Truth About Getting In, The: If You're Getting Ready for the College Admissions ......

Rating:
Summary: the title says it all- a must have for senior students
Review: "The Truth About Getting In" is an excellent source of information about the reality of what it is like to apply to a U.S. college. It deals with every important issue in depth from the SAT writing to the essay writing. It provides helpful tips for students who plan to visit the schools they are interested in. From my perspective, as a foreign student who is not well-versed in the American application process, I have found Dr. Cohen's book to be an incredibly informative step by step account of the truth about getting in. The book is a great overview and I find myself returning to it time and time again as a valuable resource as I go through each step of the application process in my junior and senior years.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book. This book is worth $32K! Read why.
Review: A recent article in Atlantic Monthly indicated that the author is probably the highest paid private admissions counselor. She charges $32,995 for a special counseling package that lasts two years to assure the best chance that students do get in into the Ivy league. She states that she has a success rate of 75%. She also indicates that for anyone who does not have that type of money, all her strategies are disclosed within this book.

This is an excellent book on the subject. The author has a rich and diverse background on the topic, and it shows. She approaches the subject from many different angles. There are a lot of good books on college admissions. They typically cover all the basics well, including the quantitative factors (GPAs, tests) and the qualitative ones (extra curricular activities, essays, letters of recommendations, interviews).

But, with this book the author went the extra mile on every aspects. For instance, on GPAs, she gives you so many interesting insights that you realize there are many qualitative dimensions to the GPA itself. A 4.0 is not always equal to another 4.0. Sometimes a 3.5 makes for a stronger candidate than a 4.0. It depends on the difficulty of the classes the student has taken. It also depends from what high school the student graduated. The trends in grade is also really important. And, class rank can also play a material role.

She also explains all the different admission channels such as Early Action, Early Decision, and Rolling Admission (I had never read of this last one in any other books). She goes on explaining clearly when to use these specific entry channels and when not to. If a student is fully ready, prepared, and committed to a first choice school, and the family has adequate college financing in place, the Early Decision channel may be very advantageous. But, the reverse is true too. She also explains why colleges love Early Decision programs. Such programs allow universities to boost their student yield (Enrolled students/Accepted students) and increase their selectivity with lower acceptance rates (Accepted students/Applying students). The student yield and acceptance rates are metrics that play a key role in many college rankings, including U.S. News.

The book has also an invaluable section on college information on the Web. There you will learn about a company who sells objective 1 hour tapes on college tours of specific schools. So, you can get the down and dirty about many schools, and really learn a whole lot about them without having to spend thousands of dollars on a coast to coast family campus visit tour. These videos are not advertising, they are almost more like a "60 minutes" reportage on a school. I will definitely buy four or five such videos to visit some far away campuses in the comfort of our living room. Other recommended website let you find out in an instant if your family financial profile make you eligible for "need based" financial aid or not. In short, if 12% of the parents net worth (including home equity) plus 35% of the applicant's assets exceed the college cost, you are out of luck. You will not received "need based" financial aid. The applicant can still receive "merit based" financial aid. But, that is a whole different story, and a lot more competitive one at that.

Regarding tests, the book gives you tips on how to improve your score on any test. Additionally, that was the first book I read which when it was published back in 2001 and 2002, announced that the SAT I was getting overhauled in 2005 with a new written verbal section, including an essay worth an extra 800 points. So, now a perfect score on the SAT I will be 2400 (1600 formerly).

The book is also big on the interview section. Many other authors treat the interview as the least important link in the college admission process. This author thinks differently. To the contrary, she feels that one should get prepared for the college admission process in a very similar way as the job hunting process. Thus, the interview is key in making a strong personal impression. In her experience, she indicated that good or bad interviews did make a difference in the college admission process.

To conclude, any family with college bound kids will greatly benefit from learning the information within this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book. This book is worth $32K! Read why.
Review: A recent article in Atlantic Monthly indicated that the author is probably the highest paid private admissions counselor. She charges $32,995 for a special counseling package that lasts two years to assure the best chance that students do get in into the Ivy league. She states that she has a success rate of 75%. She also indicates that for anyone who does not have that type of money, all her strategies are disclosed within this book.

This is an excellent book on the subject. The author has a rich and diverse background on the topic, and it shows. She approaches the subject from many different angles. There are a lot of good books on college admissions. They typically cover all the basics well, including the quantitative factors (GPAs, tests) and the qualitative ones (extra curricular activities, essays, letters of recommendations, interviews).

