College Admissions: Great Books To Give College-Bound Students
Monday, December 24, 2012
Load them up with some inspiring, funny and helpful books for their college years.
For Parents
The Neurotic Parent's Guide to College Admissions: Strategies for Helicoptering, Hot-housing & Micromanaging by J.D. Rothman. If your mother or father spends more time perusing colleges websites than you do, this book is the perfect gift. Does your guidance counselor cringe when they see your mom coming down the hall? Is your dad obsessed with “College Confidential” threads, securing you an internship with a Fortune 500 CEO and registering the domain name for your new community service project? This great new self-help book will put things in perspective.
Letting Go: A Parents' Guide to Understanding the College Years by Karen Levin Coburn and Madge Lawrence Treeger-Kids, the title says it all! If your parents are having a hard time transitioning to your adulthood, this is the book to get them for the holidays. It contains hundreds of tips from colleges, students and parents to help parents cope and kids retain their sanity.
Barbara & Susan's Guide to the Empty Nest: Discovering New Purpose, Passion & Your Next Great Adventure by Barbara Rainey and Susan Yates- Are you the last child to leave home? Do you wonder what your parents will do now that they don’t have to be your chauffeur, pack lunches and hound you about homework? This guide will help your parents find their new mission in life while reducing text message overload from mom and dad on Saturday night.
For High School Sophomores & Juniors
Fiske Guide to Colleges 2012 by Edward Fiske -This is the encyclopedia of colleges. It covers the most competitive 300 colleges in the U.S., including SAT ranges, size of the student body, most popular majors, class size, information on the surrounding area, student life and crossover colleges. There is also a wonderful intro section that lists “best colleges” by area of study, like business, theatre or engineering. If you only buy one college book, this should be it.
The Insider's Guide to the Colleges, 2012 by the Yale Daily News Staff- Forget the ridiculous rankings of “colleges with the most hard liquor” or “druggiest colleges”. If you want to know the REAL scoop on campus based on hundreds of student surveys and interviews, The Insider’s Guide is the most reliable source. A great compliment to Fiske, it dives into what life is really like on campus: how accessible professors are, is the food good, how much of the social life revolves around frats, is everyone in the Outdoor Club or the Art Club? This book is invaluable in helping you see beyond the ivy covered walls to daily life on campus.
Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges by Loren Pope-In a valiant effort to stop the madness surrounding college admissions, Loren Pope wrote this ground breaking book. Setting aside pre-conceived ideas of what the best colleges in the U.S. are, it looks at lesser known colleges that have exceptional missions, creative academics and cutting edge learning environments. If you want to get off the crazy carousel of Ivy League fervor, this is the book to ease your anxiety and show you how many fabulous colleges there are out there.
For High School Seniors & College Freshmen
The Naked Roommate: And 107 Other Issues You Might Run Into in College by Harlan Cohen-A humorous yet helpful look at what students should be prepared to encounter in college. From friendship issues to alcohol and drugs, this book tells students what to expect on campus and how to handle the bumps.
How To Study In College by Walter Pauk-Too many students go off to college today without the skills to succeed. This book focuses on how to absorb knowledge and use it effectively in college courses. The Cornell Note Taking System and other proven methodologies are used to teach students what they don’t learn in high school—HOW to study. It’s a game changer for students who want to be top achievers.
Making College Count: A Real World Look at How to Succeed In and After College by Patrick S. O'Brien and Pete Adams-I have always believed the saying “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This book deals with how to chart your course and make the most of your college investment. From major selection to extra-curricular activities and internships, students are guided to think about how they can best use their four years on campus to propel themselves into a great career or grad school after graduation.
Cristiana Quinn, M.Ed. is the founder of College Admission Advisors, LLC which provides strategic, college counseling and athletic recruiting services for students. www.collegeadvisorsonline.com.
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