Rating: 
Summary: The Truth About Getting In:...
Review: This hardly-original book comes (very late) in the wake of a slough of (much better) publications on admissions to top colleges. Though Cohen's advice is sound, it's entirely unoriginal and, quite frankly, rather obvious. Her commentary is dry and seems only to echo from NEWSWEEK or TIME articles that we've all read.
Though she's served as a Yale alumni interviewer and has read a few app essays, she's hardly an expert (though she proclaims herself a guru in the text.) And it shows. As an ambitious high school student myself, and a prospective Ivy applicant, I would advise against this [price] investment. A book you may want to take a look at however, the ORIGINAL handbook to college admissions (published only a couple of years ago)is "A is for Admission," (Warner Books) by former Dartmouth assistant director of admissions, Michele A. Hernandez. This is much more comprehensive and a truly enjoyable read. Hernandez (who served for four years as assistant director of admissions!) offers a detailed explanation of precisely how applications are reviewed, describes the typical Ivy admissions staff with some humnor, and tells you what makes an applicant STAND OUT from the pool. This is something only an admissions staffer can understand.
| 
