Customer Reviews:
 "Secrets" okay... some are not very secret, others extreme... August 11, 2007
Robert Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA)
60 out of 67 found this review helpful
First, you have to realize the truth. It isn't that hard to get into a college or university in general. What is perhaps hard is to get into a specific college or university, or to be eligible for specific academic scholarships or fellowships.
Second, some, but not all, of the suggestions made by author Elizabeth Wissner-Gross require money, and lots of it. Just keep this in mind when you read about the favored summer camps she recommends.
Third, you've probably heard or read of the "hovering parent" syndrome. This book, What High Schools Don't Tell You: 300+ Secrets to Make Your Kid Irresistible to Colleges by Senior Year, was written with them in mind.
Okay, having said those things, there are some good ideas here. Let me summarize a bunch of them.
- be very good at something
- don't wait until your junior or senior year to develop your resume or experiences
- don't waste your summers
- develop a plan, and follow the plan
There you go! About 200 of these secrets fall in these categories.
I was irritated or disappointed with three themes in the book.
- intellectual development was key for Wissner-Gross. That's not a bad goal. However, our children are, quite frankly, falling apart. Obesity rates are sky-rocketing, along with early adult-onset diabetes, and the lack of knowledge or skills in life sports such as tennis, basketball, and swimming are deplorable. Sending kids to college without the ability to take care of their bodies and socialize with team or intramural sports is a really bad thing, and I guarantee you, it is not the responsibility of the faculty at college to teach your son or daughter to avoid binge drinking, proper eating, and good exercise strategies. Promote intellectual development while limiting these areas at your child's peril. There is a cost associated with encouraging engineering camp while discouraging soccer camp.
- Life is not over if you don't get into Yale or Williams. Be careful of the messages you send. Being very good in what you do, wherever you go, is the key for admission to prestigious graduate and professional schools, and these graduate programs are key determinants of future success.
- Community service. Here's where I really part company with Wissner-Gross:
"Your child should avoid volunteer experiences where intellectual growth is not likely to occur or where there are no new skills to gain" (Secret 280, p. 227).
"... I want to emphasize that a student who sticks with a boring task... does not impress colleges" (Secret 281, p. 227). She does note that the child should seek insight or improvement.
Wissner-Gross states "The major rewards of community service tend to be learning, enrichment, innovating, the satisfaction of helping others, supporting a cause you believe in, and enjoyment..." BUT, she continues (p. 229) stating "The Community Service Requirement. Does every child need to do community service? It's not a bad idea if you want your child to be a caring adult. However, parents need to think carefully about... what constitutes service. Conducting science research to end cancer is community service enough..."
What? I guarantee you, NO high school student is "Conducting science research to end cancer." And community service involves service to the community first. Here, it is being confused with volunteerism. When students are interviewed, this really comes out. If your program doesn't care, that's their problem. If the program you desire does care, then that is your problem. Community service involves making a connection to the community, and your reflection on this experience in this regard is essential. Many, many students call these experiences transformational. It's what fuels their passion in their college interviews, in their courses, and in what they get involved in during college.
And then there is the statement, "Does every child need to do community service? It's not a bad idea if you want your child to be a caring adult."
And there are parents who DON'T want their children to be caring adults? For humanity's sake, I hope these parents are in the extreme minority.
So Elizabeth Wissner-Gross says that intellectual development is essential (how can I disagree?), development of connectiveness with the community is not a bad idea if you want your child to be a caring adult (this bothers me a lot), and don't worry, be happy about your child's physical development (this is the omission that will haunt a person's health through decades... but hey!).
So whether you have MIT or Cal Tech, Smith or Randolph-Macon Woman's College, or Stanford or the University of Virginia in mind, be good at many things, be really good at something; be broad in your education while also being deep; be concerned about your community and your body; and be oh so honest about who you are and who you want to be.
And don't forget to let your kid play during the summer as well.
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.
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.
Good info September 22, 2007
LDL (GA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Some of the suggestions in the book are just plain common sense, and others are brilliant, little-known ideas. I look forward to tailoring a "program" for my children. While some of the "secrets" require parents to be a little "over the top" and pushy, most are good and seemingly would not place undue pressure on students. Everyone plays the game; this book just allows you to play smarter.
simply great February 8, 2008
C. chavira (USA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is an eye opener. I am a HS teacher, who works closely with counselors and administrators, and I was surprised with the information I learned after I read this book. I highly recommend this book to the proactive parent!
|
