for her business. The best part of the book is the title.

I honestly was not helped by this book. It focused on the cases of three students which I found no relation to on any level. I have not found anyway to improve myself. I'm glad the author was able to help the kids she talked about in the book. But I'm me and I need help and this definately did not provide anything.

I don't plan to go even apply for an Ivy League school so once again this book hasn't helped in that fact either.

I am rising high school senior, and read this book (along with others) to help me prepare for the college application process.
The book has a tendency to the melodramatic, emphasizing the college process as the supreme effort and focus of life. I take personal issue with some of the statements in the book, such as, "the college application is the most important document of one's life up to that point." (Personally I consider birth certificates and social security cards much more important). However, other points such as the emphasis on considering college while choosing your freshman year courses demonstrate a focus that borders on the obsessive and unhealthy. She makes a point about David Horowitz obtaining a 4 on a chemistry AP, but she decided not to take points off for that. She calls a 4 (which is the equivalent of a B in a college-level seminar) ordinary, and a 5 (a college A), excellent. I find this extreme comparison somewhat difficult to justify.
However, there are some useful aspects to the book, which can basically be summed up as don't blow off your application, it's important too. The most helpful section of the book is on the brag sheet, a rarely correctly done section, but other than that the main advice the book gives is to focus on the applicatiions and that no one is guaranteed a slot.
It should also be pointed out that this book is somewhat outdated now. The recent Supreme Court decision regarding the University of Michigan's affirmative action policy outlaws the points system, which is the total basis for evaluation of this book. Since then, colleges have been required to switch from this system, so this is now outdated in terms of its specific usefulness.
However, it's core idea is good (to focus on your application), and it does have useful information about the brag sheet.

how I'm supposed to find anything relevant to MY situation in the advice given to three students, all of whose parents can presumably afford the $29,500 fee the author apparently charges the rich and credulous.

Breezy title, breezy advice -- alas, I can't afford to be so breezy about my college applications. I have too much riding on this year to trust the facile assurances contained in this guide.

I wish I could say I was able to glean even one useful nugget of information I could use or pass on to a friend; lamentably not.

Back to my applications and vocabulary building.

Katherine Cohen's practical and positive advice permeates this book. Not only will you recognize parts of your child in the three students she profiles in the book, but you will know how to help your son or daughter strengthen each college application to assure that his/her strong voice resonates throughout. She reminds us that colleges are looking for passionate young men and women, not automatons, and gives specific recommendations on how to express that in the written application and in the interview.
The college admissions environment has changed dramatically since we parents were applying to college! Every page in Rock Hard Apps contains interesting facts and pragmatic strategies that are relevant NOW. Even if your child is not considering Ivy League colleges, the suggestions in this book will help him/her submit a strong college application.

Books are great and this one was written by a professional who knows what she is taliking about. However, you should also consider all your resources, including guidance counselors, online resources (www.howtogetin.com), college websites, campus tours, test prep services. There are so many aspects to improving your chances of getting into college that it can be overwhelming.

Good information and advice for students who want to get into selective colleges. Really shows the
how-to of what we should not do; as well as what we should say on our applications. Rock Hard Apps...rocks!+++

I read about five books like this in the summer before my son started 12th grade so I could get some insight into what it takes to get into top colleges and I would be prepared to help him with the process. They all had some good information, but "Rock Hard Apps" was far and away THE BEST ONE! They take you completely through three different students credentials and tell what was good and what was bad about each one. They actually list the students GPA, courses they took, SAT scores, AP scores, their application essays, and teacher and counselor recommendations and take you step-by-step through each. When I read the first student's college app essay, I thought it was really good. But then when I read the notes by the author about what was wrong with it, I started to understand the difference. The only thing is I WISH I HAD READ THIS BOOK SOONER. Parents and Students should read this book right away! Even BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL, if possible. I had my son read some parts of it and he decided to take AP Chem and AP Calc BC in his senior year. He wouldn't even consider it before reading this book. It's only March as I write this, but he has already been accepted to 11 of the 18 schools he applied to (no rejections yet). Some of the schools he's been accepted to so far are Georgetown, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, Williams College, Duke, and Univ of Miami. Though we don't know for sure, it may have something to do with him taking a rigorous course load in his senior year. This book really motivated him! And, gave me a lot of insight into what College Admissions Officers are looking for when they read your child's application.

This book got me into my (currently one of the top 10 in the nation) college. It provided the advice and the necessary attitude for me to get into the school of my dreams.

Using it, I really learned how to write an application that would maximize my strengths and minimize my weaknesses, and how to present myself to a college admissions department.

The principles in this book are valuable for anyone writing an application anywhere, but its greatest value is of course in college applications.

The important part is that the advice in this book was worth $30,000 to the parents who approached this counselor, but you can get this advice simply by buying the book. I think that the book is a better deal.