Plenty of college admission guides promise to help students crack the Ivy League, but few of these have detailed knowledge to back up their advice. Michele Hernandez, on the other hand, is the ultimate insider. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College, she also worked as Dartmouth's assistant director of admissions for four years. In A Is for Admissions, Hernandez describes the step-by-step process Ivy League schools use to evaluate an application. Along the way she settles some ancient debates, including the comparative importance of SATs versus high-school grades, public versus private high schools, and extracurricular activities versus part-time employment. She evaluates every possible factor affecting chances for admission, including special categories of students such as recruited athletes, minority applicants, and legacies. Most dramatically, Hernandez reveals the precise mathematical formula used by admissions officers to rank applicants. Using her guidelines, readers can calculate their own AI (Academic Index) and--should their scores come up short--learn ways to compensate in other areas. Refreshingly, Hernandez helps would-be Ivy Leaguers keep their goals in perspective. She strongly advises against "grade grubbing" or "working for the grade." If you think attending a top college is the key to success, Hernandez cautions that the Ivies may not be for you. "If your goal is to make money, but you don't enjoy studying or reading, don't waste your time by trying to get into an Ivy League or highly selective college.... The beauty of an Ivy League/highly selective education lies in the intellectual atmosphere.... It does not lie in the prestige of having a diploma from Princeton or Dartmouth on your wall." Levelheaded and clearly written, A Is for Admission is the perfect guide for the student (or parent) who has his eyes set on the stars.


From Library Journal
Just about anything you would need to know to be accepted into an Ivy League school can be found in this very detailed, very specific volume. Aimed at informing both students and parents, it begins where you might not expect?preschool and kindergarten?and continues on with advice for the middle school/junior high years. Then comes the bulk of the text?a student's high school years. Hernandez offers tips and suggestions on everything from what high school classes students should take to what national tests and when; what to expect during the personal interview; what to do if you are (or are not) accepted. As a former admissions officer at Dartmouth, Hernandez knows what she's talking about, but her writing is not as tight as it could be. Certain information is repeated, perhaps to stress important points, but at times it's bothersome. Still, this would be a welcome addition to most public libraries.?Terry A. Christner, Hutchinson P.L., Kan.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Drawing on her four years as an admissions officer at Dartmouth, Hernandez walks through the elements of the college application process, concluding with tips that could result in coveted acceptance letters. That rejection notices often go to many 4.0 valedictorians must astonish and anguish parents and their high-schoolers, and the reasons for such a disappointing fate are commonsensically presented here. Hernandez discusses them in her breakdown of the major components of the application: grades, tests, teacher recommendations, and the essay. She focuses on them in an interesting way, emphasizing that they are most persuasive if they provide proof of a love of learning, which a test obviously cannot do. But, the tests trump everything: that is the main "secret" Hernandez reveals. The cruel truth is that an Ivy League officer typically gloms onto the academic index, a number that sums up the SAT score, the SAT II score (once called Achievement Tests), and an estimated class rank. The remainder of Hernandez's discussion is rather anticlimactic but still usefully advises applicants who hope their athleticism, alumni relatives, rich donor parents, or ethnicity might tilt a finely balanced decision in their direction. This book gives experienced, practical insight into a process as mysterious as a conclave of cardinals, and Hernandez's publisher is promoting heavily to arouse the potentially huge readership: several hundred thousand students apply every year to the most select colleges. Gilbert Taylor

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Complete samples of successful applications will assist you in preparing the best application essay possible. See what it takes to impress the Admissions Department at Harvard, and then gain a deeper understanding of why these essays work, thanks to the expert analysis. Looking to elevate your application? This informed, sensible guide will show you the way.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal