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Early Decision: Based on a True Frenzy – A Satirical Coming-of-Age Novel About the Fight for Independence and the Privilege of Ivy League Dreams
“ ... part Gossip Girl , part Dead Poets Society , and entirely addictive! A brilliant, satirical peek at the families of privilege behind the Ivy Curtain, this book made me laugh out loud.” —Kevin Kwan, New York Times bestselling author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy In the decades before she was able to tell her own story, Lacy Crawford (author of Notes on a Silencing ) worked with high school seniors trying to learn to tell theirs in the 15 years she spent as a highly sought-after private college counselor. The college essay could be a terribly nerve-wracking assignment—or, as Crawford saw it, an opportunity for a young person to set their sights on a future of their own—as Crawford illuminates in her debut novel Early Decision .
Working one-on-one with helicopter parents and burned-out kids, Anne “the application whisperer” can make Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford a reality—assuming, of course, that’s what a student wants. Early Decision follows five students over one autumn as Anne helps them craft their essays, cram for the SATs, and perfect the Common Application, though their larger task might be balancing their parents’ hopes against their own developing dreams.
It seems their entire future is on the line—and it is. Though not because of the Ivy League. It’s because the process, warped as it is by money, connections, competition, and parental mania, threatens to crush their independence just as adulthood begins. With wit and heart, Early Decision sends up the secrets of the college admissions race and celebrates the adolescents forced to run its gauntlet. “I nearly cried with laughter over how true to my experience this book is. Lacy Crawford is spot-on in her portrayal of the anxiety, hilarity, and pathos inherent to the college application process.” —Anonymous, SAT Tutor, Veritas
Working one-on-one with helicopter parents and burned-out kids, Anne “the application whisperer” can make Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford a reality—assuming, of course, that’s what a student wants. Early Decision follows five students over one autumn as Anne helps them craft their essays, cram for the SATs, and perfect the Common Application, though their larger task might be balancing their parents’ hopes against their own developing dreams.
It seems their entire future is on the line—and it is. Though not because of the Ivy League. It’s because the process, warped as it is by money, connections, competition, and parental mania, threatens to crush their independence just as adulthood begins. With wit and heart, Early Decision sends up the secrets of the college admissions race and celebrates the adolescents forced to run its gauntlet. “I nearly cried with laughter over how true to my experience this book is. Lacy Crawford is spot-on in her portrayal of the anxiety, hilarity, and pathos inherent to the college application process.” —Anonymous, SAT Tutor, Veritas
304 pages, Hardcover
First published June 4, 2013
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2086 people want to read
About the author
Lacy Crawford
2 books286 followersI'm the author of EARLY DECISION and NOTES ON A SILENCING. I live in Southern California with my family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 298 reviews
January 23, 2014
Why is it that anything written about college admissions both gets published and seems to sell? My two-star rating is generous; this book fails both as literature and as information about the US college admission process. I have to admit that after reading "Admission," I did not think anything worse could be written about college admissions, but Crawford has managed to "achieve" that.
As someone very familiar with college admissions, I am surprised by this book. (1) As described by Crawford, parents are meddling self-absorbed jerks -- all of them, if I remember correctly. (2) The students in the book are all depressed and not very interesting. (3) The essays simply are not very good. I'm flabbergasted by her assertion that the counselor, Anne, has seen 68 of 70 students gain admission to their first-choice college. That just does not happen. But then again, just about all statistics related to college admissions are suspect.
It's hard to warm up to most of the characters in the book. Anne, the protagonist, while in her late 20's, does not seem much more mature than the teen-agers she assists, and, indeed, she frequently descends to their emotional level. At one point, she tells a student not to write an essay a certain way because "you don't want to sound like a dick." This is professionalism from a college counselor? The descriptions of most people older than seventeen are just plain nasty. Even the colleges are cartoons: "Reed for the ceramicists with sky-high SATs...Oberlin and Kenyon (mild poets and musicians)," etc.
The book abounds in annoyingly florid prose. Examples: "...her border-collie brain, running down ideas like wayward lambs;" "College frenzy had reached its highest pitch, like wasps before a frost;" "...a wash of love came over her body;" "[His]words swam in her brain like piranhas."
There is a lot of prejudice in this book against anyone of privilege. WASPs, in particular, are all cold, rich, and unethical. Yet the book focuses time and again on upscale towns, schools, restaurants. In addition, while there are certainly exceptions, successful and experienced college counselors are by and large some of the most hard-working and ethical people I know (and I know many). Yet to Crawford they are all seen as not to be trusted. In fairness to the author, however, this prejudice is an attitude she could well have acquired at the admission office where she was a file-reader.
"Early Decision" plays into some current negative mind-sets related to the field of college admissions. And it is simply unfair. There are, for instance, relatively few parents as malevolent, heavy-handed and misguided as the ones she describes (I have done a fair amount of college counseling and not yet encountered any parents like those in this book.)
One wonders why Anne spends her career working with people she disdains and doing work she does not respect. And, unfortunately, her life, which is the other plot line in the novel, is not a lot of fun to read about, and some sudden plot twists towards the end make this even worse.
So why two stars instead of one? Well, I did finish it...
As someone very familiar with college admissions, I am surprised by this book. (1) As described by Crawford, parents are meddling self-absorbed jerks -- all of them, if I remember correctly. (2) The students in the book are all depressed and not very interesting. (3) The essays simply are not very good. I'm flabbergasted by her assertion that the counselor, Anne, has seen 68 of 70 students gain admission to their first-choice college. That just does not happen. But then again, just about all statistics related to college admissions are suspect.
It's hard to warm up to most of the characters in the book. Anne, the protagonist, while in her late 20's, does not seem much more mature than the teen-agers she assists, and, indeed, she frequently descends to their emotional level. At one point, she tells a student not to write an essay a certain way because "you don't want to sound like a dick." This is professionalism from a college counselor? The descriptions of most people older than seventeen are just plain nasty. Even the colleges are cartoons: "Reed for the ceramicists with sky-high SATs...Oberlin and Kenyon (mild poets and musicians)," etc.
The book abounds in annoyingly florid prose. Examples: "...her border-collie brain, running down ideas like wayward lambs;" "College frenzy had reached its highest pitch, like wasps before a frost;" "...a wash of love came over her body;" "[His]words swam in her brain like piranhas."
There is a lot of prejudice in this book against anyone of privilege. WASPs, in particular, are all cold, rich, and unethical. Yet the book focuses time and again on upscale towns, schools, restaurants. In addition, while there are certainly exceptions, successful and experienced college counselors are by and large some of the most hard-working and ethical people I know (and I know many). Yet to Crawford they are all seen as not to be trusted. In fairness to the author, however, this prejudice is an attitude she could well have acquired at the admission office where she was a file-reader.
"Early Decision" plays into some current negative mind-sets related to the field of college admissions. And it is simply unfair. There are, for instance, relatively few parents as malevolent, heavy-handed and misguided as the ones she describes (I have done a fair amount of college counseling and not yet encountered any parents like those in this book.)
