My Thoughts: When I saw this book on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it considering I am a parent of a current high-school senior (and another to follow in a couple of years). Selingo’s research and words of wisdom are like a calming balm on frayed nerves of teens and their parents who are in the college-application rat-race. He offers the proverbial fly-on-the-wall look at the process – from both the college side and the applicant side of things.

Reading this book gave me a boost of courage to let my son know that it is all really A-OK! That we cannot control the outcome, to state the obvious (which unfortunately bears repeating); and to state another obvious, there are always factors beyond our control.

At various points during these past few months, I quoted examples and quotes from this book to drive home this point; that what matters is what we learn, and if we are enjoying the process of learning; and that the brand-name is just that. Getting in or not is like the lottery. And I have seen from personal experience and knowledge (of the results of applications of others this year), that it is all ‘up in the air’ once we hit the submit button.

A must-read for all who want to learn more about the college admissions process. And on a side-note: If you have not yet watched Netflix’s ‘Operation Varsity Blues’, do so.

Source: Review copy from Netgalley

Jeffrey Selingo is addressing the admissions piece head-on in his new book, Who Gets in and Why. I recently heard him speak at a conference, and immediately scooped up this book. Every page has fascinating insights. I imagine that I will be sharing from this book often! Ultimately, the book provides an intimate look at how admissions decisions are being made – especially at highly selective schools. At the end of the day, Selingo echos my own approach: let’s assess your student’s strengths and find schools that will provide the best fit for success.

Selingo offers valuable insight into the college admissions process in a way that is easy to understand and still unflinching. A must for college counselors, students, and, especially, parents.

As the parent of a high school senior, I found this book to be an invaluable tool in her college search, especially during a Covid year that was unpredictable for most students and colleges. Selingo promises insights into college admissions at selective public and private universities, and he delivers. He explains how the admission process often has less to do with an individual student and more to do with what kind of class the university is seeking--they may want geographic or cultural diversity, and they definitely want students who can pay full fare. Selingo gives fascinating background details, including how schools such as Tulane worked the algorithms of the U.S. News & World Report ranking system to catapult into the upper echelons. Perhaps his most salient piece of advice for both parents and students is to try to let go of their desire to get into a "bumper-sticker school," which often does not necessarily translate into a better education or college experience for the incoming freshman. I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone connected with a high school: student, parent, counselor, or teacher. Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have read this book for my business as an independent college consultant. Selingo's insight is so valuable. The exposure he gained to the actual admissions process and his ability to share that with others will save many students (and parents) the stress of trying to figure out why some colleges will never grant them acceptance. A must-read for anyone navigating the college admissions process.

Jeff Selingo has changed the conversation around college admissions. Spending a year in the admissions department of three different colleges, Selingo exposed the good, the bad, and the ugly of college admissions. If you've ever wondered what happens after you click submit, this book will be your bible. Biggest take-away: We can't control the outcome. There are too many factors beyond our student's control. So in the end, hopefully, Selingo's wisdom and insights will help all of us calm down, and take some needed pressure off our teens.

Jeffrey Selingo's WHO GETS IN AND WHY will be of interest to students interested in attending elite schools with highly-selective admission. Selingo, a journalist of higher education, embeds himself in three different kinds of selective colleges: a private university, a liberal arts college, and a flagship public campus to consider how admissions departments decided which applicants to admit. He also follows a set of students and their families as they go through the process of selecting a college--giving readers an opportunity to observe the admissions game from both sides. Selingo's concluding thought is not a new one, but it is a point that needs to be made anew every year as a new crop of students begin their applications: there are many more "good colleges" than just the highly selective choices. Finding the right fit--a place where the student's needs and strengths will be best met and appreciated--is far more important than attending a school with the highest name recognition or the highest sticker price.

This one has been on my NG list longer then it should have been. It was an insiders look at the College Admissions process. I really enjoyed the insights into this field and exploring with the author some of the secondary dynamics that lead to the ultimate decision about whether a person attends or not.

If Jeff Selingo's writing it, I'm definitely reading it. He's always got his finger on the pulse of higher ed and somehow knows the trends just before they happen. His books are brilliant, relevant and a must-read for those of us in field.

What is it about the college admissions process that intrigues many of us? Be it fiction or non-fiction, getting a glimpse into the admissions process is always a draw for me and this was a book that both those of us who got our kids through and those who are just approaching the process will enjoy, albeit in different ways!

