What High Schools Don't Tell You: 300+ Secrets to Make Your Kid Irresistible to Colleges by Senior Year | 
 enlarge | Author: Elizabeth Wissner-gross
Publisher: Hudson Street Press
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $2.94
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Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 133480
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 1594630372
Dewey Decimal Number: 378.1610973
EAN: 9781594630378
Publication Date: July 19, 2007
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Condition: SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! NEW Book! May have remainder mark. Most orders ship within 1 BUSINESS DAY with ORDER CONFIRMATION.
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Book Description
From the author of What Colleges Don't Tell You, more than 300 secrets for raising the kid colleges will compete to accept
The headlines prove it: Competition for admission to America's top colleges is more cutthroat than ever. Gone are the days when parents could afford to let high school guidance counselors handle the admissions process alone-gone, also, are the days when a student could wait until senior year to prepare for it. As Elizabeth Wissner-Gross, a highly successful educational strategist, knows from working for over a decade with hundreds of middle- and high school students and their parents, if you want to raise a kid colleges will compete for, you must act, early and aggressively, as opportunity scout, coach, tutor, manager, and publicist-or be willing to watch that acceptance letter go to someone whose parents did.
What High Schools Don't Tell You reveals 300+ strategies to help parents stack the admissions deck in their kid's favor, gleaned from Wissner-Gross's expertise and from interviews with parents of outstandingly high achievers-strategies that most high school guidance counselors, principals, and teachers simply don't know to share. From identifying exactly which academic credentials will wow an admissions committee to which summer programs and extra-curriculars can turn an ordinary applicant into a must-have, What High Schools Don't Tell You demonstrates how hands-on parental involvement early in a child's high school career is essential to achieving college admissions success.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 For Specific Kids July 18, 2008
NBG (Seattle)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I agree with many (if not all) the reviews. Yes, it is depressing, yes, it can really help! If you have a student that borders the admissions criteria set by the most selective universities, then this book is for you (your student actually). I found it had great ideas but it is the student that must do the work. For most of these kids that will mean adding just "one more thing" to their already hectic, overachieving lives. As a parent, the best method is to take a few ideas and introduce the concepts at a young age (7-9th grades) to see what your child's interest is. Help your middle schoolers get started and set up a tracking system for them to help achieve success. If you have a student in 10th or higher, just introduce them to a few ideas and then have the book available for them to take it from there. Once a high achieving student has finished 9th grade, they will have filled their calendar with what is important to them, the book only serves as a confirmation of what they have chosen or helps them tweak their goals a bit. This book is NOT for the student who is not highly motivated for application to selective schools. It will only cause stress and pressure, a sure mix for failure.
 a horrifying book July 18, 2008
W. Mate (Beverly Hills, CA USA)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
A horrific look at the absurdity of the college application process. I feel sorry for any parent who would put their child through much of what this book suggests, and sorrier still for the children.
Depressing Book July 11, 2008
Lynette Erickson (MN)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book should be reserved for (parents of) children who are not yet in the seventh grade, are extremely bright, and are already ahead of their peers in terms of school curriculum. Too, parents must have in mind a large school system with many options at the child's disposal. Further, a good deal of disposable income would also be beneficial. Obviously, this does not sound like the typical family. If your family is like most, this book will only depress your socks off. You'll find that you've done nothing right in helping your child to prepare for college. Instead, may I offer a ray of hope? I would suggest giving the book "Cool Colleges" by Donald Asher a look. It offers many good ideas without making parents feel like they've steered their child in the wrong direction. It's full of hope and possibilities. Good luck!
Feeding on the Frenzy June 28, 2008
J. Stehno (New Hampshire)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
Let me put it bluntly: there are two purposes for this book. First, it feeds on the frenzy of fanatical parents who are obsessed with getting their kids into selective colleges. The other purpose is to make money. Having worked with thousands of students & parents over the years, this book is the last thing needed this day and age! It "games" the system while totally avoiding what really matters: namely relationships and communication between parents & their kids. Sure, one can argue that colleges play "games" with students and manipulate admissions decisions to their own advantage. So, if parents want to "equal the playing field," then this book offers a few strategies...but don't be lulled into assuming the strategies will result in the desired outcomes! If parents want to be able to talk with their kids and help them become happy, well adjusted, and successful adults in the long-run, then I'd suggest spending your money on "Why Do They Act That Way" by David Walsh. It all goes back to an idea I learned in grad school: What you do now determines what happens to you.
An eye opener February 22, 2008
Kajetan (USA)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I agree whole heartedly with the reviewer who called this book an eye opener. Until I read this it never even occurred to me, as manipulative and controlling a parent as I am, to even CONSIDER having my son take the SAT's in the 7th grade. Now I realize its a must, a virtual no brainer with no downside.
I have to say that this book soothed me by justifying all the neurotic anxiety driven behavior I attempted to engage in with my daughter. (And was talked out of and still regret not doing, it would have saved us some edgy days.)
You can say, as some reviewers have, that these and the author's books read better as parodies. But I tell ya, I value this book and it confirms my suspicions that there are people like this out there!! Nevertheless, some of her ideas, tips and suggestions are very good and I, for one, praise her for writing this, and will be looking for her web site.
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