One wonders why Anne spends her career working with people she disdains and doing work she does not respect. And, unfortunately, her life, which is the other plot line in the novel, is not a lot of fun to read about, and some sudden plot twists towards the end make this even worse.
So why two stars instead of one? Well, I did finish it...
April 17, 2014
As of this writing, it’s two days till Pesach. I have a ton of cooking to do, not to mention some last touch-ups on cleaning, and yet I’ve done something utterly foolish and yet thoroughly pleasurable: I’ve let myself get addicted to a novel. I started it on Shabbos, continued through on Saturday till 1:00 in the morning, and when I woke up, instead of getting to my Pesach cleaning, I went right back to the novel until I finished it. And now, here I am, writing about it – though I made myself get two pots going on the stovetop first.
The novel is about the college admissions process, which for me is always an emotional topic. My own first two years of college were absolutely nightmarish, so even though I am the middle-aged mom of a kid old enough to be applying for colleges himself right now (and isn’t because he’s in yeshiva instead), it takes very little to send me right back to my own pre-college process. Rare is the day that goes by without my thinking, “If only I’d taken Course X in high school and chosen College Y instead of University Z, perhaps my life now would be happier.” And yes, I know it’s foolish and even faithless to think that way. The point of this book – and I agree with it – is that if you don’t let other people run your life, you’ll become the person you’re meant to be no matter what college you attend.
The protagonist of the book is Anne, a twenty-seven year old single woman who earns her living coaching high school seniors on composing their college entrance essays. As I learned from the non-fiction book on the admissions process, The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, these essays really do get read and are an important part of the evaluation process. The parents who typically hire Anne are wealthy and have high and often specific expectations for their kids. “Don’t tell me about any colleges I’ve never heard of,” one parent tells Anne. He wants his son at Amherst.
Anne’s caseload is made of six students this season, five of whom have paying parents and one of whom is a potential scholarship student she’s volunteering to work with. The paying parents all have big dreams for their kids, but the kids have dreams of their own, and they don’t always conform to their parents’. How each one resolves (or fails to resolve) that conflict is the thread of the whole book, and you see their growth through their essays. While dealing with their pre-college issues, Anne is struggling with life’s next Big Decision: marriage. Since I’d just finished One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding, the parallels were clear to me. Just like marketing has created the Bridezilla culture, college marketing has created a culture of overbearing parents and overwhelmed kids. If anything, the college process is worse because it forces the kids to market themselves, and too often, the message they get is: “Sorry, kid, but you’re just not good enough for us.”
I would highly recommend this book, along with the non-fictional The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, to all parents and kids on the verge or in the midst of applying to college. The parents in this book are so over the top, anyone can laugh at them. But the main message is for the kids. You don’t have to go to Harvard to have a happy life.
The novel is about the college admissions process, which for me is always an emotional topic. My own first two years of college were absolutely nightmarish, so even though I am the middle-aged mom of a kid old enough to be applying for colleges himself right now (and isn’t because he’s in yeshiva instead), it takes very little to send me right back to my own pre-college process. Rare is the day that goes by without my thinking, “If only I’d taken Course X in high school and chosen College Y instead of University Z, perhaps my life now would be happier.” And yes, I know it’s foolish and even faithless to think that way. The point of this book – and I agree with it – is that if you don’t let other people run your life, you’ll become the person you’re meant to be no matter what college you attend.
The protagonist of the book is Anne, a twenty-seven year old single woman who earns her living coaching high school seniors on composing their college entrance essays. As I learned from the non-fiction book on the admissions process, The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, these essays really do get read and are an important part of the evaluation process. The parents who typically hire Anne are wealthy and have high and often specific expectations for their kids. “Don’t tell me about any colleges I’ve never heard of,” one parent tells Anne. He wants his son at Amherst.
Anne’s caseload is made of six students this season, five of whom have paying parents and one of whom is a potential scholarship student she’s volunteering to work with. The paying parents all have big dreams for their kids, but the kids have dreams of their own, and they don’t always conform to their parents’. How each one resolves (or fails to resolve) that conflict is the thread of the whole book, and you see their growth through their essays. While dealing with their pre-college issues, Anne is struggling with life’s next Big Decision: marriage. Since I’d just finished One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding, the parallels were clear to me. Just like marketing has created the Bridezilla culture, college marketing has created a culture of overbearing parents and overwhelmed kids. If anything, the college process is worse because it forces the kids to market themselves, and too often, the message they get is: “Sorry, kid, but you’re just not good enough for us.”
I would highly recommend this book, along with the non-fictional The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, to all parents and kids on the verge or in the midst of applying to college. The parents in this book are so over the top, anyone can laugh at them. But the main message is for the kids. You don’t have to go to Harvard to have a happy life.
November 4, 2013
I had a hard time with this book. I wanted to like it because it's an interesting subject. The story is about a young woman who helps high school seniors with the college application process - she helps edit the various essays they have to write for the Common Application - and she gets peripherally involved with their lives. Most of her clients are very wealthy Chicagoans who have unlimited money to spend and who don't really consider what their children want to do with their lives. One of her students' father is on the board of trustees for Duke University and it's just assumed she's going to get in but things get complicated when our heroine is asked to help a Guatemalan girl from the poor part of Chicago get into Duke....What was difficult for me was that the kids are mostly unhappy, poorly parented kids who face a sort of depressing future because they're being pushed into lives they didn't choose for themselves. What the story really boils down to is expectations (parents) and expectations (kids) and perhaps it's because I have a son who is a high school sophomore who will soon be facing these issues but I found this book very sad.
September 1, 2013
Usually when I read a book I identify with a character,and their journey is the through-line of my own life for the time it takes to read the book (and much longer in the case of the greats...I'm still living with Scout Finch's story in my bones...). Anyway, with this book, I had the odd and slightly disturbing experience of identifying with the main character (a private tutor for college applicants), the absolutely certifiable and ridiculous parents, and also the teenagers themselves. Oh, goodness, do I remember those days well.
The book is not a tell-all, nor is it a memoir, nor is it really a novel. I'm not sure what the author hoped it would be, but something feels "off" about the structure. Ironically, the very thing that Anne (the college advisor) is working to get her students to do -- write a clear and authentic voice -- is not something Lacy Crawford managed when creating the fictionalized character of herself. Things I liked: the chapters set up as the months of the application season, the progression of the students during those months that we track via their essay drafts, and the epilogue, where we get to know how things turned out. Thank goodness for a satisfying resolution... The mom in me really appreciated that.
Speaking of the parents, OMG!!!!! I'm scared that I may have traces of this special kind of lunacy, but the depths and heights these parents go to to screw up their children in the name of helping them succeed is actually beyond anything I could ever have created. Wow.
So, a fun read that came at a good time.