This is a must read for anyone interested in the college admissions process. This can include parents, school staff and students who are in the early stages of college application season. The author did a great job in choosing different types of schools and following with an inside look as to how decisions are made. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this because it solidified many of my ideas about the admissions process having gone through it as a parent. The various factors that go into this process are so much greater than students realize. Clearly numbers matter but they aren't everything. Having the best application possible does not insure that you get into the college of your dreams. One thing that is discussed is how much forming the class into whatever the vision of it may be for the year is an interesting factor that students cannot control. Also, knowing the mission of the school and the student's goals is important to their success. I think reading all the information an Admissions' Director is key. Given the uncontrollable factors involved in the decision making, having the facts that allow a student to really know the schools that "fit" and then understanding that there will be factors outside of anything the applicant can do to influence that outcome is especially important. Books like this one are a great start in understanding the process that seems so unexplainable. This insight will help applicants maximize the pieces of the process that are within their control and have more success.
#WhoGetsInandWhy #Netgalley #Scribner

WHO GETS IN AND WHY by Jeffrey Selingo (College (Un)Bound) is definitely generating "buzz" not only just with our Post High School Counseling faculty, but also in the media, with favorable reviews in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, plus a recent excerpt in The Atlantic. Throughout the text, Selingo uses numerous examples from shadowing admission officials at Davidson College, University of Washington, and Emory University to provide his take on "A Year Inside College Admissions." He notes the changes in acceptance rates over the last few decades (in 1990, Johns Hopkins was accepting 53 percent versus 11 percent today), due in part to the increased number of applications per student which is itself a function of increasingly sophisticated direct marketing campaigns. Selingo acknowledges that "human beings like certainty, and admissions procedures provide anything but." However, he makes a valiant effort to describe the process, dividing his writing into three main sections: Fall: Recruitment Season; Winter: Reading Season: and Spring: Decision Season. WHO GETS IN AND WHY received starred reviews from Library Journal ("This well-researched work is an invaluable tool for college-bound students and their families …") and from Kirkus ("Selingo, who writes that he is 'astonished and frustrated' at the preoccupation with a small group of elite colleges, hammers home several points: Apply to colleges that will actually accept you. Consider what you and your parents can really afford, and carefully scrutinize financial aid offers. Think as much about what you will do once you’re in college as where you will go."). You can learn more from Selingo about his goals in writing this book in his short video. [embedded in live post]

Relevant links in live post:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/15/books/review/selingo-korn-levitz-college-admissions.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-gets-in-and-why-and-the-college-conversation-review-the-price-of-admission-11600210784
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/09/even-coronavirus-cant-kill-sat-and-act/616360/
https://vimeo.com/459699621

This book is a must-read for any high school parent, especially those of rising seniors.

Selingo is the proverbial fly on the wall during the admissions discussions at three institutions: two elite schools (Davidson College in North Carolina and Emory University in Georgia) as well as a large public school (University of Washington).

It’s pretty amazing that Selingo was allowed into the process. He does a great job of illustrating the application review cycle in an entertaining manner. Also he manages to be faithful to the tone and spirit of the process without criticizing the schools (and kudos to the 3 schools who participated.)

The book will help you understand why and how the college’s decision is very difficult, if not impossible, to “game.” But to get the most from this book, you need to read between the lines.

For example, Sellingo discusses the example of a young woman who is a typical applicant in terms of her high GPA, high SATs, excellent recommendations etc. But what sets her apart from other applicants is a very unusual extracurricular activity which obviously requires a large upfront financial investment.

Selingo explains how the admissions committee acknowledges the extreme financial privilege which enables the applicant’s pursuit of her extracurricular. However, because the applicant “acknowledges her privilege” in her essay, the committee accepts her.

This example, along with other examples from Selingo, show how often family wealth, legacy, fundraising/development, and other situations that have little to do with academic merit influence the admissions decision.

From a practical standpoint, there are quite a few usable nuggets of information for students and parents, such as:

- how to find out the amount of financial-aid (need-based aid and merit-based) a school has awarded in the past

-- which AP course has been taken by more than 2/3rds of freshmen at a famous Ivy

--how admissions officers creative an “applicant story” from the application info

As a parent of a rising junior and senior, this book has helped me to erase any misperceptions of admissions fairness or equity. My kids will apply broadly and intelligently, and laugh at “dream school” marketing. The next 2 years will be fun. Thank you, Jeff.

This is essential reading for parents and students. It really helped me understand rejections are not personal but based on lots of factors out of the control of parents and students. There was great information about value vs brand. I'm not sure how COVID will effect what I learned, but I found it comforting anyway.

There’s nothing fair about college admissions and, as Selingo shows throughout Who Gets In and Why, the process is much like the self-serving process of picking teammates for a game of kickball: seemingly arbitrary from the outside, however, each selection is determined by specific truths relevant to the chooser’s priorities and biases. Thoroughly researched with views through varied lenses, Selingo has provided an honest, authentic, and sugar-free account of the college admissions process today and does so more successfully than any other college admissions book I have seen. I have difficult conversations for a living and appreciate Selingo’s craft with words as he delivers information that is true but likely counter to what an applicant or his/her/their family would want to hear. It's the type of resource I want my students and their parents to read, but also one I may not want them to read because it is spot on and I don't know how they'll respond once they see "how the burger is made."

