Rating: 
Summary: A rare find . . .
Review: I have two children at Ivy League colleges and one in high school just starting the admissions process, and I've read many admissions books. Trade Secrets is the best of the bunch. While it has a few mistakes (mostly speeling errors), it's got a good combination of advice, lists, tips and honesty that makes it more useful than the others. Most college admissions books are very informative in 1 or 2 areas while totally neglecting other areas... Allen's book touches thoroughly on everything (which is probably why it's about twice as long as most of the other books--and more expensive). If you only want two books on the admissions process, I suggest this one and a college directory (I suggest Princeton Review's "Best Colleges" or Fiske's guide).
Rating:
Summary: This book helped our family separate fact from fiction!
Review: I read four other books in addition to this book to prepare as a parent for our son's college process. I found this book to be the most realistic. The author does not present the topic of college admissions in a pollyanna manner the way others books did. He tells it like it is or pretty much the way we discovered the process to be. I highly recommend that parents read this book and cite the gist of the book to your prospectice college student over time- Too much reality can demotivate/demoralize your child. Other books that were recommended by counselors,school, etc., placed the colleges on a pedestal as if they are altrusitic without a profit motive in mind. We found the opposite as we went through the college process. Andrew Allen's book prepared us in a way that produced a positive college search process for our family.
Rating:
Summary: Free Advice
Review: I recommend that every prospective college student read this book to learn the secrets and little tricks about getting into colleges. I also recommend that all of my students learn about character and leadership in the true meaning of education in America as told by the world's greatest educators and philosophers, such as Thomas Jefferson, by reading "West Point: Character Leadership Education: Thomas Jefferson" by Norman Thomas Remick. It's a great companion to the college review books and Andrew Allen's "College Admission Trade Secrets".
Rating:
Summary: ADMITTED EARLY TO PRINCETON THANKS TO THIS BOOK
Review: I was accepted early to Princeton last year and this book significantly improved my application and my strategy. Every page was full of facts, details and good advice. In large part, I owe my admission to what I learned from Trade Secrets. I suggest reading this book as soon as possible--it covers everything from 9th grade to the senior year. I was a good student but no superstar; with the help of this book, I turned my good academic performance into a great application. I am positive that my application went from average to very competitive solely by following the advice in this book. Trade Secrets is required reading for anyone who wants a real insider account!One important note: the other reviews seem to be for the first edition of this book. My friend (a year younger) just bought this book from Amazon and the current edition is a SECOND EDITION, which has none of the errors the first edition had. So all of the little mistakes that the other reviewers write about are gone. I highly recommend reading this book ASAP, and now that the little mistakes are gone, this book is better than ever.
Rating:
Summary: The One Book You Need
Review: I've read several college admissions books, and this one is the most impressive. I've heard Andrew Allen claim, "You bring me any ninth grader, and I'll get him into any college his senior year." And this is exactly what parents pay him lots of $$ to do: get an average student into a top college. And it's not that hard if you really know how college admissions works. Trade Secrets reveals exactly how students can get admitted to a top college. It's full of tips, tricks, insider information, strange facts and other details that colleges probably wish you didn't have. Trade Secrets also helps students and parents compare and choose colleges. This book doesn't hold back--Allen lists the "Top 7 Lies Colleges Tell You" and other worthless information that colleges sell to students. According to this book, colleges lie all the time to students and parents and they do it blatantly. Penn's view book, NYU's website, Harvard's course listings--you don't need to look far to catch a college lying. You just need to know what you're looking for. The real purpose of this book is to make students and parents smart consumers. Trade Secrets includes checklists for students and parents, Allen's well-known "You in 12th Grade" exercise, a review of crazy admissions strategies (some work and some don't), the real scoop behind acceptance rates, things that really matter when comparing colleges, how to write a great essay and prep for interviews, common mistakes that result in rejection, last minute tips for seniors, and how to be a financial aid expert. No college admissions book I've read covers more topics than Trade Secrets does, and no other book reveals as many of the secrets and insights of top college counselors as this book does. Though Trade Secrets has a few mistakes (mostly spelling, as noted by another reviewer), this book is, by far, the most insightful and thorough book on this topic. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking and very helpful.