The book is not a tell-all, nor is it a memoir, nor is it really a novel. I'm not sure what the author hoped it would be, but something feels "off" about the structure. Ironically, the very thing that Anne (the college advisor) is working to get her students to do -- write a clear and authentic voice -- is not something Lacy Crawford managed when creating the fictionalized character of herself. Things I liked: the chapters set up as the months of the application season, the progression of the students during those months that we track via their essay drafts, and the epilogue, where we get to know how things turned out. Thank goodness for a satisfying resolution... The mom in me really appreciated that.
Speaking of the parents, OMG!!!!! I'm scared that I may have traces of this special kind of lunacy, but the depths and heights these parents go to to screw up their children in the name of helping them succeed is actually beyond anything I could ever have created. Wow.
So, a fun read that came at a good time.
October 24, 2013
Crawford certainly knows what she's writing about, and she knows how to craft a well-written sentence. Unfortunately, competent writing can't overcome a complete lack of connection with the characters. While its obvious that protagonist and "application whisperer" Anne has plenty of sympathy for the assorted college applicants that she counsels, it didn't translate into me as the reader actually caring about them. I similarly couldn't work up any real emotion regarding Anne herself. She is listless, questioning her choices in life... and I found myself more annoyed than concerned. Without compelling characters, Early Decision felt more like homework than leisure reading. Worse yet, it felt like wasted potential.
October 12, 2013
Lacy Crawford, the author drew from her experience as a college admissions counselor to give us a view of the upper mclass and upper middle class vie for a place at an Ivy League college for their child. These are the parents who have sought to enroll their child in the best preschool when they first find out that they are pregnant. They are the parents who have programmed their children's lives to include athletics, music, art, the theater, and volunteering. They have private lessons in all these areas searching for that one special area that their child can excel in and by virtue of this will stand out in the application process.
They hire, Anne, the college admissions counselor because of her track record in getting her students admitted to the best schools. She comes into contact with disengaged kids, kids who are striving to be perfect in every way, and those who are never allowed to just be themselves. She likes the kids that she works with and as she tries to help them with their essays, she is also trying to help them find their passion in life - not only for writing about in their essay but as an idea for what they would like their future to hold. Dealing with their helicopter parents, however, is not such a joy and at times their expectations are outrageous. When the results are in and the colleges have chosen will all her students end up where they should be??
The book was interesting and truly reflected her experience with dealing with these situations. It is sad to realize that in our day of computer technology, the common application which can be sent to each school you are applying to, does not allow you the ability to show your passion for a particular school. Everything must be generic to all the schools that you apply to. Also gone are the personal interviews where an admissions person can get a chance to see the human behind the essays. Having worked in education for my entire career, I have seen the beginnings of this journey when the children are in the primary grades. I have watched parents living out their fantasies and desires through the lives of their children. I have seen kids programmed in every day after school with no time or very little time for imaginative play with friends. The children that I worked with were not the upper middle class kids but it has trickled down to the lower middle class, too. I don't see this as a positive thing. Working extra hours to pay for flute lessons is perhaps not the best gift that you can give your child. Your time, holding them close, letting them feel your love (rather than just your expectations for their future) talking together and sharing a love of books can take you farther than an Ivy League admission every will.
They hire, Anne, the college admissions counselor because of her track record in getting her students admitted to the best schools. She comes into contact with disengaged kids, kids who are striving to be perfect in every way, and those who are never allowed to just be themselves. She likes the kids that she works with and as she tries to help them with their essays, she is also trying to help them find their passion in life - not only for writing about in their essay but as an idea for what they would like their future to hold. Dealing with their helicopter parents, however, is not such a joy and at times their expectations are outrageous. When the results are in and the colleges have chosen will all her students end up where they should be??
The book was interesting and truly reflected her experience with dealing with these situations. It is sad to realize that in our day of computer technology, the common application which can be sent to each school you are applying to, does not allow you the ability to show your passion for a particular school. Everything must be generic to all the schools that you apply to. Also gone are the personal interviews where an admissions person can get a chance to see the human behind the essays. Having worked in education for my entire career, I have seen the beginnings of this journey when the children are in the primary grades. I have watched parents living out their fantasies and desires through the lives of their children. I have seen kids programmed in every day after school with no time or very little time for imaginative play with friends. The children that I worked with were not the upper middle class kids but it has trickled down to the lower middle class, too. I don't see this as a positive thing. Working extra hours to pay for flute lessons is perhaps not the best gift that you can give your child. Your time, holding them close, letting them feel your love (rather than just your expectations for their future) talking together and sharing a love of books can take you farther than an Ivy League admission every will.
September 18, 2013
Sometimes when I’ve read books created around a specialized vocation, I get bored with the tedium of work. Too much minutia about the day to day operations gets me down. I felt that Early Decision was appropriately balanced, but still dragged a bit for me in the execution of the plot. I never really connected with Anne, the beleagured protagonist, mostly because I was only told that she was good at her job, but never actually saw her excelling. In fact, her quarter-life crisis seems to come about because she finally encounters students that she can’t help. In a few cases, I felt like she hadn’t earned her fee–and I say this as a career freelancer who gets the kind of life Anne is living. I never saw what made her special, and heard too much about how she felt that her life was amounting to nothing. I couldn’t help but agree with her, but had no reason to cheer her on because I didn’t know what her passions were. It’s a tricky thing, telling a story about someone who doesn’t know what she wants out of life without turning off the audience. I felt like Anne would make a better IRL friend than she does a character in a book. That said, the writing is solid and the secondary characters quite interesting, not to mention the peek inside the college application process is harrowing and filled with drama. So I would call my criticisms a mere nitpick.
November 30, 2013
An interesting look into a world I had never considered -- that of a professional college application counselor. Annie was a top student who went to Princeton but washed out of her PhD program at University of Chicago. Now, unable to decide what to do with her life, she runs a small business, advising rich kids on how to prepare their applications for admissions to America's best schools.
Annie is so insightful about the teenage mind she should be a psychologist. She understands immediately why and how each kid has been damaged and what they must do to heal.Unfortunately she's clueless about her own life, not recognizing that she has an eating disorder or that her boyfriend is a class A creep.
But the pages keep turning as you read about Sadie, the poor little rich girl, and Christina, the actually poor immigrant and William who just figured out he's gay and came out to his parents in his application essay.
I got a little tired of reading all the essays, but this was an original story. Recommended.
Annie is so insightful about the teenage mind she should be a psychologist. She understands immediately why and how each kid has been damaged and what they must do to heal.Unfortunately she's clueless about her own life, not recognizing that she has an eating disorder or that her boyfriend is a class A creep.
But the pages keep turning as you read about Sadie, the poor little rich girl, and Christina, the actually poor immigrant and William who just figured out he's gay and came out to his parents in his application essay.
I got a little tired of reading all the essays, but this was an original story. Recommended.