There were certain can't-miss topics I hoped would be covered in this book, and they all were to varying degrees.
-The inclusion of the realities of need-aware financial aid is essential and most important because it is a major focus of college admissions these days. The outlined view from Lafayette provides the blunt truth that college counselors know but families don’t. Having worked in the admissions office at a small liberal arts college previously, I know the impact of being need-aware and why offices would not want to discuss that with you.
-Holistic review is naturally flawed due to its subjectivity. I don't say that as a negative; I say it as a reality that simply needs to be acknowledged. I loved the reference to Karabel and what he says HYP termed "the Jewish Problem," as it highlights a practice used for good as one that has more sinister roots. Overall, holistic review isn't a bad thing but it is not what people think it is or what colleges tell people it is. Selingo does a great job of showing us what it looks like in practice.
-The concept of merit, in everyone's minds, is miscalculated. I really appreciated Selingo's dive into what meritocracy actually is and how colleges operate using it.
-Selingo discussed test-optional admissions rather briefly, but I feel like it is a bigger conversation when you shift away from the top tier institutions. Clearly test-optional admissions has been amplified during this upcoming cycle due to tests not being able to be administered to protect against COVID-19, however, this is a movement that has gained a lot of traction prior to that and is a major discussion in the admissions world today. Additionally, when discussing athlete admissions, there was no discussion about required testing for this group. There are many institutions that, even if they are test-optional, require athletes to submit test scores even if other students don't have to. It's an interesting wrinkle that I thought might be explored but is much less important than the test-optional movement in general.

Overall, Selingo is spot on in this book in a way that illuminates what is happening behind closed doors. With years of experience as a college admissions officer and college counselor, it was great to see the reinforcement of ideas and practices I have observed while also learning new things or exploring data I hadn't seen before.

I've always been fascinated by the whole world of college admissions. Why is it so difficult to get into Harvard? Stanford? Yale? In Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, author Jeffrey Selingo explains exactly what goes on behind the scenes in secretive college admissions offices and explains what exactly students can do to better the odds of getting in to their chosen school.


The key word in the previous paragraph was "secretive." Rarely does someone get the chance to ingrain themselves inside three different admissons offices as decisions are made that will affect the rest of a student's life. Selingo writes that getting in doesn't have as much to do with a student's test scores and extracurricular activities (although they aren't unimportant) as it does with what a particular school's "needs" are that year. He also argues that students should try to understand that there are plenty of great schools out there that "aren't" Ivy League or top-ranked and that broadening their choices may result in a wonderful experience at a place they never thought of.

My favorite book about college admissions will always be Jacques Steinberg's The Gatekeepers. However, this is a close second. It's meticulously reported and offers assistance to students and parents as they go through what many consider a very stressful time.

MY RATING - 4

In Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions, Jeffrey Selingo gives readers a true insider’s view into the world of selective college admissions.

How do I know? I work in this field and can attest to the fact that the author has provided a detailed and nuanced peek behind the curtains.

A modern day deep dive into the world of college admissions - skin to The Gatekeepers and Creating a Class - Selingo brings readers into the “room where it happens” providing direct insights from enrollment leaders and those who read and review thousands of college applications each year.

The closing chapters offer excellent guidance to readers and some recommendations for higher education.

I strongly recommend Selingo’s Who Gets in and Why to anyone approaching a college
search as well as my colleagues working to support students and families navigating the admissions process.

As a high school career counselor, this book provided a fascinating look at the behind the scenes conversations of admissions officers. It is a VERY detailed look at the university selection process at three specific universities. The author also weaves in a handful of students that we follow during their admissions journey. It is brutal in so many ways and something I have experienced with our school's students as well--eye-opening to see what goes on behind the iron curtain.

I love that this book isn't what other college-related books are. While I expected this book to contain tips and tricks for college admissions process and applications, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it held more of a behind-the-scenes view of the process itself. The beginning, detailing one college's arduous (and arbitrary) process of accepting, denying, or wait listing applications opened my eyes to the truth. I was astonished by certain points of complexity for colleges, like how they consider legacy students into admissions. I also didn't consider much about how finances play in acceptance. For example, if a student might require aid are directly discriminated against for not generating tuition dollars. Colleges may be non-profit institutions, but their policies and practices are inherently self-motivated.

If you never knew how college admissions work, this book will do a great job at showing you how everything works behind the scenes.

It's proof that you don't have to have perfect scores to get into top schools.

Would highly recommend for any college bound people.