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Get Real and Get In

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An insider's college admissions guide that teaches students to identify and harness their unique passions, stand out from the crowd, and achieve their dreams.

Getting into the right college has never been tougher. Competitive programs are admitting fewer and fewer students each year, while the Common Application has made it easy to apply to 30-40 schools in a single admissions cycle. Gen Y and Z workers are having trouble finding rewarding careers after graduating, and in the wake of the college admissions scandal, many are questioning if an ethical pathway into top-tier schools even exists.

The struggle is real. Yet most college applicants still follow the traditional wisdom on getting in, like "have a perfect SAT score" or "become the president of ten clubs." Dr. Aviva Legatt has spent her career in higher education as a professor, counselor, and admissions officer in the Ivy League, and she wants to let students in on a secret: admissions boards are sick of seeing the same cookie-cutter applications. What were once considered best practices for "doing high school right" are now so commonplace that they have become a liability.

Get Real and Get In
rejects these obsolete methods, teaching readers to think outside of the box and focus on what admissions officers are really looking for--young people who dare to be their most authentic selves. Through engaging, accessible, and empathetic prose, this book forms an inspirational roadmap for readers to uncover their true passions and leverage them to create applications that truly stand out from the crowd. It also features a variety of useful exercises and candid stories from many influential figures from diverse backgrounds and careers, which teach students to look beyond just getting into a "good" college and focus more actively on identifying and attaining their long-range goals.

Get Real and Get In
is designed to ignite an essential mindset shift in students: stop trying to just "get in" and start figuring out exactly what you want from life and how to get it. Stop managing the impressions you make on admissions officers and start defying impressions. This is an essential guide to cutting through the noise of the admissions process and gaining the confidence to forge one's own path to success--in college and beyond.

288 pages, Paperback

Published August 3, 2021

9 people are currently reading
935 people want to read

About the author

Aviva Legatt

1 book11 followers
Dr. Aviva Legatt is the Elite Admissions Expert and founder of Ivy Insight, the gold standard in college admissions consulting for undergraduate elite college applications. An in-demand leadership and college admissions speaker with a fresh perspective, Dr. Legatt has been hailed by the New York Times as a trustworthy expert on college admissions, and recognized as an expert in corporate culture and diversity as a faculty member for Coursera and the University of Pennsylvania.

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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Author 1 book3 followers
January 24, 2021
If you are helping someone (son, daughter, friend) get into college or will be soon, you MUST read this book. It is written by an authority who integrates personal experience into the process. As a college professor, I know how important it is for students to find a "cultural fit" with the institution. College is an investment so you want to make the best decision possible. And I believe the college experience is better if you don't transfer. Invest the time up front to do the homework. This book starts the journey to be a better destination than if you leave it up to chance or luck.
Profile Image for Jennifer J.
3 reviews
August 9, 2021
TLDR: This book does NOT provide solid admissions advice but provides good stories. I know more students who got into these colleges doing a LOT less than this book recommends. I know students who were rejected following advice similar to what this book prescribes.

Why I landed on a 2 and not a 3 star: lack of workable advice, repetitive and redundant lessons from the stories, misinformation about what gives an admissions edge

Why not a 1 star: Some of the stories have good lessons.

Good fit audience: Students who need a book about mindset. The advice provided is found elsewhere but it is sometimes good to have it all in one source.

Would not recommend it to students and/or caretakers looking for admissions advice. It’s not the secret admissions “get in” sauce it claims to be. I’ve seen many students get into college- even ones this book labels “elite” and “prestigious”- without following this advice. Students who do not have a lot of time or resources would waste a lot of time implementing this advice and may still end up with rejections from “dream schools.”

Both privileged and non-privileged students are lead to believe this book's advice of proving your value to admissions to get accepted or “in” will benefit them. Again, students get in without this advice.

The Get Real Aspect:

The way the book is structured, with a lot of stories per chapter, we don’t have a chance to connect with those stories in a meaningful way. The lessons are redundant and reduced to believe in yourself, trust your gut, work hard. In addition, the author's notes at the end failed to provide significant value.

Get Real seems to acknowledge privilege but does not seem to connect the dots between privilege (more access/connections) and good admissions outcomes. We are told students and the author (a triple legacy at NYU) worked hard to get where they are at and had to fight. I believe everyone worked hard and fought but their stories seem to create a false sense of stakes- I think they would have been admitted with or without the advice in this book.