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April 30, 2018I work for a private college consultant and the author is spot-on about certain odd things that pop up in this funny little industry. Like fathers who interview writers helping with their kids' college essays like the poor writers wanted jobs at investment banks; parents ripping apart perfectly- crafted essays days before the due date to insert clumsily adult words and inappropriate childhood reminiscences; and the personal questions directed at the writer about "why are you doing this with your life?" Unfortunately, much of the book is devoted to reading various drafts of the kids' essays. The essays were way too much like the college essays kids actually write, and not really funny or satiric enough about the admissions process.
September 10, 2014
This is crazy, but I believe people will do anything to get their children into in the right school. I've heard stories of moms working really hard to get their little prodigies into the right pre-school. I had just heard a podcast of "This American Life" about this same thing. Ira Glass was interviewing college counselors.
I loved this book, it was very well written and I really like Anne. I loved the way she handled all the different parents and their demands. This is a really great book, I highly recommend it.
I loved this book, it was very well written and I really like Anne. I loved the way she handled all the different parents and their demands. This is a really great book, I highly recommend it.
October 7, 2014
Don't bother. Had good potential but that lasted for the first couple chapters. Anne spent to much time clarifying how her career choice, college choice, boyfriend choices were the result of how others treated her. She took no responsibility for her own actions. Yet she wants to make these college bound kids own up to their lives. Found it slightly amusing and then just plain annoying.
April 23, 2018
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. There are several semi-interwoven storylines about the high school students Anne shepherds through the application process - but what ties them all together and elevates the book is the story about Anne. Like her charges, she is struggling with what to do next in her life, balancing the expectations of others with her own barely-discernible desires. I found myself riveted by the lyrical writing and wry humor, unwilling to put the book down until I got to the end.
November 19, 2014
Full disclosure: I received this book as a First Reads Goodreads giveaway, but this in no way affected my review.
Anne is a college admissions counselor. She helps high seniors write and polish their personal essays. In this calendar year (actually the months prior to and including early decision for admission to elite colleges), she has five students of different calibers whom she tries to help. Most vacillate between their hidden, true selves and what their parents desire for them. Yet, Anne shares this same ambivalence with the students. Can she aid Sadie, Hunter, William, Alexis, and Cristina as well as herself? Further, can she satisfy the parents who are paying her for her expertise?
Watching these five individuals discover their own voices through their various drafts is sometimes sad, humorous, and even empowering.
As I read this novel, I alternately reflected on my own children's choices and what I hoped for them vs. what they might have desired for themselves. Moreover, I am glad that I don't have anyone of that age to worry over any more at least in this regard.
Anne is a college admissions counselor. She helps high seniors write and polish their personal essays. In this calendar year (actually the months prior to and including early decision for admission to elite colleges), she has five students of different calibers whom she tries to help. Most vacillate between their hidden, true selves and what their parents desire for them. Yet, Anne shares this same ambivalence with the students. Can she aid Sadie, Hunter, William, Alexis, and Cristina as well as herself? Further, can she satisfy the parents who are paying her for her expertise?
Watching these five individuals discover their own voices through their various drafts is sometimes sad, humorous, and even empowering.
As I read this novel, I alternately reflected on my own children's choices and what I hoped for them vs. what they might have desired for themselves. Moreover, I am glad that I don't have anyone of that age to worry over any more at least in this regard.
October 14, 2013
Blah! I so rarely encounter a book that I cannot get into at all. This book was terribly bland and slow. The plot was unimpressive. I didn't have the highest of expectations for plot or characters, but I was still surprised that I found hardly anything in the book with which I'd struck a connection. I felt too much time was spent detailing things I didn't need much detail for. I'd rather know more about the students, Anne, Martin, her family. How is it that she's 27, living in her hometown, and has no friends? The bits about the parents and the colleges I'm certain are true. At best, this was an honest piece of writing that I'd hoped would be more interesting.
November 3, 2013
The long paragraphs and chapters made this book difficult to read, along with the writing style -- which read too textbook at times. While the truth about the college application process is revealed, it's hard to root for spoiled brats. I'm certainly not looking forward to the process with my kids, and I know it'll be different and in some respects, easier, than when I applied. Good thing I'm an English major and journalist, and will be able to help with their essays instead of hiring a counselor!
October 22, 2013
Very interesting commentary on the admissions process for top colleges. Made me happy to be old and not have to go through it! Not a lighthearted book, I'd recommend only to people who are interested in the subject matter as the story line isn't compelling enough to stick with unless you get sucked in by the whole admissions process. Well written though, kind of sad. Glad it had an epilogue which I always love and was really necessary I thought.
September 23, 2013
I saw this at the South Pasadena Library, home base for many a Tiger mother. I had to read it. I didn't know what to make of the narrative at the start -- it felt a bit too much like memoir to read as fiction. But then the characters and the plot took on their own life. The book was unusual, unpredictable and engaging. And the "early decision" frenzy felt all-too real.
October 31, 2014
Wow, the lengths some rich people go to to get what they want no matter the cost to their family and others.
Wow, some of those kids are so spoiled too!! One boy comparing Winnetka to a prison. Thank God a couple of kids woke up towards the end.
$5,000 was definitely not enough for this woman to charge for what she put up with. Ugh.
Wow, some of those kids are so spoiled too!! One boy comparing Winnetka to a prison. Thank God a couple of kids woke up towards the end.
$5,000 was definitely not enough for this woman to charge for what she put up with. Ugh.
March 11, 2018
I chose this book because I am a fan of college admission novels. Competition is always more difficult on the east coast in comparison with what our three children went through coming from Arizona and getting into fine universities. This book did not disappoint.
September 4, 2018
"Interesting novel about the experience of applying to college through the lens of a professional admissions counselor. The experience of applying to college is very different depending on one's upbringing and familial influence."--patron
August 13, 2020
If you get a seventeen-year-old talking about something that really matters to him, just talking, telling the truth, it's the best. They're deadly serious and funny as hell and really original. They have great voices with better rhythm than you or I because they haven't read all the boring crap yet. They don't know how they're supposed to sound, so they sound fabulous. All that melodrama, it has a real keening to it, if you can tap into it. It's wonderful.
They're so guarded, especially in the first drafts. But something will slip through--an image, an idea, a memory, something that they talk about in a simpler, softer, lower tone. It's when you feel their heart has shown up.
A year ago there was a best-seller out called The Gifted School that I read and really hated. I actually abandoned it about 200 pages in.
A year later, I decided to read a book with a similar premise, except it revolves around the pressure of high school age students to create the perfect college application essay. The Early Decision is superior to that book and masterful. Anne helps high school students craft their perfect essays for college applications so they can get into prestigious universities. This book follows five students through a year of working with Anne on their essays. Four of the students come from wealthy, privileged families. One of the students comes from a working class background. In four of the families the students are expected to apply and get into certain schools because their family members are "legacies" or donate to these universities.
