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Applying To Colleges

Resources For Understanding College Applications And Getting Accepted Into Your Chosen School
There are literally hundreds of books and resources available, which are geared toward helping you with the college application process. Following are some of the most recently-published and highly-recommended resources, culled from readers who have had a chance to utilize the information.

Books And Further Reading For The College Application Process
Acing the College Application: How to Maximize Your Chances for Admission to the College of Your Choice, by Michele Hernandez
Written by a Dartmouth College admission officer, this book is full of excellent advice for the student who wants to gain admission to one of the more highly-selective colleges. The material focuses on the Common Application and has a lot of straight- talk about filling out the college application, as well as advice for writing college application essays.

"A" Is for Admission: The Insider's Guide to Getting into the Ivy League and Other Top Colleges, by Michele Hernandez
Here is another book by Michele Hernandez, who has the insider’s view from her years working in the Dartmouth College admission office. This book focuses on the process Ivy League Schools use to evaluate applications.

College Countdown: The Parent's and Student's Survival Kit for the College Admissions Process, by Jill von Gruben
This book may be your key to organizing yourself for the gauntlet of college applications, as you or your child enters high school. Complete with admission timelines, anecdotes, and key dates for applying to college, this book will help take the angst out of your college preparation.

The College Hook: Packaging Yourself to Win the College Admissions Game, by Pam Proctor
Do you need help identifying what makes you different from other students? This book will help you identify and develop your specific aspects, including personal talents or achievements, which will make you stand out from all other college applicants. The author is a career college application consultant, and provides a step- by-step plan for developing "your personal hook.”

What You Don't Know Can Keep You Out of College: A Top Consultant Explains the 13 Fatal Application Mistakes and Why Character Is the Key to College Admissions, by Don Dunbar and G.F. Lichtenberg
Another good resource for students who are looking to get into an Ivy League or high-profile school, this book looks at social sensitivity when selecting college admission essay topics, and provides excellent information about the college interview process. You will find specific insight into the type of “character” in which college admission boards are interested. The author is one of the nation’s premier experts on the college admission process.