Get In:

This book says students needed to do something significant to stand out. The author is convinced students won’t "Get In" unless they write a book before admissions or go the extra mile or get letters of recommendations from professors o(whose children are sometimes rejected from the college their parent works at). I know a lot of students with the "impressive paradox" the author mentions accepted to the colleges the author claim requires more out of applicants.

There is also appears to be an assumption that what works for students who attend private schools/competitive high schools and may have some wealth can trickle down and work for all students. As a result, the advice can be unrealistic and ineffective for students who lack time and/or connections (sending an email to connect to a professor always yield a response). Students are told to reach out, make zoom appointments, and make connections or explore the internet for advice on FAFSA (please find a better source than the internet). There is an assumption of time freedom for students in this book- the time students do have would be better spent.

Also, the book claims parents and wealth don’t really matter to admissions then mentions colleges notorious for rewarding parent’s wealth and parental connections. Having a good mindset and working hard are good things- the keys to success according to the book- but can they outweigh legacy preference? Donor admissions preference? Wealth that translates into the ability to pay full price and not need financial aid? There are college admissions/enrollment professionals trying to fix that- but admissions is not there yet.

Expertise: The book claims the author is an expert and therefore can chart students through the choppy waters of admissions after the author worked at a college and helped the admissions team at the college a long time ago-pre-pandemic.

There are no admissions officers validating the book's "Get In" practices to say they work. No proof these methods are THE REASON students got in. The book asserts admissions officer cannot tell you what you need to do to be the attractive authentic candidate but the author can- the one true voice.

Admissions officers are, in fact, able to provide insight into their process. Talking to multiple members of the admissions team can provide you a good idea of how to fill out the best application. They know their process.

I know A LOT students who have been successful (admitted and received scholarships) following admissions officers advice while ignoring people who say they cannot trust admissions officers or their school counselor.

Final judgment: I would not go out of my way to get this book. Get Real- good stories. Get In- don’t follow this admissions advice. Students can Get In doing less than the book recommends.

Profile Image for chasingholden.
247 reviews48 followers
June 24, 2021
I have read several books on college admission over the past few years. Get Real and Get In is among, if not the, top book I've come across. Dr. Aviva Legatt has spent years in the academic world working as a professor, a counselor, and an admissions officer in Ivy League! You'd be hard pressed to find an author more suited to giving sound logical advice than Dr. Legatt. takes a practical approach to helping students shed the many mistakes students tend to make when it comes to applying for college, and instead teaches students to think outside the box, to be creative, authentic, and desired by the colleges they desire.

If you know anyone looking to start the college admission process within the next few years this book is a must give gift that any student will thank you for upon reading. As a parent it is also helpful to read this book in order to help guide your children in the right direction.

Highly recommended to anyone even thinking of reading this book. You won't regret it, and may even breathe a little easier as you move along within this guide.

Thank you to netgalley, publishers, and Dr. Aviva Legatt for providing an advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and recommendations are unprompted and sincere.
Profile Image for Crystal Zavala.
455 reviews47 followers
August 3, 2021
My oldest son is going into his Sophomore year in high school and when @booksforwardpr asked if I would be interested in reading and reviewing Get Real and Get In: How to Get Into the College of Your Dreams by Being Your Authentic Self by Aviva Legatt, I jumped at the chance.

I did not go away to college. I went to community college (2x for two associate degrees) and went straight into the work force. This has been a pretty big regret for me as I wish I had done the full college/university experience.

My children have big dreams of going to college and I fully support those dreams, however I don't know all the ins and outs of how to make that happen. I am so grateful that I read this book. Especially with my son at the stage he is at. It has helped me think through how I will assist him for the next three years. Step one, Anthony will be reading this book and completing the exercises. Those exercises will point us towards our next steps.

I really appreciated the down to earth way that Aviva writes this book. I could have read it in one sitting and it will be a fantastic resource to look back on as we navigate the next few years.
Profile Image for Andrew Palumbo.
32 reviews5 followers
August 5, 2021
Get Real and Get In starts with the author, Dr. Aviva Legatt, leaning hard on her credentials (she worked for a few years as an admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania) and then giving readers an insight into her privileged upbringing in Princeton, NJ. Legatt’s regular use of coded terms like “elite” and the name dropping of a famous classmate at her rich public school (multiple times) set out to impress and connect with wealthy readers and potential clients in a way that is painfully obvious and a bit embarrassing to read. Similarly, when providing examples of individuals’ college searches in her book, she opts to use individuals like Adam Grant - not because his process is particularly unique or interesting but likely because he is a famous professor and author who works at the university where Legatt had a brief stint in admissions. Several more famous/quasi-famous individuals are used as examples that appear to be solely for name recognition and the association with their personal brands. The format is fairly scripted where one of these famous individuals is highlighted and then Legatt shares a story about one of her clients that pays for services to better display their “authentic” selves to admissions committees or increase their SAT or ACT test scores. Having spent most of my career in admissions, I don’t find that the individuals selected offer a particularly broad range of the types of lived experiences or college searches that students today have.

