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Summary: Save Yourself Hours of Research
Review: As a parent with a son who wants to attend an ivy league school, I've done a ton of research. After all, we all want our kids to have every opportunity to pursue their dreams. The information found in this book summarizes most everything I've had to find the hard way. It also contains the information everyone wants to know; that being, the real criteria used for admissions, and what can be done to present an application in the best possible light. Additionally, the book presents a realistic view of an ivy league education. It explains that the value of an ivy league education is largely in the exhilariting educational environment, rather than the status it lends or the economic benefit it may (or may not) bring. I wish this had been the first book I read, instead of the tenth. If you are applying to highly selective colleges right now, I guarantee this will help you.
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Summary: Great Information
Review: I'm a freshman in high school, and I have always wanted to go to an Ivy League college. I read this book, and I learned a lot. It told a very large amount about the admissions process. This past summer my family and I went on a tour of 4 Ivy Leagues. The trip's purpose was to show me the schools aren't that great, and that they're really far away (I live in Ohio). At the end of the trip though, my parents fell in love with the schools. So now my dad is reading this book and loves it also.ATVER1@zoominternet.net
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Summary: This book makes me break a sweat
Review: Every time I (who will be applying to college soon) open this book, my hands shake and my pulse quickens. According to Ms. Hernandez, getting into "highly selective" colleges such as Dartmouth, her pet school, and others like it is virtually impossible. Furthermore, she paints an extraordinarily bleak picture for the "average guy" type of high school student- a person who is NOT the captain of the football team, the editor of the school newspaper, and/or a refugee from a destitute foreign country. Sorry for being so cynical, but if she's right, most people have got to log off and hit the books.
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Summary: Thanks to all parents & students who gave feedback!
Review: I appreciate all the helpful comments and nuanced readings of my book, and am thrilled that it accomplished its purpose to help alleviate anxiety about the college admissions process through its insider's perspective. michele@aisforadmission.com
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Summary: Helped demystify Ivy League admissions
Review: As a college counselor and parent of two, A is For Admission was a great help in understanding what happens when someone applies to Dartmouth (and other Ivy League schools). I was able to help my children and students write strong application essays to differentiate themselves from other applicants. Both my children are now at Brown U.
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Summary: One of my favorite all-time books!
Review: I learned such valuable insight from "A is for Admission" that I truly believe it was a crucial factor in my daughter's early acceptance to an Ivy League university this year. It clearly delineates what the top schools are looking for, and illustrates that acceptances are not as random as many people believe. And, not only is it informative and well-written, A is for Admission is enjoyable reading as well. Warning: once you start reading the book, it's hard to stop!
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Summary: Painfully honest
Review: This book does an extremely good job in explaining what goes on behind the scenes of Ivy Colleges admissions, but at the same time, gives an extremely hard time to the student with a solid, but not exceptional academic record. Let me give an accurate synopsis of a few pages in the book. Setting: 4 admissions officers are together, looking at admissions and discussing them. When one admissions officer opens the file, he says "Oh boy. This must be the thousandth newspaper editor we had today. Pfff." Another admissions officer then says "And this is also the zillionth applicant today who is strong in science/math but has bad verbal skills." (700V/800M!!!) Just an example. This book gives a painfully honest view of what really goes on behind Ivy colleges admissions. It shows that it's not true what the officers at the Ivies say: On the contrary, only the top (and I mean top) have a chance of making it.
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Summary: Must reading for would-be Ivy Leaguers
Review: My wife and I are parents who have gone through the elite college admissions process once, and will do so again with our second child who is now in the eleventh grade. This book explains the inner workings of an admissions office. Some things you already know, plus many very important things you were probably unaware of. Practices that have never been acknowledged by the schools. It contains a wealth of useful suggestions for applicants. I have long believed that SAT and Achievement test scores are more important in the admissions decision than the schools acknowledge, and Michele Hernandez makes that abundantly clear. Her suggestion to reduce the relative importance of test scores is intelligent and compassionate. This book is must reading for anyone who is considering applying to Ivy League or other elite colleges.
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Summary: Straight Talk from a Pro....... And it 's all true!
Review: Hernandez tells us what goes on behind those Ivy Halls when dedicated, but weary, admissions professionals weed through thousands of applications. Each student file holds over twenty pieces of paper, some objective and some subjective. Ms. Hernandez gives us a thorough glimpse of how "readers" make those decisions. I have been in the admissions business for twenty years and know that many colleagues are miffed at her honesty. But students and parents deserve to know just how they are "rated" in this process. Hernandez's writing is easy to understand, even to the layperson. One comes away from the book with the knowledge of how the system works, how to approach the challenge of selective admissions, and how to understand that rejection letter, if it comes. It wasn't personal, it was a strange rating game! A Is For Admission... may have been written from a Dartmouth frame of reference, but the book's message is absolutely portable to the offices of other lofty institutions. A must read for all who seek to knock on those doors! I see that she now teaches English. A noble move for such a fine writer.
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Summary: A Wind in the Ivy!
Review: The words of Sra. Hernandez blow like a strong wind ruffling the leaves of ivy and exposing the vines. She has given her readers a tool which is invaluable in college choice and the creation and management of realistic expectations. I found the book to be well written, clearly organized, and generally on point. The world of college admissions has changed rapidly and it is often difficult to know where and how to guide our kids. This book gives us real direction in and understanding of a process that so many of us beleive is the beginning (or the end) of the future of our children. I would highly recommend this book to all students and parents who are considering the more selective colleges and universities.
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