Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges--and Find Themselves

A well-written book delving into all that influence nets you in the college admissions process, "Acceptance" is an eye opener as a look into the game of college applications. That it is very much a game is what someone like Smitty so valuable: he knows how to play it. He's there, interjecting himself into students' lives. He suggests endless essay revisions because he knows what colleges like to hear. He knows which ones are looking for a certain type to fill a certain quota. In short: he knows the things most applicants will never know, and can never afford to know. Smitty's role is really to edge his kids in over the less informed.This book would have been much more compelling if Smitty had worked for an inner city school helping those who have little or no resources "find the right college and find themselves." But he plays his role with zeal as an insider helping jet set kids find a voice in their essays and making sure they land safely into elite schools. And, along the way, there are a myriad of useful tips for parents and counselors who don't have such access.Those tips are makes this book worth reading. But not as a heart warming look at how Smitty does what he does. We all know it's money; all the positioning money can buy kids at a small private school. When you read about students who can afford test prep and 20+ applications you realize they can't possibly fail. Safety is built in all around and therefore Smitty's value is mostly self imposed. The only tension is that these kids might lose themselves in the endless drive for acceptance. That concept never comes up.

A nice read if you are panicking about your kid going to college. This is not about advice on how to get a square peg in a round hole (meaning getting your kid into a school they are unlikely to get into). Its more Acceptance.....meaning "doing what you can within your reality" and then Accepting the outcome, which is often better than the fears that keep you up at night.Paying for college... that's something else to worry about, but getting your kid into the right situation(s) is first.

Overall, a very good book on college admissions. (Oyster Bay HS, North Shore Long Island. Senior Class size: a bit over 100)Strengths: The author embedded himself in the school. The author's focus goes beyond the very top students and includes above-average to average students (compare: Fat Envelope frenzy). The guidance counselor is indeed quite special, and is that rare public school counselor who knows what he is doing. (Compare him with the long-time counselor at the Collegiate School profiled in the NYT). The author acknowledges Jacques Steinberg's book Gatekeepers, and check out the blue cover. Writing is smooth. Well worth $17.Weakness: Did not care for the limp font. What was Penguin production dept thinking?

I enjoyed this book (though it was slightly outdated), in particular the "college process" through a guidance counselor's eyes. Made me hopeful that my own children's guidance counselors are as on top of things as Smitty was!

I really enjoyed the story, but also the information it provided on the college process. It was a simply read, but as I was not educated in the US it was all interesting to me.

I have been seriously considering a career as a guidance counselor. After reading this book (which I literally couldn't put down), I believe I have found my calling. I'm very grateful that I found it. Much respect to Smitty, Kathi, the students chronicled in the book, and the author.

It helped me ease the anxiety, previous to the selection of college for my son. I'll never forget this thought, it's not the renowned college a student should aim to be accepted in, but rather the college that best fits him or her, then the pressure and axiety I was on, went significantly down.

As a mentor of high school juniors and seniors I found the book to be full of little gems that I will refer to in the future. It interested me to know that kids on the east coast and kids in Texas face the same confusing array of decisions in their quest for the "right" career, major and college.

Excellent livre qui fait découvrir un panel de jeunes lycées aux portes du "college", à la veille de choix décisifs. Portrait également d'un high school college counselor expérimenté et plein d'humanité. Beaucoup d'informations au fil des lignes sur le processus de candidature(élaboration des listes, écriture des "applications essays" en particulier). Attention ces informations sont mêlées aux portraits et au récit quasi ethnographique. Très agréable à lire.