But, with this book the author went the extra mile on every aspects. For instance, on GPAs, she gives you so many interesting insights that you realize there are many qualitative dimensions to the GPA itself. A 4.0 is not always equal to another 4.0. Sometimes a 3.5 makes for a stronger candidate than a 4.0. It depends on the difficulty of the classes the student has taken. It also depends from what high school the student graduated. The trends in grade is also really important. And, class rank can also play a material role.

She also explains all the different admission channels such as Early Action, Early Decision, and Rolling Admission (I had never read of this last one in any other books). She goes on explaining clearly when to use these specific entry channels and when not to. If a student is fully ready, prepared, and committed to a first choice school, and the family has adequate college financing in place, the Early Decision channel may be very advantageous. But, the reverse is true too. She also explains why colleges love Early Decision programs. Such programs allow universities to boost their student yield (Enrolled students/Accepted students) and increase their selectivity with lower acceptance rates (Accepted students/Applying students). The student yield and acceptance rates are metrics that play a key role in many college rankings, including U.S. News.

The book has also an invaluable section on college information on the Web. There you will learn about a company who sells objective 1 hour tapes on college tours of specific schools. So, you can get the down and dirty about many schools, and really learn a whole lot about them without having to spend thousands of dollars on a coast to coast family campus visit tour. These videos are not advertising, they are almost more like a "60 minutes" reportage on a school. I will definitely buy four or five such videos to visit some far away campuses in the comfort of our living room. Other recommended website let you find out in an instant if your family financial profile make you eligible for "need based" financial aid or not. In short, if 12% of the parents net worth (including home equity) plus 35% of the applicant's assets exceed the college cost, you are out of luck. You will not received "need based" financial aid. The applicant can still receive "merit based" financial aid. But, that is a whole different story, and a lot more competitive one at that.

Regarding tests, the book gives you tips on how to improve your score on any test. Additionally, that was the first book I read which when it was published back in 2001 and 2002, announced that the SAT I was getting overhauled in 2005 with a new written verbal section, including an essay worth an extra 800 points. So, now a perfect score on the SAT I will be 2400 (1600 formerly).

The book is also big on the interview section. Many other authors treat the interview as the least important link in the college admission process. This author thinks differently. To the contrary, she feels that one should get prepared for the college admission process in a very similar way as the job hunting process. Thus, the interview is key in making a strong personal impression. In her experience, she indicated that good or bad interviews did make a difference in the college admission process.

To conclude, any family with college bound kids will greatly benefit from learning the information within this book.

Rating:
Summary: moderately helpful
Review: As parents of three children in NYC prep schools, we've been through this process quite a lot and have read almost every book ever written on selective college admissions. We thought this one was good for an overview of the process and an excellent chapter on evaluating essays. Our overall favorites were Mr. Bauld's book on the college essay and Ms. Hernandez' A is for Admission. If you are applying to Ivies, you'll want to read the specific information on the Academic Index and the Hernandez book is the only one that gives students the chance to evaluate themselves and to read about the inside admissions process at an actual Ivy League school.

The checklists in this book helped up remember the important parts of the process and there were some helpful tips (like which SAT test to take), but too much of this book has appeared in the others we have read. For what is here, it's good and for parents just setting out, it would be a good addition to the library. We thought it was odd the the publisher chose to feature the author's looks rather than her credentials on the cover, although it turns out that the author never worked in an Ivy office in any official capacity. Substance always wins over style.

Rating:
Summary: Not As Good As Others
Review: Cohen's book is okay and will probably be helpful to those who haven't read any other admissions books, but Michelle Hernandez's (A is for Admissions) and Andrew Allen's (College Admissions Trade Secrets) books are both MUCH better. Those books provide a lot of specific details, inside information and great--and very candid--advice. Cohen comes across as something of a novice compared to Hernandez and Allen.

