Scaling the Ivy Wall in the '90s: 12 Essential Steps to Winning Admission to America's Most Selective Colleges and Universities

This is an excellent work for directing your attention to thesources of scholarship and work-study information. This sourceis the local school guidance counselor and financial aidcounselor. A relationship may be developed from frequentvisits to the college, interviews with key staff, a formalapplication, enthusiastic recommendations and a host of otherhints explained by the author. Colgate University looks forintellectual maturity according to the author. Admissionsofficers look for exciting essays, clarity, personableness,lessons learned from work and what the candidate might gain fromthe collegiate experience.

As a high school student applying to very selective colleges, I have read through every "how to get into college" that I could get my hands on. This one is simply the most comprehensive and the best. Many of these types of books talk down to the reader, trying to sweeten the application process. This one does not over-simplify. It gave me a really good sense of the "big picture"--how what you do in high school affects your admissions chances at the big-name schools. I only wish I had read it when I was in ninth grade!