The Truth about Getting in: A Top College Advisor Tells You Everything You Need to Know

by Katherine Cohen

Book Overview

If you're getting ready for the college admissions process, you need this book. It used to be that a college applicant with a great SAT score and high grade-point average was easily accepted into a firstchoice college. Not anymore. These days it takes an outstanding application, too. The extracurricular activities or "brag" sheet, the personal essay, and the interview all weigh heavily in the acceptance process. As a private college admissions counselor,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786887478
• ISBN13: 9780786887477
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.6" x 9.8"
• Age Range: 18 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Postsecondary to Grade 12

Customer Reviews

Excellent book. This book is worth $32K! Read why.

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 ai

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.

the title says it all- a must have for senior students

"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.

Excellent Resource

I thought Getting In was both useful and fun to read. Unlike a lot of the college application books, which are more academic and sound like your high school counselor, this book feels more like an inside view. It is street smart and clever, in addition to being sophisticated.I also think the snappy tone speaks more to high school students, while most of the other guides read like they are talking to the parents. What good is the book if the applicant can't get through it?

What a Fantastic Book on the College Application Process!

The Truth About Getting In is a practical guide for both parents of high school students and students. Katherine Cohen wrote this book to help inform parents and students about the increasingly arduous process of getting into today's top colleges.The book gives the reader information on myths and truths about getting into colleges. I learned that even though a family can donate ten million dollars to a college, it won't ensure that his or her child will get into that school. I also learned that colleges are not looking for well-rounded students, not well-rounded student bodies. In other words, it is better to do a few activities very well rather than to do a plethora of activities. Colleges want to see that the student sticks to a particular interest, and that he/she excels in it.Katherine Cohen is a well-educated , industrious person who obviously cares about her students. Her inside knowledge about the admissions process and calming voice will help to soothe any parent or student of common worries about getting in to college. For just a few dollars, you can buy the book and get a wealth of knowledge, saving the expense of a private college counselor like Katherine herself.