Stress-Free College Admissions

Since 2018, the end of each summer reminds me that it is college application time again. I did not know a lot about it, so I took advantage of every opportunity my daughter’s high school provided. I attended all parent meetings and found them to be very informative, but it would be difficult for me to navigate this process without the resources that the Mercer County Library System provides.

The library staff provides college essay reviews, and you can submit your essay and prompt to collegeapps@mcl.org.

I spent many Sunday afternoons searching the Mercer County Library catalog and placing holds on books related to college admissions. Every book I read gave me more insight, so I was able to look forward to the transition. I selected a few books that might be helpful for parents and high school students who are about to apply to college this fall.

Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice by Michele A. Hernandez

With so many qualified applicants, competition for college admissions is fiercer than ever. Now you can put yourself ahead of the pack by making your application flawless! When applying for college, good grades and high standardized test scores are not always enough to guarantee admission. What sets you apart, argues Michele Hernández, is the way you describe yourself in your application. But how do you present yourself with flair, and highlight all your talents, skills, and passions, in just a few pages? A former assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth College, Dr. Hernández takes you step-by-step through the entire application process, revealing the details that make or break an applicant. From the multitude of short and longer essays to the myriad of charts, lists, and personal data sections, she offers essential advice, useful anecdotes, and vivid examples. Included are: 

• A line-by-line look at the common application 
• The truth about the essays, with samples of those that made the grade 
• The best way to ask for teacher and guidance counselor recommendations 
• When to provide colleges with optional essays and peer evaluations 
• The ten common myths and misconceptions of the on-campus interview 
• The most meaningful academic subjects, work experience, and extracurricular activities to mention 
• Early action versus early decision—the tradeoffs. 

With this helpful, savvy book, prospective college students—and their parents and counselors—can now vastly improve their chances of getting into the college of their choice. “Want to scale the Ivy wall? Michele Hernández gives you the tools to do it. This brisk, no-nonsense book is built on inside dope, and Hernández’s experience allows her to challenge conventional admissions thinking.” —HARRY BAULD Author of On Writing the College Application Essay

Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions by Jeffrey J. Selingo

A higher-education journalist draws on insider access to explain the nuts and bolts of college admissions today, outlining the unexpected agendas that reflect which and why prospective students receive admission into better schools.

Getting Ready for College by Polly Berent

Getting Ready for College is the ultimate easy-to-use guide to success for college-bound seniors, first-years, and their parents. Polly Berent answers the questions you didn’t know you would need to ask:

• What’s the deal on financial aid and cash management? 
• Should I bring a flashlight to school? Do I really need a microwave and a vacuum cleaner? 
• Should I call Mom every time I’m homesick? Will my boyfriend/girlfriend wait for me? 
• Will having a credit card help me? Do I need quarters for the laundry? 
• When should I lock my room? Where can I fill my prescriptions in my new town? 
• Should I take intro classes or harder classes? Should I join a frat/sorority? 
• How could I possibly have time to figure all this out and keep in touch with my old friends? 

This essential manual includes day planners, notes on how to take notes, tips on how to make a “real life” file, and advice from scores of college students in the trenches as well as campus health-care professionals, college counselors, administrators, and financial-aid advisers. This is everything you need to know about getting ready for college, from students and parents just like you.

Countdown to College: The Essential Steps to Your Child's Successful Launch by Monique Rinere 

Many parents believe that once their child is accepted into a good school there's nothing more to worry about. But one in three freshmen will drop out and less than fifty percent will graduate on time. Adjustment is key. Countdown to College presents targeted preparations to ensure that students excel and end up on the winning side of these graduation statistics--while leading exciting, independent lives. Distilling lessons and sharing stories (some cautionary, some entertaining, all helpful) from her long college advisory career, Monique Rinere offers a unique and essential month-by-month roadmap to the many issues ahead. She advises on parenting through the "senior slump" so that students don't jeopardize their college spot, how to prepare for a roommate and their new-found freedoms (parties, finances, sleep), and gives strategic advice on picking an appropriate class load (Rinere's rule of thumb: Students are expected to put in three hours studying outside of class for every credit hour in the classroom). Countdown to College also includes guidance for parents on how to face the emptying nest and let go of their anxieties about their child's autonomy. The result: a college experience that is rich, rewarding, and successful for teens and parents alike"-- Provided by publisher.

Good luck to everyone applying to college this fall!

- By Bozena, Lawrence Branch