Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice

After being accepted early decision to Princeton University, I had to write a review of this book! I was fortunate enough to find it near the beginning of my junior year of high school, and it stayed with me right up through the agonizing process of completing applications and ultimately gaining admission from my top choice school. This book is a guide to completing your applications to college--something you've probably worked all the way through high school to get to, but find quite confusing once you are there. However, the way you present yourself on your application is the only way that admissions officers will ever get to know you, so the way that you "market" yourself is of prime importance! In fact, when asked how the admissions office distinguishes among the thousands of applicants with similar profiles, a Harvard admissions officer told me point-blank that "it all comes down to the applicants who can present themselves well on paper." After getting to know some of the other accepted students at Princeton, I, too, would agree: We didn't all cure cancer or publish novels while in high school, but we were all able to effectively convey our curiosity, initiative, and personality well on paper. So the thing that I think makes this book the best one out there on the subject is that the author, a former assistant director of admissions at Dartmouth, knows exactly what it looks like to present oneself well on paper and, conversely, what it looks like to present oneself poorly on paper. The book presents you with the vantage point of the officer who will be reading your application and deciding whether or not to spend a spot in the freshman class on you. The book also gives you practical, thorough advice on filling out your activity list, writing your essays, getting recommendations from teachers, making your interview work for you, and when to send in supplemental material. There's even a very illuminating chapter on whether or not you should consider applying early action or early decision, which heavily influenced my choice to apply to Princeton under the early decision plan. To close, I would like to say that this was probably the single most helpful book that I had around as I filled out my applications. It showed me how to work with my profile and high school activities and make it stand out to the admissions committee. It's also great to know that Dr. Hernández is, first, an educator, and it's hard not to get the sense that she truly wants to help students succeed. I highly recommend this book.

Michele Hernandez is one of the best private college counselors in the nation. She is also the author of the excellent college guide "A is for Admission." This book is one of the best among the 10 ones I have read. "Acing the College Application" is not as rich in insights and information as "A is for Admission." This is because it is focused on a more mechanical and narrow topic (how to best fill the actual application so as to maximize your chances). Nevertheless, I still give this book a strong 5. This is because Hernandez advice on many of the details of filling application is so valuable. There are tons of strategic mistakes one is bound to do just out of ignorance. She gives you the inside scoop on how admission officers read, interpret, and assess the data and qualitative information you provide them. Without understanding somewhat how their brains work, you have little chance of getting in top college regardless of your academic record. The first half of the book is mainly dedicated to the various essays you have to write to complete an application. Thus, this book doubles up as an excellent college essay guide. She teaches you everything you need to know to be successful on that one count. Near the end, she covers broader topics in several very interesting chapters, including: what to do if you are deferred or wait listed, early action vs early decision, and weighing your options once you are accepted. Unlike many of her counterparts, Michele Hernandez gives you many other valuable strategic details unencumbered by political correctness. She gets so many things rights that others either miss or get wrong. Regarding early action or decision, she has actually looked at the acceptance rate data and she strongly recommends you use these tools to your advantage to get into a most selective schools. If you don't you are not serious about getting in Princeton, Stanford, and similar schools. Regarding the wait list thing, make sure you find out why you were wait listed. If they say it is because the pool of applicants was unusually competitive; you may as well move on. You are toast. But, if they say it is because they are missing something in your application, you are still right in there. And, you have a good chance of impressing the admission officer with strong follow up. That is a valuable piece of information I had never read anywhere [find out why you are wait listed and respond accordingly]. Overall, I strongly recommend this book. Obviously, you should read it after reading "A is for Admission" to establish a broad based foundation in the college application and selection process. Another top-notch book I strongly recommend is "The Early Admission Game." The coauthors have studied the acceptance data and have measured with the greatest accuracy the advantage in using early action/decision program vs going the regular admission channel.

Faced with the terrifying task of starting my college applications, I decided to pick up a book for help. At first, I did not know what to choose, but I finally settled on Michele Hernandez' book because it's so helpful and easy to read. She's very to the point and includes all the essential information, and I felt most confident with her book that I would obtain the information I needed to gain admission to the selective colleges that I am applying to.Her section on supplementary materials and the interview is especially helpful. I would definitely recommend all high school seniors to purchase this book! It -really- helps.

Acing the College Application is the best book any college-bound Senior could buy. One of the greatest things it provides is a sample activity list. Many students do so many extracurricular activities that it can be hard to package your responses into the tight confines of an application. Hernandez makes this possible, through an activity list, that allows you to elaborate in greate detail without sounding pretentious. My application was greatly enhanced because of this asset. She also offers interview advice and tells you the real deal about extra materials. She answers your every question in this short, easy to read book. I love Michele Hernandez!