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102 reviews for:
Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania
Frank Bruni
3.94 AVERAGE
102 reviews for:
Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania
Frank Bruni
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
medium-paced
3.5 stars. Trying to avoid the mass hypnosis as the parent of a 7th grader...some good statistics to be found here. I will need to remind myself that I read this in about 4-5 years' time. Gosh I am glad we homeschool.
It was okay. First of all, I'd like to say: I think books like this are really important. As someone who's attended a private school since the 6th grade, or even just as a teenager in 2021 - so many teens now are obsessed with going into elite colleges. Everyone seems to be striving for the most credits, looking for opportunities that'll fit their resumes, and brainstorming for their college essays and we haven't even started junior year yet. I personally don't feel much of an attraction to schools like Harvard or MIT, especially where I feel like I'd likely be in the gender and racial minorities. However, I do sometimes feel the pull of having an Ivy name to display in your instagram bio or on a crewneck, as I suppose many teenagers do at the moment.
Bruni does a good job of breaking down why going to an elite school is not necessary for success. He talks about students who had transformative experiences at other schools and went on to be very successful entrepreneurs, politicians, authors, etc. From hearing the stories of those Bruni interviews, I was able to gain a bit more insight into the benefits of going to a public/non-elite college (things like socioeconomic diversity, more connections with the proffessors, unique classes, etc.) The book reminded me that it's not so much which school you get into, but how determined you are to use the opportunity you are provided with.
However, the book started to feel extremely repetitive after only a few chapters. Although Bruni does tie in some interesting stories to his writing, it often lacks that emotional connection with the people being interviewed/discussed and their stories to draw out the readers' interest. Additionally, he provides stats that are helpful to his argument, but he often provides so many that you get "lost in the stats" and I found myself having to go back/take notes in order to not lose track of what he was talking about. Finally, I feel like what he was saying was good, he just used wayyy too many words and packed in way too much information to the chapters. They probably could have been half the length, and his points would've come across fine. Some of the chapters also felt wholly unnecessary, like the one about Temple and Waterloo. Sure, it was okay, but I didn't feel like it added that much to the book (besides reading time).
Bruni does a good job of breaking down why going to an elite school is not necessary for success. He talks about students who had transformative experiences at other schools and went on to be very successful entrepreneurs, politicians, authors, etc. From hearing the stories of those Bruni interviews, I was able to gain a bit more insight into the benefits of going to a public/non-elite college (things like socioeconomic diversity, more connections with the proffessors, unique classes, etc.) The book reminded me that it's not so much which school you get into, but how determined you are to use the opportunity you are provided with.
However, the book started to feel extremely repetitive after only a few chapters. Although Bruni does tie in some interesting stories to his writing, it often lacks that emotional connection with the people being interviewed/discussed and their stories to draw out the readers' interest. Additionally, he provides stats that are helpful to his argument, but he often provides so many that you get "lost in the stats" and I found myself having to go back/take notes in order to not lose track of what he was talking about. Finally, I feel like what he was saying was good, he just used wayyy too many words and packed in way too much information to the chapters. They probably could have been half the length, and his points would've come across fine. Some of the chapters also felt wholly unnecessary, like the one about Temple and Waterloo. Sure, it was okay, but I didn't feel like it added that much to the book (besides reading time).
I like a lot of the message of the book, but it feels simultaneously thin and padded for length at points. Many sections are anecdotal and it seems more intent on helping the parents of high school juniors catch their breath than at providing a systematic argument. Again, that's fine for what it is, but it makes several sections redundant or skimmable.
While the book highlights several alternatives to prestige label universities, it is not clear on what families should look for if public prestige is not a worthwhile goal in itself. If there's a theme, it's that most schools will have more than enough to offer most students. That's fine, but it doesn't go any further into what markers are more useful than the mistaken ones that it puts on trial.
There's a more thorough version of this book that I recommend much more highly: [b:The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us|43261189|The Years That Matter Most How College Makes or Breaks Us|Paul Tough|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555159104l/43261189._SX50_.jpg|67138968]. There's not much here that isn't done better in Paul Tough's book.
While the book highlights several alternatives to prestige label universities, it is not clear on what families should look for if public prestige is not a worthwhile goal in itself. If there's a theme, it's that most schools will have more than enough to offer most students. That's fine, but it doesn't go any further into what markers are more useful than the mistaken ones that it puts on trial.
There's a more thorough version of this book that I recommend much more highly: [b:The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us|43261189|The Years That Matter Most How College Makes or Breaks Us|Paul Tough|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1555159104l/43261189._SX50_.jpg|67138968]. There's not much here that isn't done better in Paul Tough's book.
