College admissions can be a very complicated and overwhelming process for students and families. My hope as an Independent Educational Consultant is to help make this process as enjoyable and stress free as possible. There are so many books and resources available it can be hard to know where to start. My colleagues and I have worked together to pick some of the best resources available for college planning. Each book has a direct link to Amazon, but you can also check out your local library or pick up a used copy on BookFinder.com.
Hopefully, you find one or two of these resources helpful:
WINNER:
Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey Selingo, September 2020. This book came in as a clear winner by receiving the most votes by other IEC’s. Selingo effectively demystifies the admissions process, revealing that it is far more than simply looking at test scores and grades. This book also emphasizes that the right college fit is more important than getting into the most prestigious one; he encourages students to consider factors other than rankings and prestige. One of the downsides is that it looks at the more prestigious colleges. However, the points made can be easily applied to other colleges.
RUNNER-UP:
Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni, March 2015. Even though this book came in as the runner-up it would be my personal top pick. In this book Bruni challenges the notion that you must go to a prestigious college to be successful. He provides ample evidence to support his claim that many successful individuals come from a variety of educational backgrounds. The focus is on individual qualities, such as resilience, curiosity, and hard work in achieving one’s goals. He emphasizes that individuals should work on developing these traits rather than obsessing over college rankings. Bruni encourages students to explore interests, build relationships, and develop a strong work ethic - which are all traits you need in order to be successful in life.
THIRD PLACE (TIE):
Fiske Guide to Colleges 2025 by Edward Fiske, July 2024. This guide gives a very detailed profile of over 300 colleges in the US. It is a valuable tool for narrowing down options and gaining insights into campus life. Each profile gives information on admissions statistics, financial aid, academics, campus life, and student evaluations. Another helpful feature includes self-quizzes to help students identify their college preferences, overlap lists to explore similar schools, and indexes categorized by state, price, and average debt.
THIRD PLACE (TIE):
The Price You Pay for College: An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make by Ron Lieber, January 2021. The world of financing higher education is very complex and overwhelming. This guide is an indispensable resource for families. Lieber breaks down the overwhelming process of financial aid and explains baffling terms in plain language. This book encourages readers to think critically about the return on investment for different college options, emphasizing the importance of factors beyond prestige. Even though this book is all encompassing - including topics from early planning to post-graduation debt management - it is written in a conversational style that is easy to understand.
My hope is that this list gives you a starting off point when looking at colleges and navigating the post-secondary process. If you would like to sit down and have a consultation with me to get an idea of where to start and where to go feel free to reach out to me at info@atozeducationalconsulting.com or 612.735.1261.
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