This single book offers parents a simple guide and practical advice about the college admissions process. It brings together all the information parents need to know from freshman year in high school to acceptance into college. The author's research and personal experience provide a unique perspective on college admissions. The facts, simple steps, checklists, resources and reality checks in this book will empower parents to take an active role in effectively helping their teens find the colleges that are the best fit.

Demystifying the process of completing a college application Written by two former admissions officers at top universities and current admissions coaches, this book is a must-have for preparing a winning college application. The authors reveal the mystery behind what college admissions officers are looking for and show applicants how to leverage their credentials, stand out in the over-crowded applicants' pool, and make a genuine, memorable impression. This is the book that will help the college-bound get off the "like many others" pile and onto the acceptance list. Includes instructions and examples for every component of the college application, from writing the essay to answering questions like "Why do you want to go to College X?" Shows how to avoid underestimating the importance of critical features on any application Includes the latest information on the Common Application 4.0 and corrects outdated, holdover advice still stressed in many other books This book is filled with step-by-step advice that students and parents can use immediately and will refer to again and again.

“An intelligent, authentic, and humorous approach in helping your student select the best college academically, personally, and financially.” —Todd Rinehart, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment, University of Denver Written for parents and families of college-bound students, Jon McGee’s Dear Parents is an essential tool you’ll need to navigate the complex and often emotional challenge of getting your daughter or son prepared for—and through—college. Organized chronologically, the book takes readers through the stages of childhood leading up to college, as well as the process of searching for and selecting a college. From the decisions you make during your child’s early years to the process of setting up their dorm room, this book provides parents with insights, wisdom, and guidance about college, college preparation, and choosing a college. Letters written by college and educational professionals, all with children, frame and illuminate each chapter. Drawing on their personal and professional experience, these experts offer practical and sympathetic advice about preparing for college. The book concludes with insights about sending children off to college and the appropriate roles for parents as your children experience these important years. Undergirded by research but informed by on-the-ground insight, Dear Parents is designed to both engage and inform while demystifying the daunting and ever-changing process of entering college. “Jon McGee is the equivalent of your higher education Sherpa. He has brilliantly succeeded in making the complex and nerve-racking expedition into college search and selection easier to understand. This book is an indispensable resource for students and families embarking on the journey.” —Beck A. Taylor, President, Whitworth University

A top college admissions insider exposes the never-before revealed secrets to getting into one of America’s elite colleges. Your child is smart. Your child is on the honor roll. Your child aced the SAT. But is it enough to get into a top-tier college? In the Dirty Little Secrets of Getting into a Top College, educational consultant Pria Chatterjee simplifies the complicated process of college admissions, providing parents and students with the tools needed to secure a spot at one of America’s most competitive colleges. In the spirit of Kitchen Confidential, Chatterjee gives readers an exclusive look inside the college admissions office—and the mind of a college admissions officer—and exposes just what elite schools look for in a potential student. Through a series of real-world case studies and with a store of deep insider knowledge, Chatterjee will help you navigate the thicket of college admissions and show parents and students what skills and attributes to stress (and what to downplay) when applying to your dream school. • 100% SUCCESS RATE: This is the bullet proof guide to getting into a top college from a consultant with a 100 percent success rate getting her clients into one of America’s best universities. • INSIDER KNOWLEDGE: Last year 35,000 students applied to Harvard. Only 6 percent were accepted. Chatterjee, a Harvard alum who interviews potential Harvard students as a member of the university’s schools committee, explains that you too can be a member of that elite group. But you must stress the right qualifications.

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.

Smarten Up—It's Time to Choose the Right College Think that your life's growth, success, and happiness depend on which college you attend? The higher-profile school, the better, right? Wrong! Neither is true. Written by, yes, a Harvard grad, Harvard Schmarvard rebuts the perception that image is everything when it comes to college and emphasizes this simple fact: What you will be measured by in life is your talent and energy, not your college's name. Packed with practical information and insider tips, this must-have guide will help you determine which school fits you. Inside, you'll find: ·How to survive the application process without losing your sanity or sense of humor ·Tips on writing essays, visiting campuses, and keeping cool during your college interviews ·The truth about search letter scams and the early admissions game ·Plus loads of other invaluable insight! So take a deep breath and exhale your worries and fears. Let Harvard Schmarvard debunk the myths, expose you to the truth, and clear your mind so you can weigh what's really important.

Now a USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller! How do you REALLY get accepted to Harvard, Yale, and the Ivy League? Told from the fresh and personal perspective of 26-year-old Crimson Education CEO and Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford graduate Jamie Beaton, Accepted! is an honest and practical guide on beating the odds and getting into Ivy League and other elite schools – the smart way. Beaton takes you behind the doors of the world's top college admissions offices, revealing the highly strategic selection processes applied by institutions whose reputations depend on the number of students they admit, or more pointedly, the tens of thousands that they don't. In Accepted!, Beaton delivers the ultimate insider "how to" and disrupts cliched admissions advice with savvy strategies like: Moneyballing the university rankings and increasing your chances of admission Class spamming your way to academic supremacy and acceptance Playing the early application dating game and understanding how institutions are using it to their reputational advantage Packed with real-life examples from the thousands of students Beaton has helped land a spot at Harvard, Stanford, and other esteemed universities, Accepted! is a never-before assembled culmination of secrets, insights, and application strategies guaranteed to maximize your chances of "getting in" to the school of your choice. From ambitious students and their supportive parents to academic advisors and admissions professionals, Accepted! is the must-read guide to demystifying the often-convoluted and increasingly competitive world of elite college admissions.