Other than how the book dragged on in various parts of the book, this was a great insight into the college admissions system. All in all, the college system is rigged, but students don't know that, so many end up stressing themselves out in order to attend brand-name schools. This book also debunks the myth that one cannot find success anywhere else such as public universities or community colleges. If you really want a thorough analysis about how success isn't linear, and success is what you make of it, then this is it. Every high school student should read this, as it would definitely decrease the unnecessary anxiety that kids these days face, and give them a reality-check--making them realize that you cannot plan your life so much, and you should take life as it comes.
I don't even have high school kids yet, but it's a sign of the times (or unfortunately perhaps me) that I paused in front of those free neighborhood libraries and picked this book up. Very centered look at the pervasive belief that a child's future depends on getting into the "right" school -- and the myths, the markets, and corrosiveness of these cultural beliefs.
An admirable message of course, and some pretty engaging anecdotes and thorough research. But the presentation felt very dry, even a little preachy.
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
So I was made to read this book by my father who has fallen in love with it and the message that it preaches (basically, you can get a good education anywhere, you don't have to get into the Ivy League/ Stanford to succeed.) My reading of it is my Father's Day present to him, so it's not like this is a book that I would normally pick up. That being said, it's a good book. It examines a culture I'm definitely exposed to, as I attend a prep school, and shows that cultures facts that render it fundamentally incorrect. It's a good book, a reassuring book, and I'm glad that I read it, I suppose.
This book is about the mania and hysteria (mostly by middle-high income families) around college admissions and the fixations on particular schools.
IN DEPTH DISCUSSION!!!!!!!!!
I don't have a lot to say, this is affirming but I really only read it because my dad wanted me to. John Green talks about his college experience, so that was really entertaining for those two pages or so.
It also says some important things about rejection, I think, and how important that is. I'm scared about myself and my ability to come back from a very intense rejection, when I was really passionate about the thing that I got rejected from, because I've not experienced that up to this point and I'm not sure of my emotional fortitude.
Another thing is in the book they talk about a school that posts all of the matriculations from that school onto their website, which is the exact same thing that happens in my school. Also, I have heard multiple students complain about how they don't think that our college counselors don't really care about them and are encouraging them to go to prestigious colleges because it reflects well on my school. One girl in particular got into Stanford but was really attracted to ASU, even though it has a party school reputation. The college counselor was actively recommending against ASU, but not for any real reasons, but, in the student's estimation, because Stanford looks better.
That is all to say that this mania is very real and something I personally will have lots of exposure to, I presume, my junior and senior years.
Overall, I'd say this is worth a read, especially for Juniors/ Seniors in high school AND their parents. Parents tend to put more emphasis on this stuff than kids do, at least from my experience.
FFFFIIIIIIINNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!
Good to have read it, but nothing spectacular: 89%
This book is about the mania and hysteria (mostly by middle-high income families) around college admissions and the fixations on particular schools.
IN DEPTH DISCUSSION!!!!!!!!!
I don't have a lot to say, this is affirming but I really only read it because my dad wanted me to. John Green talks about his college experience, so that was really entertaining for those two pages or so.
It also says some important things about rejection, I think, and how important that is. I'm scared about myself and my ability to come back from a very intense rejection, when I was really passionate about the thing that I got rejected from, because I've not experienced that up to this point and I'm not sure of my emotional fortitude.
Another thing is in the book they talk about a school that posts all of the matriculations from that school onto their website, which is the exact same thing that happens in my school. Also, I have heard multiple students complain about how they don't think that our college counselors don't really care about them and are encouraging them to go to prestigious colleges because it reflects well on my school. One girl in particular got into Stanford but was really attracted to ASU, even though it has a party school reputation. The college counselor was actively recommending against ASU, but not for any real reasons, but, in the student's estimation, because Stanford looks better.
That is all to say that this mania is very real and something I personally will have lots of exposure to, I presume, my junior and senior years.
Overall, I'd say this is worth a read, especially for Juniors/ Seniors in high school AND their parents. Parents tend to put more emphasis on this stuff than kids do, at least from my experience.
FFFFIIIIIIINNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!
Good to have read it, but nothing spectacular: 89%
If you don't realize what a dysfunctional numbers game the college application process is right now, you'll probably find this book very helpful. If you are already aware of the bizarre ratings, grossly inflated GPAs and false exclusivity driven by insane numbers of applicants, none of this is news. Unfortunately, there aren't any answers either. Like most parenting dilemmas, I can see the problem, I'd like to opt out, but how do you when taking a stand is at your kid's expense? You pour a glass of wine and sign up for SAT prep class, like everyone else.