The College Conversation: A Practical Companion for Parents to Guide Their Children Along the Path to Higher Education

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 49 ratings

Price: 13.78

Last update: 12-11-2024


About this item

From an Ivy League dean and a college admissions expert, a guide to help parents support their children as they navigate their way to college

The College Conversation is a comprehensive resource for mapping the path through the college application process that provides practical advice and reassurance to keep both anxious parents and confused children sane and grounded. Rather than adding to the existing canon of "How to Get In" college guides or rankings, Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg provide a step-by-step approach to having the tough conversations on this topic with less stress and more success.

The book is organized around key discussions and themes that trace the chronological arc of admissions and financial aid - beginning before the assembly of a list of potential colleges and continuing through the receipt of decisions - with a final section that includes advice on the first year of college. The topics include preliminary conversations about the search, and specifically how parents can think about their children's interests and what kind of college would best suit them; choosing a college (based on its curriculum, culture, and community); writing the most effective essays; assessing acceptances, including considerations of finances and aid; and making the transition from high school to college life.

The College Conversation will provide parents, students, and counselors with the credible, level-headed information often missing in this process, as well as a much-needed dash of perspective borne of experience.


Top reviews from the United States

CoffeePlease
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide to Navigating the College Process
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2020
Mother of two here (senior and sophomore). Do yourself (and your child) a favor and get this book -- it is the only one you will need. Embarking on the college process with my oldest felt daunting, but The College Conversation does an excellent job of describing the applications and admissions process and providing practical, concrete steps for navigating it. What I loved most is the holistic approach. The book describes all the phases of the process -- discovery, search, application, decisions and the transition -- and within each part, provides specific activities that encourage self-reflection. Putting this discipline to the process minimizes anxiety and creates space for calm, thoughtful and authentic conversations (priceless). The College Conversation also helps with establishing “parental guardrails” necessary to support our daughter without removing her responsibility, so that she has maintained ownership of the college process. Can’t say enough good things about The College Conversation and will be using it again soon when our son is ready to embark on his own college adventure!
Robert Bransfield
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent advice for parents/students who are starting the college process.
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2020
The College Conversation offers the definitive answers to all your questions about how to undertake the extraordinarily challenging process of looking at colleges. If you are a parent of a college bound young adult, this book will help guide you through the conversations you must have to reach the answers you are seeking. You are offered the advice of experts; both Steinberg and Furda literally have been in the "college world" for decades. Skip the consultant and just use this book as your guide, you can't go wrong.
Mark S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for parents of high school kids
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2020
Highly recommend this book for every high school parent! In a calm and reassuring way, it offers helpful guidance on how to support your teen through the college application process. Yet it does so in a way that allows your teen – not you (the parent) – to own the process. The authors’ backgrounds in college admissions and education offer an insider’s view on what really matters and, just as importantly, what are the things you should not stress about. It’s an easy read, too.
David Brause
5.0 out of 5 stars Great advice from two experts on the subject
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2020
Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg have written an incredibly helpful book on a complicated topic in a troubled time. This book gives great advice to parents and students going through each step of the college search and admission process with concrete action steps throughout. As a parent who has been through the process and is about to begin it again, this will provide a great resource for our family to de-stress and enjoy this adventure! Well done!
C.M.
5.0 out of 5 stars A useful and informative resource
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2020
Eric Furda and Jacques Steinberg bring their combined backgrounds in education, college admissions, journalism and thought leading to their new book "The College Conversation." Before you have these conversations with you teen, read this book to help you frame and plan for the entire application process. As a co-author of "The Parent Compass: Navigating Your Teen's Wellness and Academic Journey in Today's Competitive World," I believe in the role of parents as collaborators and partners as opposed to managers and fixers. We all want to have positive relationships with our teens, and this book will help you do so, too. This is a terrific guide that maps out tangible conversations that you can model or replicate in order to have a healthy, thoughtful college application process for you and your teen.
Jessica L
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for college counselors
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2021
As a college counselor, I’m so grateful for Eric's show The Process, coursera class How to Apply to College, and this book The College Conversation! Eric has helped bring more low-income, first gen students to Penn and gives practical advice to anxious families like to control what you can control.
Amazon Customer
2.0 out of 5 stars clichés and platitudes
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2021
Not inspiring, not creative, not interesting in any measure.
As a how to approach the topic, is boring.
As far as content in itself about the process of admissions to college, nothing in there.
I got this as a suggestion from Amazon as I was researching books... I will be more leery of their suggestions in the future. A waste of paper.
kgrammats
5.0 out of 5 stars Appealing to Everyone
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2020
Unsurprisingly, this is well written ( Furda’s blog should be its own book) and it is appealing to anyone who has ever been curious about the process. Important read for parents with kids of any age- in my opinion!

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