Review: If you are a freshman in High School or younger with big ambitions, this book is for YOU. Before this book I was completely oblivious to the importannce of SAT scores, GPA, class ranking, AP classes and extra curricular activites. Yes it is common sense to do all those things well, but this book gives you the stats on the competition, what you need to accomplish every year in high school and serves as a catalyst when you become sidetracked in your off-school endeavors. The author does go into "self-serving rants" often, but this happened only in a comical fashion and aided me through the boring sections (I personally couldn't put the book down.) DON'T BUY THE BOOK IF YOU
1.) are in junior in High School + (sophomore is pushing it)
2.) hope to find transfer tips (for those college students who hope to transfer to better schools)
3.) hope to find a secret gem, that will turn your 1020 SAT score and 3.1 GPA into a harvard-bound application.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK if you're in junior high or a freshman!
Review: If you are a freshman in High School or younger with big ambitions, this book is for YOU. Before this book I was completely oblivious to the importannce of SAT scores, GPA, class ranking, AP classes and extra curricular activites. Yes it is common sense to do all those things well, but this book gives you the stats on the competition, what you need to accomplish every year in high school and serves as a catalyst when you become sidetracked in your off-school endeavors. The author does go into "self-serving rants" often, but this happened only in a comical fashion and aided me through the boring sections (I personally couldn't put the book down.) DON'T BUY THE BOOK IF YOU
1.) are in junior in High School + (sophomore is pushing it)
2.) hope to find transfer tips (for those college students who hope to transfer to better schools)
3.) hope to find a secret gem, that will turn your 1020 SAT score and 3.1 GPA into a harvard-bound application.
Rating: 
Summary: Cynical, poorly-written and inaccurate
Review: Interestingly, Andrew Allen never tells you where he himself went to college. Given how poorly written and repetitive this book is, and how unappreciative of the true value of a great education, it's just as well for the reputation of his alma mater. Allen fits Oscar Wilde's definition of the cynic -- he knows the price of everything, the value of nothing. He makes ridiculous claims about schools' reputations such as that Dartmouth has a reputation for being antagonistic towards men whereas schools such as Davidson and Washington & Lee are known to be "very male-friendly" -- a term he leaves completely undefined. Allen also says that "if you can get into Stanford, then you can get into Yale, Chicago, or Georgetown, all of which offer a better education." Says who? This book is all about a not-very-talented man who has fallen in love with the position of power he has assumed as a self-anointed guru of college admissions. If you are a bright, hardworking person who wants to go to a great college to be in the company of other bright, hardworking people, you will want to avoid the company of Andrew Allen before you get there. There are a slew of better college admissions book to turn to, including "How to Get Into the Top Colleges" by Richard Montauk.
Rating:
Summary: Harvard is a great brand but frequently not the best buy
Review: One key aspect of Allen's book is his careful analysis of what you really are buying when you choose a college: perhaps you are choosing a school which disregards undergraduate education by not allocating very much tenured professor time to teaching undergraduates. He mentions how "The notable exceptions are U. Chicago, Yale and Columbia, all of which have developed safeguards that protect their undergraduate programs from pernicious grad-school cannibalism."
I found it humorous that he wrote "The majority of good religious colleges are Catholic (or related faiths, such as Jesuit)."
Rating:
Summary: SIMPLY THE BEST
Review: Simply put, there is no book that offers as much information, advice and opinions as Trade Secrets. Most admissions books offer 1/10th what this book offers -- you would be INSANE to apply to college without first reading this book. I suspect that the majority of the bad reviews are from high school counselors or admissions offices--Allen takes both to task. Beware: if you can't take strong advice (that's wickedly helpful), then don't buy this book. If you want some great insider help, then get a copy.
|