Many of the students don't really want to go to the schools their parents desire, but continue on with the application process due to a sense of duty to their families. The first drafts of their essays are boring, uninspired, typical writing of washed-out high school students. When Anne pushes each student to find the the truth about him/herself and write from a place of truth, the uninspired first draft becomes honest, entertaining, and at times controversial for the students and their family members. Anne is both applauded and ridiculed, manipulated and coerced by powerful members of the families that she works for. Despite this, many times in the novel Anne stands her ground and stays true to herself and true to the students she works with.
The part I love the best about this novel, is that you see each student's essay from the first draft to the finished product. You are able to read pieces that are at first boring and uninspired turn into pieces that are truthful and revealing. When some of the wealthy parents see their child's final drafts, they become upset because maybe these essays were just a little bit too truthful.
The book covers the issues of wealth, class, status, and manipulation. I read this book on the kindle, but I found so many meaningful passages that I decided to buy the book in paperback so I can mark the important passages. I will update this review with some of those once I get the book.
They're so guarded, especially in the first drafts. But something will slip through--an image, an idea, a memory, something that they talk about in a simpler, softer, lower tone. It's when you feel their heart has shown up.
A year ago there was a best-seller out called The Gifted School that I read and really hated. I actually abandoned it about 200 pages in.
A year later, I decided to read a book with a similar premise, except it revolves around the pressure of high school age students to create the perfect college application essay. The Early Decision is superior to that book and masterful. Anne helps high school students craft their perfect essays for college applications so they can get into prestigious universities. This book follows five students through a year of working with Anne on their essays. Four of the students come from wealthy, privileged families. One of the students comes from a working class background. In four of the families the students are expected to apply and get into certain schools because their family members are "legacies" or donate to these universities.
Many of the students don't really want to go to the schools their parents desire, but continue on with the application process due to a sense of duty to their families. The first drafts of their essays are boring, uninspired, typical writing of washed-out high school students. When Anne pushes each student to find the the truth about him/herself and write from a place of truth, the uninspired first draft becomes honest, entertaining, and at times controversial for the students and their family members. Anne is both applauded and ridiculed, manipulated and coerced by powerful members of the families that she works for. Despite this, many times in the novel Anne stands her ground and stays true to herself and true to the students she works with.
The part I love the best about this novel, is that you see each student's essay from the first draft to the finished product. You are able to read pieces that are at first boring and uninspired turn into pieces that are truthful and revealing. When some of the wealthy parents see their child's final drafts, they become upset because maybe these essays were just a little bit too truthful.
The book covers the issues of wealth, class, status, and manipulation. I read this book on the kindle, but I found so many meaningful passages that I decided to buy the book in paperback so I can mark the important passages. I will update this review with some of those once I get the book.
September 20, 2014
I would almost rate this 5 stars. I won this – not kidding – in a Goodreads giveaway (apparently officially called Goodreads First Reads). I have been reading a lot of non-fiction books lately about college admissions. College applications are several years in the future for my kids, which makes these books less stressful. From the cover, the description and reviews written by other readers, I expected some variety of chick lit or self-satisfied insider tell-all. I was hoping it would be more entertaining than irritating.
This book far exceeded my expectations. The main character Anne is a 27-year-old English literature type who helps kids with college application essays. The story follows Anne through one admissions cycle assisting five students, mostly from privileged families, from the kids’ lifeless first drafts to their later improved versions. Having read Harry Bauld’s book “On Writing the College Application Essay,” I can spot a dud essay about pets or expensive tours, but the evolution of the essays helped illustrate the difference between a stiff personal statement and something more expressive.
The author Lacy Crawford has worked with kids on their college essays. This book rings so true, it seems autobiographical, not fictional. Anne is an “application whisperer,” picking out the pieces that work and encouraging kids without telling them what to do. The parents’ ambitions and visions of themselves are projected on their kids. You can feel the families’ fear, anxiety, ambivalence, and anger. The message to parents, I think, is to let kids express themselves, not what parents think they should write, and don’t correct them so often that they are too afraid to do anything.
I related to Anne. The story explores her lack of direction. She is not fulfilling her potential, but doesn’t know what she is supposed to be doing. She is on hiatus from graduate school. Her life is stuck in neutral and she doesn’t know how to get it moving. She is closer in age and experience to the kids than their parents. I loved her uncertainty about whether she was even helping the kids. The author captures the rudderless quality of the post-college years, when you find a job that pays the bills, but you don’t know how to move forward. She accurately depicts a certain type of relationship during these years, when marriage becomes part of the equation. I want my kids to read this book in high school, to have an idea of how confusing is when you are dumped in the work world after college and to know that it’s normal.
There were two things in the book that I didn’t understand. The first one is small. Anne is upset when a parent refers to his son as a carp, growing only as big as the pond he is in. I don’t really understand why this is so demeaning - comparing a kid to a carp. It seems similar to saying a kid thrives when he is a big fish in a small pond. A carp doesn’t seem like an inherently awful creature. I could see comparing a child to a pig as insulting. If the father had said, “He is like a thoroughbred horse that runs only fast enough to win his heat,” would that be fine because the comparison was to a race horse? Was it bad for the dad to be saying his son didn't push himself beyond what was needed to be the best in his circle? I didn’t really understand that.
The other point I didn’t understand is a big one for me. One mother listened to her son for clues to his interests and tried to help him explore those interests. This has been my philosophy too, within the resources we have. In fact, the college counselors in our school district advise parents of younger kids to give the children opportunities to explore their talents, encourage them to get involved in various activities so they can find their own niche.
The mother in the book thought he would benefit from seeing other parts of the world, so when he mentioned South America, she arranged a hiking trip in Chile and working crew for a yacht. He takes wonderful photos, so she set up lessons with a renowned photographer. The photographer was a bust as a mentor and not an inspiration, but it seems to me that could have gone either way. The boy bought a secondhand guitar and played around with it, so his mom signed him up for guitar lessons and took him to see James Taylor. He listed these activities as significant, but he had given up on each of them. “Mrs. Pfaff had managed to kill every interest he revealed. Her Midas-by-proxy was among the most devastating examples of crap parenting Anne had ever seen.” And for this, “Anne hated her.”
Why? Why was this parent’s approach bad? Because she set up lessons, or because she went overboard, or because it was all to create activities for his college application? It is very hard to discover your interests - the author says as much in the Q&A after the story. It seems like a good idea for kids to explore different interests while in school, rather than wait eight years until they are finally out of college and have to worry about paying bills at the same time. It seems like a good thing to help your kids explore their interests, so they can test them out and see what sticks.
Is that not right? Does a kid’s exploration have to be entirely self-driven to be meaningful? If kids don’t ask for lessons or camp or help, you don’t interfere? Is this book saying kids need to identify and pursue interests on their own to develop a passion? As a kid, I didn’t know what was available. I barely knew what my interests were, and I didn’t have any motivation to explore them further. As an adult, I look back and wish my parents had helped me identify and develop my interests. Even if I had dropped those interests to focus on something else, I would have known more about myself and how to pursue my interests. Because of this, I try very hard to listen to my kids, identify their interests and strengths, and help them explore those further. I hate to think I am killing their interests instead.
