List Price: $16.99 Details

Save: $5.00 (29%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery: Friday, July 9 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Thursday, July 8
Order within 21 hrs and 6 mins Details

In Stock.

$$11.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Ships from	Amazon.com
Sold by	Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: This item is returnable

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Friday, July 9 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Used: Good | Details

Sold by AJ's Pop-up Shop

Fulfilled by Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

$11.68
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: RNA TRADE LLC

$11.95
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: IanGood

$16.35
FREE Shipping on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Sold by: BOOKS of WONDER

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

Follow the Author

Frank Bruni

Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania Paperback – March 8, 2016

by Frank Bruni (Author)

379 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$2.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$15.50

$4.19

$0.25

Paperback

"Please retry"

$11.99

$9.35

$0.94

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$16.31

$14.11

$6.90

Read award-winning journalist Frank Bruni's New York Times bestseller: an inspiring manifesto about everything wrong with today's frenzied college admissions process and how to make the most of your college years.

Over the last few decades, Americans have turned college admissions into a terrifying and occasionally devastating process, preceded by test prep, tutors, all sorts of stratagems, all kinds of rankings, and a conviction among too many young people that their futures will be determined and their worth established by which schools say yes and which say no.

In Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be, Frank Bruni explains why this mindset is wrong, giving students and their parents a new perspective on this brutal, deeply flawed competition and a path out of the anxiety that it provokes.

Bruni, a bestselling author and a columnist for the New York Times, shows that the Ivy League has no monopoly on corner offices, governors' mansions, or the most prestigious academic and scientific grants. Through statistics, surveys, and the stories of hugely successful people, he demonstrates that many kinds of colleges serve as ideal springboards. And he illuminates how to make the most of them. What matters in the end are students' efforts in and out of the classroom, not the name on their diploma.

Where you go isn't who you'll be. Americans need to hear that--and this indispensable manifesto says it with eloquence and respect for the real promise of higher education.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Grand Central Publishing
Publication date

March 8, 2016
Dimensions

5.3 x 0.95 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

1455532681
ISBN-13

978-1455532681
See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Jeffrey Selingo
583
Hardcover
in Higher Education Administration
$16.31
Ron Lieber
323
Hardcover
in College & University Financial Aid
$15.29
Edward Fiske
1,112
Paperback
$22.99
Loren Pope
343
Paperback
$12.29
Brennan Barnard
87
Paperback
$19.95
Sara Harberson
34
Paperback
$16.99

Get everything you need

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Jeannie Burlowski
162
Paperback
$33.24
Malcolm Gladwell
6,152
Paperback
$11.98
Julie Lythcott-Haims
1,103
Paperback
$9.99
N. T. Wright
100
Paperback
$9.59
Michael B. Horn
31
Hardcover
$21.29
William Deresiewicz
492
Paperback
$15.44

Special offers and product promotions

Amazon Business: Make the most of your Amazon Business account with exclusive tools and savings. Login now

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frank Bruni is the author of three bestselling books and an op-ed columnist for the New York Times. Prior, he worked as the newspaper's chief restaurant critic, Rome bureau chief and White House correspondent.

Start reading Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing; Updated, Expanded edition (March 8, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1455532681
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1455532681
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.95 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #26,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #74 in Parenting & Family Reference
- #303 in Higher & Continuing Education
- #855 in Success Self-Help

Customer Reviews:
379 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		74%
4 star		13%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

HBP

Well-intentioned, but elitist. Bruni falls prey to the very thing he's criticizing.

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2017

Verified Purchase

My rising high school junior just finished this and here are her words: "This is the worst book I've ever read. I was offended by the examples of "mediocre" schools used because they are actually still top schools. His examples used Scripps and William and Mary as "backup schools." These are not realistic "backup" schools for most students. They are aspirational. He creates an unrealistic picture. I think it has a good central idea, but it drags on and on and his perspective is elite. Not every kid is bummed out when they get a B+."

Mom's take: Bruni has a nice idea that needs to be heard--where you go doesn't define you. But he writes like--and FOR--the ivy-bound, elite east coast prep school graduate. His tales (way, way too many) of how students managed to thrive even though they were forced to attend "non elite" schools misses the mark for the vast majority of students. Save your money. Tell your child that where they go doesn't have to define them. Then buy "A+ Schools for B+ Students" or "Colleges that Change Lives."

112 people found this helpful

Helpful

Rachel

Terrible

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

This book is a waste of time. It's essentially a poorly written rant about the college process, mixed with contradicting statements. The authors examples to support his opinions are facts copied from your typical websites - niche.com, prepscholar, wikipedia. He spent a lot of time complaining without offering a solution. His examples for successful people who went to non-ivy schools were mostly government officials who reached success late in their life. I can't speak for every high schooler, but I can assume most are not wanting to go to college to be successful when they are 60, they want to be successful NOW. Other people he brought up (like John Green or Mark Cubin) reached their success very unconventionally and were not a 'good' example or accurate to real/regular life. If you're still interested in reading, there is one anecdote in the beginning of the book where one student went to an ivy league school, the other a state school and they both ended up at the same entry level job. After that you can put the book down. I think the message that the college process is flawed is important, he just did a terrible job getting across that message.