Rating:
Summary: Not much to offer that others already have
Review: Despite claims of showing students her "inside program," this book is an amalgam of other more pioneering books on college admissions. Don't get me wrong. It is a lot better than Rachel Toor's Admissions Confidential which hit a new low for the genre, but it has no real inside information like others by Paul (not very original - her title was identical to Paul's) or by Michelle Hernandez (A is for Admission). The latter is still the Ivy standard. The lack of inside information is not a surprise considering that Cohen is somewhat of an imposter in the Ivy crowd. Unlike other insider admissions guide authors (even Allen, Greene and Hernandez were all actual admissions officers), Cohen was only a "volunteer reader" at the Yale office while she was studying for her PhD. As such, she was not actually privy to anything that your grandmother wouldn't be if she volunteered to read essays (open to the public). Her only qualification is her online correspondence course with UCLA and the fact she went to two Ivies (so did thousands of others). Hard to see how she justifies her insider perspective when there isn't one.

With that being said, the actual material is accurate, well written and helpful. The book is well organized and neatly laid out. The essay examples are well chosen and the checklists useful, even though they are all available in other books. There are some obvious weaknesses - Cohen is used to NYC kids, so she barely mentions the IB (International Baccalaureate) program and how the those tests are scored, a big omission considering the rapid growth of the IB program (the US is the fastest growing country for new IB schools). It's hard to get past Cohens' inflated ego which permeates much of the book. In the opening pages, she explains how picking her book agent was like applying to Ivy League schools. That almost made me put the book down. Her long list of self-aggrandizing remarks take away from the solid material in the book. Overall, this book would be helpful for students just starting the college search, but a more specific guide will be needed (like Paul's or Hernandez's) for the real inside info.

Rating:
Summary: Review
Review: Dr. Cohen's book, "The Truth About Getting In" was an excellent tool to guide me through the college admissions process. As a high school senior, the task of completing numerous college applications was quite overwhelming for me. "The Truth About Getting In" informed me of all the steps necessary to take in order to reach the goals that I desired, calming my nerves and helping me to feel more comfortable with the entire process. I strongly recommend this book to any high school student or parent of a high school student.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular!
Review: Every high school student should be required to read Dr. Cohen's The Truth About Getting In. Her book accurately examines the many aspects of the college application process. She provides her reader with great details, amazing sample essays and inside secrets only someone with admissions experience could reveal.
Dr. Cohen beautifully illustrates ways of powerfully presenting oneself on a simple piece of paper. The Truth About Getting In details each part of completing the college application. I believe the section on extracurricular activities is one of the best parts of the book. Dr. Cohen never preaches through her text but rather inspires and encourages her readers to find ways they can be different from other applicants. In this part, she offers various means to successfully present a student's extracurricular life.
If you're about to enter, are in, or even just left the college application process, you must buy The Truth About Getting In: it will be your best college counselor.

Rating:
Summary: A college advisor sorely lacking grammar skills?
Review: From the teaser above the title:

"Why some top colleges are better for you _then_ the Ivy League."

You'd think someone with a Ph.D. and supposed tenure at two Ivy League schools would be able to correctly copy read THE COVER of her own book. Or at least pay someone to do it.

Rating:
Summary: Getting In Is a Must-Read For Any Prospective Parent
Review: Getting In is a wonderful, practical book for both parents of high school students and high school students. It contains many useful tips that will help give students and parents realistic guidelines, expectations, and inside knowledge on the college admissions process. The book helps to debunct many myths about the admissions process, myths which could easily adversely affect a prospective student's chance of getting into the college of his or her choice. It also points out many truths about the ever-arduous college admissions process. For example, did you know that colleges are looking for a well-rounded students bodies rathr than well-rounded students? Did you know that it is better to do a few activities whole-heartedly rather than do a plethora of several activities? I myself did not know that money does not necessarily ensure a student's admission to a top college. I also learned that one family donated ten million dollars to a prestigious school, hoping that their child would get in. The school kept the money and denied admission to the contributor's child.

Besides teaching students and parents other myths and truths about planning for college, Cohens' book also throughly explains how to look for college resources, choose colleges, prepare to apply, sell yourself, take tests, write incredible essays, obtain excellent letters of recommendation, excel in interviews, and get financial aid.

Katherine Cohen is obviously an erudite, well-educated, industrious person who truly cares about her students' educational future. By reading the book and listening to Katherine's calm, well-informed voice, any student or parent will feel much more prepared and therefore more relaxed about what can be a very emotionally and intense process for any high school child who wishes to go on to the best college suited for his or her needs.

After reading this book, one can't help but feel like they have just paid a minimal amount for a wealth of Katherine Cohen's valuable secrets. In short, the book itself can serve as a student's own "private college counselor."