That was one page of the book though. A blurb on the front calls this a “modern-day comedy of manners,” which I find misleading. It isn’t a comedy, although it read quickly and the characters are likeable. I would like my kids to read this in high school to see how a personal statement can evolve, to see that parents are often self-centered and wrong, and to know life after college can be a difficult time.
This book far exceeded my expectations. The main character Anne is a 27-year-old English literature type who helps kids with college application essays. The story follows Anne through one admissions cycle assisting five students, mostly from privileged families, from the kids’ lifeless first drafts to their later improved versions. Having read Harry Bauld’s book “On Writing the College Application Essay,” I can spot a dud essay about pets or expensive tours, but the evolution of the essays helped illustrate the difference between a stiff personal statement and something more expressive.
The author Lacy Crawford has worked with kids on their college essays. This book rings so true, it seems autobiographical, not fictional. Anne is an “application whisperer,” picking out the pieces that work and encouraging kids without telling them what to do. The parents’ ambitions and visions of themselves are projected on their kids. You can feel the families’ fear, anxiety, ambivalence, and anger. The message to parents, I think, is to let kids express themselves, not what parents think they should write, and don’t correct them so often that they are too afraid to do anything.
I related to Anne. The story explores her lack of direction. She is not fulfilling her potential, but doesn’t know what she is supposed to be doing. She is on hiatus from graduate school. Her life is stuck in neutral and she doesn’t know how to get it moving. She is closer in age and experience to the kids than their parents. I loved her uncertainty about whether she was even helping the kids. The author captures the rudderless quality of the post-college years, when you find a job that pays the bills, but you don’t know how to move forward. She accurately depicts a certain type of relationship during these years, when marriage becomes part of the equation. I want my kids to read this book in high school, to have an idea of how confusing is when you are dumped in the work world after college and to know that it’s normal.
There were two things in the book that I didn’t understand. The first one is small. Anne is upset when a parent refers to his son as a carp, growing only as big as the pond he is in. I don’t really understand why this is so demeaning - comparing a kid to a carp. It seems similar to saying a kid thrives when he is a big fish in a small pond. A carp doesn’t seem like an inherently awful creature. I could see comparing a child to a pig as insulting. If the father had said, “He is like a thoroughbred horse that runs only fast enough to win his heat,” would that be fine because the comparison was to a race horse? Was it bad for the dad to be saying his son didn't push himself beyond what was needed to be the best in his circle? I didn’t really understand that.
The other point I didn’t understand is a big one for me. One mother listened to her son for clues to his interests and tried to help him explore those interests. This has been my philosophy too, within the resources we have. In fact, the college counselors in our school district advise parents of younger kids to give the children opportunities to explore their talents, encourage them to get involved in various activities so they can find their own niche.
The mother in the book thought he would benefit from seeing other parts of the world, so when he mentioned South America, she arranged a hiking trip in Chile and working crew for a yacht. He takes wonderful photos, so she set up lessons with a renowned photographer. The photographer was a bust as a mentor and not an inspiration, but it seems to me that could have gone either way. The boy bought a secondhand guitar and played around with it, so his mom signed him up for guitar lessons and took him to see James Taylor. He listed these activities as significant, but he had given up on each of them. “Mrs. Pfaff had managed to kill every interest he revealed. Her Midas-by-proxy was among the most devastating examples of crap parenting Anne had ever seen.” And for this, “Anne hated her.”
Why? Why was this parent’s approach bad? Because she set up lessons, or because she went overboard, or because it was all to create activities for his college application? It is very hard to discover your interests - the author says as much in the Q&A after the story. It seems like a good idea for kids to explore different interests while in school, rather than wait eight years until they are finally out of college and have to worry about paying bills at the same time. It seems like a good thing to help your kids explore their interests, so they can test them out and see what sticks.
Is that not right? Does a kid’s exploration have to be entirely self-driven to be meaningful? If kids don’t ask for lessons or camp or help, you don’t interfere? Is this book saying kids need to identify and pursue interests on their own to develop a passion? As a kid, I didn’t know what was available. I barely knew what my interests were, and I didn’t have any motivation to explore them further. As an adult, I look back and wish my parents had helped me identify and develop my interests. Even if I had dropped those interests to focus on something else, I would have known more about myself and how to pursue my interests. Because of this, I try very hard to listen to my kids, identify their interests and strengths, and help them explore those further. I hate to think I am killing their interests instead.
That was one page of the book though. A blurb on the front calls this a “modern-day comedy of manners,” which I find misleading. It isn’t a comedy, although it read quickly and the characters are likeable. I would like my kids to read this in high school to see how a personal statement can evolve, to see that parents are often self-centered and wrong, and to know life after college can be a difficult time.
February 9, 2025
Anne, a 27-year-old Princeton graduate, works with affluent teenagers (and their parents) to ensure they'll get into their top college choices. Though frequently appalled by the parents' controlling and unethical mindsets, Anne connects with her students and is nearly always successful helping them get into top schools. She makes enough money for a small apartment in New York, but feels adrift, not knowing what kind of career she really wants and feeling judged by her parents. Her boyfriend, Martin, is an actor living in L.A. whom she's been expecting to marry, though she doesn't really trust him.
Meeting the students and their parents is the most entertaining part of the book. Though wealthy, these teenagers do not lived charmed lives, being suffocated by their parents' expectations. The parents are, in turn, controlling, manipulative, and often unethical, and at times push Anne to influence their children in ways that Anne knows will be detrimental. While she struggles to help them and avoid their parents' wrath at the same time, I could feel the exhaustion of her job; she also has to deal with Martin, her family, and a toxic neighbor.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I listened to it on audio, and it was over too soon.
Meeting the students and their parents is the most entertaining part of the book. Though wealthy, these teenagers do not lived charmed lives, being suffocated by their parents' expectations. The parents are, in turn, controlling, manipulative, and often unethical, and at times push Anne to influence their children in ways that Anne knows will be detrimental. While she struggles to help them and avoid their parents' wrath at the same time, I could feel the exhaustion of her job; she also has to deal with Martin, her family, and a toxic neighbor.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I listened to it on audio, and it was over too soon.
October 17, 2014
I picked up this book because my daughter is a high school Senior and we are in this exact situation, at the exact timeframe that this novel takes place in. So it was kind of an eye-opener for me. I saw myself in some of the parents in the novel - ick. I saw my daughter in an essay that one of the teenage characters writes. Because of these things, I find myself backing off 'selling' a University to her, and ask her what her first choice is. I try to tell her, "I know you are under a lot of stress right now," at least once a week. I defer more to the College Guidance Councelor at her High School more rather than thinking of the woman as, "that Hack".