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Frisky

Trust my wife: extremely useful

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

OK, I did not read this book - my wife did. She knows a lot, went to a top school. Every few minutes she would say, "this is really useful." She found a lot of new, interesting insights throughout - there is no higher recommendation, she's very critical. So trust her, not me.

21 people found this helpful

Helpful

Avid Reader

A must read for parents who have kids going to college!!

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2015

Verified Purchase

A must read for parents who have kids going to college!! I think this is a great book and I read it at the perfect time as I have a 10th grader. The positives are that the author gives lots of real life examples of "successful" people who didn't go to Harvard! His main point is that where you go to college doesn't really effect your life in the long run and we all know this is true but I guess we need to read a whole book telling us so. He also introduces a lot of data and different kinds of metrics -- other than the apparently flawed US News & World report ratings - to evaluate colleges . I really enjoyed his (and all the other people he interviewed) attack on the skewed methodology used by US News and how it has negatively influenced how college admissions operate!! There is definitely something wrong with this system and Frank Bruni uncovers all the problems in this fascinating book. The only negative for me is that I would have liked exact numbers (and pie charts) in some of his examples. He tends to lean toward qualitative data and his own summery rather than giving the read the exact numbers. He likes to ballpark his data. Also, I am not sure that the average middle class family who can barely afford the local community college is obsessed with college rankings and Ivy League schools. I think the audience for this book is the affluent, private school and top public school parents who have been thinking about college since kindergarten. All the tiger moms should read this!!

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Gary A. NY

A Must Read for Everyone in the Notorious Race Known as College Admissions!

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

Excellent book and I read it at the perfect time as I have a High School Sophomore approaching her Junior year. The author, Frank Bruni gives lots of real-life examples of “successful” people who didn't go to Harvard! Bruni’s book is a gift to educate young people and adults that where we go to college will have infinitely less bearing on our fulfillment in life than so much else. That’s something we all know in retrospect but that’s hard to know in prospect for anyone caught in what Bruni calls the “college admissions mania.” I enjoy that Bruni gets personal in this book by writing about his own college experience. After prep school in New England, Bruni made the unusual though hardly sacrificial decision to waive his acceptance to Yale in favor of Chapel Hill. Bruni writes poetically about his experience in North Carolina, which, to his prep school friends, was equivalent to exile, but where he found passionate teachers. He also discovered that his classmates were more likely than those of his siblings (who attended elite colleges) to have part-time jobs off campus to help pay the tuition rather than second homes on Caribbean islands. Bruni learned something about the rarity of his own privilege! I read this book with frequent nods of recognition. In addition, I really enjoyed Bruni’s approach on tackling the distorted methodology used by U.S. News and World Report, and how it has negatively influenced how college admissions operate. There is something so disturbing and wrong with this system and Bruni uncovers all the problems in this fascinating book! The book is “A must-read for parents and their High School children”!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Marisa Mendel

Wonderful words of wisdom

Reviewed in Canada on April 18, 2015

Verified Purchase

I highly recommend this book to any young adult (or full grown adult) planning to go to university or college. Frank Bruni makes a very compelling case against the "college admission mania". He deconstructs the unquestioned assumptions around the hierarchy of higher ed institutions and the obsession around "labels" and "status", and cogently argues for a healthier way of choosing the "right" college/uni -- one that's underpinned by deep self-awareness, and one that will ultimately enrich the student's life and will give her an edge towards meaningful success. I love that Bruni puts back in the agenda the importance of hard work, reflection, and being fully engaged in one's college career. This book is jam-packed with highly relevant real-world cases that drive home Bruni's points. It's thoughtfully researched, well written, backed by solid examples, and overall an engaging read.

Parents, school counsellors, higher ed administrators would also find this book a relevant read. I myself bought this book because I felt that it would be illuminating as I plan to go back to university for my master's degree. (I have finished undergrad, have since developed a great career, and been out of university for eight years.) I have to say, reading this book has brought to surface what my educational priorities really are at this stage of my career, and it will serve me well as I pick the institution and program that's right for ME as I continue my journey in higher learning. Well done, Mr. Bruni!

One person found this helpful

carol

Music to a parents' ears.

Reviewed in France on April 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

Frank Bruni reminds us that the college application process is just another step in our children's education, as is attending college, and experiencing all that these institutions have to offer. But just as in life, we are not defined by any one experience. What matters most is what you do when you get there, not which school you go to.

C. Grieco

A MUST READ FOR COLLGE and UNIVERSITY PLANNING

Reviewed in Canada on July 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

For parents, graduates and prospective students, a MUST read