Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 1,242 ratings

Price: 17.05

Last update: 09-07-2024


About this item

A New York Times Notable Book of 2020

From award-winning higher education journalist and New York Times best-selling author Jeffrey Selingo comes a revealing look from inside the admissions office - one that identifies surprising strategies that will aid in the college search.

Getting into a top-ranked college has never seemed more impossible, with acceptance rates at some elite universities dipping into the single digits. In Who Gets in and Why, journalist and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo dispels entrenched notions of how to compete and win at the admissions game and reveals that teenagers and parents have much to gain by broadening their notion of what qualifies as a "good college". Hint: It's not all about the sticker on the car window.

Selingo, who was embedded in three different admissions offices - a selective private university, a leading liberal arts college, and a flagship public campus - closely observed gatekeepers as they made their often agonizing and sometimes life-changing decisions. He also followed select students and their parents, and he traveled around the country meeting with high school counselors, marketers, behind-the-scenes consultants, and college rankers.

While many have long believed that admissions is merit-based, rewarding the best students, Who Gets in and Why presents a more complicated truth, showing that "who gets in" is frequently more about the college's agenda than the applicant. In a world where thousands of equally qualified students vie for a fixed number of spots at elite institutions, admissions officers often make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors - like diversity, money, and, ultimately, whether a student will enroll if accepted.

One of the most insightful books ever about "getting in" and what higher education has become, Who Gets in and Why not only provides an usually intimate look at how admissions decisions get made, but guides prospective students on how to honestly assess their strengths and match with the schools that will best serve their interests.


Top reviews from the United States

V. Fumo
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read Book if you're planning to go to College
Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2024
My child is in high school and we're starting to think about college. As a parent, this is an overwhelming undertaking and things are way different than 20-30 years ago when we applied.

This extremely well researched and well written and interesting book helped me learn so much about the admissions process. What to worry about, what not to worry about, what to do to get on the right track, etc. All of it was covered.

Get this book and read it. It may be all you need.
Chris Waldorf
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insights
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2024
Excellent book that provides great insights into college admissions process. Book really moves along in an insightful way and author is very thoughtful and independent-minded in best way.
swt
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but for the Ivy infatuated
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024
A well-researched, written book, however, it is geared for those parents/kids who are obsessed with the idea of going to elite colleges. My wife and I are both well educated but we, nor our children, have been seduced by the prospect of rubbing elbows with the "elite". I guess this reinforced our current philosophy to work hard wherever you go to college and most of all avoid debt.
Julian Cran
5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have For Parents With College Age Kids
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2024
"Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions" is a must-have for parents with college-age kids. The book provides a detailed, behind-the-scenes look at the college admissions process, offering invaluable insights and practical advice. It’s informative and eye-opening, helping parents understand what really influences admissions decisions and how to better support their children through the process. A highly recommended read for navigating the complexities of college admissions.
Freestream
5.0 out of 5 stars llluminating, thought provoking, and addictive.
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2021
This book is more riveting than any spy novel. It's well organized and well written, and most of all, highly illuminating of a subject that is more shadowy than any spy organization – the college admissions process. Although there are some infuriating comments by some players in the book (like one admissions officer who seems to think that no good deed by the well-to-do should ever go unpunished -- I'd love to see his RSVP to his own invitation to go shovel elephant poop for the summer for no pay, or bet him on how many underprivileged kids would want to join him), the author deftly avoids tipping his hand as to his own beliefs, always maintaining his journalist ethic. Still, I came away feeling he had changed my mind about some things. I am still convinced that meritocracy is fair. Measuring merit is the only fair way to do college admissions. The problem is that measuring merit is so murky. Is the kid that must study and do homework in a busy, noisy restaurant kitchen every night because that’s where both his parents work going to have the grades and test scores of a kid that has a quiet, nurturing environment to study in? Do rich kids really score well on their SAT just because they can afford to take it multiple times, or do they do well taking it only once, because they inherited the money-making, test-taking genes of their rich, intelligent parents? The SAT only tests for certain kinds of intelligence. What of the kid with extreme artistic talent or the ability to recognize, deconstruct, and reconstruct abstract concepts like so many pieces of Lego? Is the SAT going to show their capabilities? Perhaps aptitude testing should be major specific? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could identify and educate everyone up to the limits of their talents? Then we can let the chips fall where they may. Until then, we are probably all stuck with a lot of unfairness that none of us deserve but all of us have to live with – on both sides. The author offers some great ideas that are steps in the right direction and this book should be required reading by all students planning to go to college as well as their parents. I want to thank the author for writing it. I really needed this book.
Chris Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Cannot recommend this book highly enough! If you only buy one, its this one...
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2023
I bought 4 college admissions books to get an overview of the process for my kids. This is the only one I finished, and it is extraordinary. Its hard to capture how amazing this book is, but:

* It is extraordinarily deeply researched. Want to know how the software used in high school counseling offices my cause your kid to get imperfect advice, that is like 1/2 a page. Want to know why applying early decision is usually advantageous, but not for every student, again, maybe 5 pages. This book is full of obscure insights that the author got through extraordinarily detailed reporting.

* It is willing to think broadly. The author is focused on what is really best for kids. That is not necessarily going to the top name brand school. The author isn't opposed to name brand schools, but he has a broader and more thoughtful view of the overall admissions context.

* The book is just riveting. I found myself staying up way past my normal bedtime reading it. It feels like you are being let behind the curtain, and the college industry is just nuts! (For example, they call the campus tour the "million dollar tour" at many top colleges, know why? 4 students on a tour is $1M in potential tuition. As a result, they don't let hung over students say whatever they want anymore, there's a whole consulting industry around optimizing college tours).

I think you could open this book to any page and find some fascinating, surprising, and relevant tidbit.

So, highly recommended. In fact, I just bought the author's other book (its about how to make the most of your college experience and get a good job, which says something about the author).

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