So I gave 3 bolts because I could really identify to the novel. Plus, when I think about it, by the end, it really has everything in it. Whether the information imparted regarding Admissions practices is 'Gospel' or not is kind of immaterial - the book was in the Fiction section of the Library. I don't like books where I want to shake the heroine, and I wanted to shake Anne - a bunch of times. The chapters were rather long, but that was because they were broken up by month - again in deference to when essays need to be perfected, mailed in and early acceptances, and regular acceptances are sent out. I did find it difficult to get into, and rather a slow read. Perhaps because there is so much to do and accomplish at this time, it may have been me. Senior year is also supposed to be memorable so we can't forget about Homecoming and Senior pictures, etc. So I was trying to make some magic and make this year unforgettable - in an excellent way.
Anne is, as I would describe, a College Application "consultant", to those that can afford it. It's a frivolous job and she knows it. However, even in her late 20s she still cannot pin down what it is she wants to do with her life. So she is, "the Application Whisperer", with a reputation of getting her client's children into their first choice of Universities.
As I said, she caters to the wealthy parents that have high expectations for their children and the money to try to hedge their bets. But there is always an exception to the rule.
The novel follows Anne as she deals with 5 high school Seniors and their parents. The parents want her to make their child's essay shine so much that it makes them irresistible to the Admissions Department of the University of their choice. We see almost every type of parent, the good, the bad and the ugly. Tiger Moms, Helicopter parents, Uber Alumni, parents that know that their child is smarter than them and basically all they can do is "nit pick" the essay to feel they are contributing, and parents that just want to see their intelligent child get into a good University.
It's through the students' essays that we see the development and the true natures of the teenagers. At first they come across as spoiled and bratty but as we see more of their essays, and their interactions with Anne we learn about how they truly feel about themselves, how they see themselves and how they feel about their parents. Anne works with them to write honestly about themselves and what they want out of the University experience.
We also see Anne's personal life. She isn't as strong as she wants to be. She wants her students to know that they are her priority - not the money. But she isn't very tough, she wavers and doubts herself. She is very much like her students. She also have parents that had/have high expectations of her that she is not living up to. She feels like a constant disappointment. She has a long term boyfriend, an actor living in L.A, but he hasn't popped the question. He was a successful actor in Chicago (where the novel takes place) but not exactly a superstar in Hollywood. However, he too, feels like Anne is not living up to her potential. Again, she is below-par to yet another of her 'loved ones'. In this, she parallels her students.
This novel does an excellent job of conveying the amount of stress that is swirling around the household of a family during College Application time. It is a toxic quagmire of constant anxiety.
For the teenager, there are the many college applications, yes some Universities use the Common App but some have their propriety application. There are also Essays and/or Personal Statements', SAT and ACT tests and scores, Volunteer Work, a Sport, and keeping your Semester grades up. At this point in their High School career these Seniors are juggling flaming chain saws and their parents don't see it nor appreciate the efforts. And for their troubles the University that may be their first choice, is more than likely not their parent's.
For the parents, the stress comes from wanting their child to go to the best University. Be it their Alma Mater, a University that a niece or nephew just accepted to last year, or one with a world renown reputation. In other words, they don't want their friends, or relatives. to know that their kid couldn't get into their legacy school, the college their child was accepted to or a not so well known University. Some of the parents have no qualms about using other children as pawns to get what they want, how they want it. Also, some of the parents know there are brighter kids out there, students with more talents, and that show more leadership and has the means to 'stack the deck' in his child's favor, but he wants the essay to be one that he can show off to his friends. One parent laments that it's not like before when they would meet the child, interview them, and see how special they are. The other concern, for the parents in the book, is that they know they are privileged, and what has been an asset to them for all these years is now a detriment. They are affluent and White and they are looking for any way to find a 'hook' to get a leg up.
This novel has it all. Machiavellian strategy. Family drama. Teenage angst. Biological clocks. Unfulfilling relationships. Betrayal. Redemption.
I recommend you read it because I liked it. If you have a "To Be Read" list - put this on it.
www.lightningcitybookreviews.com
So I gave 3 bolts because I could really identify to the novel. Plus, when I think about it, by the end, it really has everything in it. Whether the information imparted regarding Admissions practices is 'Gospel' or not is kind of immaterial - the book was in the Fiction section of the Library. I don't like books where I want to shake the heroine, and I wanted to shake Anne - a bunch of times. The chapters were rather long, but that was because they were broken up by month - again in deference to when essays need to be perfected, mailed in and early acceptances, and regular acceptances are sent out. I did find it difficult to get into, and rather a slow read. Perhaps because there is so much to do and accomplish at this time, it may have been me. Senior year is also supposed to be memorable so we can't forget about Homecoming and Senior pictures, etc. So I was trying to make some magic and make this year unforgettable - in an excellent way.
Anne is, as I would describe, a College Application "consultant", to those that can afford it. It's a frivolous job and she knows it. However, even in her late 20s she still cannot pin down what it is she wants to do with her life. So she is, "the Application Whisperer", with a reputation of getting her client's children into their first choice of Universities.
As I said, she caters to the wealthy parents that have high expectations for their children and the money to try to hedge their bets. But there is always an exception to the rule.
The novel follows Anne as she deals with 5 high school Seniors and their parents. The parents want her to make their child's essay shine so much that it makes them irresistible to the Admissions Department of the University of their choice. We see almost every type of parent, the good, the bad and the ugly. Tiger Moms, Helicopter parents, Uber Alumni, parents that know that their child is smarter than them and basically all they can do is "nit pick" the essay to feel they are contributing, and parents that just want to see their intelligent child get into a good University.
It's through the students' essays that we see the development and the true natures of the teenagers. At first they come across as spoiled and bratty but as we see more of their essays, and their interactions with Anne we learn about how they truly feel about themselves, how they see themselves and how they feel about their parents. Anne works with them to write honestly about themselves and what they want out of the University experience.
We also see Anne's personal life. She isn't as strong as she wants to be. She wants her students to know that they are her priority - not the money. But she isn't very tough, she wavers and doubts herself. She is very much like her students. She also have parents that had/have high expectations of her that she is not living up to. She feels like a constant disappointment. She has a long term boyfriend, an actor living in L.A, but he hasn't popped the question. He was a successful actor in Chicago (where the novel takes place) but not exactly a superstar in Hollywood. However, he too, feels like Anne is not living up to her potential. Again, she is below-par to yet another of her 'loved ones'. In this, she parallels her students.
This novel does an excellent job of conveying the amount of stress that is swirling around the household of a family during College Application time. It is a toxic quagmire of constant anxiety.
For the teenager, there are the many college applications, yes some Universities use the Common App but some have their propriety application. There are also Essays and/or Personal Statements', SAT and ACT tests and scores, Volunteer Work, a Sport, and keeping your Semester grades up. At this point in their High School career these Seniors are juggling flaming chain saws and their parents don't see it nor appreciate the efforts. And for their troubles the University that may be their first choice, is more than likely not their parent's.
For the parents, the stress comes from wanting their child to go to the best University. Be it their Alma Mater, a University that a niece or nephew just accepted to last year, or one with a world renown reputation. In other words, they don't want their friends, or relatives. to know that their kid couldn't get into their legacy school, the college their child was accepted to or a not so well known University. Some of the parents have no qualms about using other children as pawns to get what they want, how they want it. Also, some of the parents know there are brighter kids out there, students with more talents, and that show more leadership and has the means to 'stack the deck' in his child's favor, but he wants the essay to be one that he can show off to his friends. One parent laments that it's not like before when they would meet the child, interview them, and see how special they are. The other concern, for the parents in the book, is that they know they are privileged, and what has been an asset to them for all these years is now a detriment. They are affluent and White and they are looking for any way to find a 'hook' to get a leg up.
This novel has it all. Machiavellian strategy. Family drama. Teenage angst. Biological clocks. Unfulfilling relationships. Betrayal. Redemption.
I recommend you read it because I liked it. If you have a "To Be Read" list - put this on it.
www.lightningcitybookreviews.com
May 24, 2018
Prior to reading this, I read some of the reviews, most of which were lukewarm at best. Now that I'm finished, I'm reminded of why I usually don't read reviews (of anything). I'm not sure what struck the naysayers as negative about this book -- although some seemed to indicated some kind of expectation that it was supposed to be a nonfiction intro to the world of college admissions instead of a novel -- but I really enjoyed it. I found Crawford's characters to be true and quite well-drawn, especially the teenagers. With a few tweaks, I could be Anne; dial down the wealth and Ivies a tad and Crawford could be writing about my own experiences in my early teaching career working with students on their college essays and dealing with their parents' expectations. She is absolutely spot-on with her characterization of teenagers and their struggle to write engaging, sincere personal essays, as she is with her narrative insight on the difficulties (for all of us) with telling the truth. My only regret about this book is that basically Crawford has written a novel I've had in my head for years.
April 12, 2021
3.5/5
In a lot of ways this hit home for me, considering my main pandemic job is tutoring high schoolers (mostly math, but also lots of SAT/ACT prep). I totally understand the moral dilemma that the author/main character is facing: knowing you're giving the already advantaged students (those with enough money to hire a private tutor) even more of an advantage. This book takes it to the next level, as most students in this book are extremely wealthy and she is directly working with their college apps. It felt relatable in many ways, although I was sickened and made so anxious by the ways some of these parents acted. I wish she would have spoken out more and by the end I didn't find it quite as satisfying as I hoped. It was probably realistic, but I think I needed an optimistic ending where she really told some of these awful parent's what's what. I also found the plot line with the MC's boyfriend to be annoying. He was so obviously terrible that I couldn't understand why she was even with him in the first place. Glad I read this but also it maybe didn't wow me like I hoped it would.
In a lot of ways this hit home for me, considering my main pandemic job is tutoring high schoolers (mostly math, but also lots of SAT/ACT prep). I totally understand the moral dilemma that the author/main character is facing: knowing you're giving the already advantaged students (those with enough money to hire a private tutor) even more of an advantage. This book takes it to the next level, as most students in this book are extremely wealthy and she is directly working with their college apps. It felt relatable in many ways, although I was sickened and made so anxious by the ways some of these parents acted. I wish she would have spoken out more and by the end I didn't find it quite as satisfying as I hoped. It was probably realistic, but I think I needed an optimistic ending where she really told some of these awful parent's what's what. I also found the plot line with the MC's boyfriend to be annoying. He was so obviously terrible that I couldn't understand why she was even with him in the first place. Glad I read this but also it maybe didn't wow me like I hoped it would.
January 4, 2022
*** I received a copy of this book through First Reads ***
This is the first time that I read a book of this topic. I related to it because I have a Freshman in high school and I know that this type of assistance is for hire when it comes to college applications. The book was an easy read yet it is sad that the characters were all well off American kids and the Latin kid is the one that needs financial assistance. This is too cliche in my opinion, especially now a days when Latins are a big part of college recruitment. I can see how hard it can be to write about this topic and make it a great read. I think it was ok, especially when the topic is about college admission essays.
**There is a major typo on page 253. In the sentence that reads, '" She thought she'd tape Gideon Pfaff's essay to the front of her refrigerator, just for fun," should be Gerry Pfaff not Gideon Pfaff. Gideon's character is Blanchard, not Pfaff. **
This is the first time that I read a book of this topic. I related to it because I have a Freshman in high school and I know that this type of assistance is for hire when it comes to college applications. The book was an easy read yet it is sad that the characters were all well off American kids and the Latin kid is the one that needs financial assistance. This is too cliche in my opinion, especially now a days when Latins are a big part of college recruitment. I can see how hard it can be to write about this topic and make it a great read. I think it was ok, especially when the topic is about college admission essays.
**There is a major typo on page 253. In the sentence that reads, '" She thought she'd tape Gideon Pfaff's essay to the front of her refrigerator, just for fun," should be Gerry Pfaff not Gideon Pfaff. Gideon's character is Blanchard, not Pfaff. **
September 24, 2018
Usually, I rate books 3 stars as "I enjoyed it, but easily forgettable". I rated this book 4 stars because I found myself thinking about certain issues raised. This book visited a time in my past where wondering and worrying about college admissions was an important part of being a mom. This book mentions The Common Application which is new to me and the Essay. I liked how the author explained how the main character honed the essays from the students to get to their true voice. I felt badly for the children who appeared to be manipulated by their parents to satisfy their own needs and not listening to their kids. There were some plot points that where not very strong, and one resolution that didn't really make sense. But overall, I found it an interesting journey.
September 1, 2021
Because I counsel high school kids all day long, and my name is Ann, I found this rather interesting. I don't deal with the same caliber of kids that that Anne does, nor do I very often have to deal with parents. And I am glad on both accounts. I'm not sure why she felt so ashamed of her job. I guess she had higher asperations, but it seems to be a decent way to pay the bills.
I applaud the fact that she generally didn't write the essays for the kids, rather helped them find their voice and put forth there best selves. It reminded me a bit of the movie Dead Poet Society with parents that think they know what their kids should be in life. You can't do that. You have to be willing to let your kids be themselves.
I applaud the fact that she generally didn't write the essays for the kids, rather helped them find their voice and put forth there best selves. It reminded me a bit of the movie Dead Poet Society with parents that think they know what their kids should be in life. You can't do that. You have to be willing to let your kids be themselves.
December 18, 2022
Being 30+ years forward from my own college admission days, and 6+ years forward from my son's, I found a lot to enjoy about this book. While this is a fictional novel, it seems more likely than not that the author is drawing heavily on her 15 yr career consulting with families on getting their kids into ivy league colleges. In fact, I wonder if the book wouldn't have been stronger as a memoir vs a novel. The strongest part of the book is the growth, self-understanding of the students through the rewrites of their essays. The weakest parts are the main male figures, not students, who seem two-dimensional and stereotypical. College admissions have changed considerably since my time, and that part was also interesting to me.
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