When the author ponders why she may have gained admission to NYU as a high school student she cites demonstrated interest, alumni connections (“I was a triple legacy”), and her attendance at a wealthy public high school despite having “extremely average” grades and test scores for NYU and being on the “lower end of my other classmates who applied”. The power and privilege that this author admits to benefitting from in the admissions process is what admissions and enrollment professionals are working hard to undo in 2021. The author sums up her extremely privileged advantage as “hard work and luck”.

These opening pages should give readers a good understanding of the lack of expertise and understanding that the author has when it comes to college admissions and advising students. If the author is unable to identify and understand her own privilege and how it paved the way for her to gain admission over more qualified students who may come from a different socioeconomic background, one should not have any faith or trust in this individual to provide helpful or “expert” - as the author describes herself - advice whether they be a reader of her book or a client for her various application “polishing” services.

Ultimately, the author sets out promising to teach her readers how to be “authentic”. While this premise may sound like satire, I assure you, the author appears genuine in her approach. I will say that the author has provided some sample tools that aren’t too bad for students to use for reflection and understanding what they’re looking for in a college. That said, the questions are fairly standard and similar tools can be found for free with a quick Google search and without the author’s extended commentary on each question.

The organization and framework of the book is decent and walks the reader through the rough chronological order of a traditional college search for an affluent high school student.

The quality of the content leaves much to be desired. The author is not a strong writer and tends to ramble aimlessly within each topic without providing a clear and concise narrative. The book is best described as an attempt by an individual with some limited admissions experience - but little awareness of the strong influence of privilege and bias in admissions - attempting to provide stream-of-consciousness advice to students by overexplaining some basic prompts and questions that are traditionally used to help students reflect and understand their priorities in the college search.

I would not recommend this book and find the author’s claims to be a college admissions expert greatly exaggerated.
Profile Image for AcademicEditor.
797 reviews24 followers
December 26, 2021
There isn't really anything in the useful parts of the book that you can't find being dispensed in many other places--blogs, podcasts, youtube channels, TikTok, etc. It's a guide to the admissions process if you are very lost, I guess. There are some good stories. But the overall advice seems to apply more to relatively wealthy families who can send their kids to elite/high-quality high schools than the rest of society. The author worked in admissions at Penn for several years before turning consultant in 2014--and so much has changed in admissions since then (thanks, Aunt Becky). So buying this book wouldn't be your best investment, but it also wouldn't be the worst.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
86 reviews2 followers
June 27, 2022
A bit too Pollyanna-ish for me - "if your dream college is Harvard, you can do it!" Though there are some good stories of how people got where they are
Profile Image for Jay Le.
280 reviews22 followers
August 19, 2021
Rating: 4
Recommended for: high school students, parents/family of high school students

"Our stress and drive to achieve is not our fault. From the time we're small, we're taught that college is competitive, important and waaaaaay expensive. If we let them, the financial and emotional pressures can easily overwhelm us."

Dr. Aviva Legatt is a former UPenn Wharton admissions officer who writes a powerful narrative on what it's like to apply to college, the emotional and social pressures to achieve results, and more. Her background as a student in a high-achieving high school and applying as one of the "lackluster" students in comparison to her peers also adds insight to how the pressures of the college process have no indication on how well you will succeed later on in life.

Legatt also offers exercises in each part of the book to help the reader expand what commonly is a narrow-minded view of their future. Too often are students' futures dictated by their parents, and the author certainly proves an effort to allow the student to widen their horizons. She further provides case scenarios of various successful individuals throughout the past few decades (i.e. NYT author Adam Grant, her personal clients) as evidence on how they transformed their applications into the best representation of themselves-- remaining authentic to themselves on paper.

Despite all these great points, what I liked best out of everything in her book was the few pages she dedicated in selecting the perfect college. Where many students prioritize prestige, she offers insight on other aspects of higher education that often remain overlooked by applicants such as a college's culture/character, their strategic goals for the upcoming years, how they structure their curriculum, and more. These parts of the application process are important, and Dr. Legatt highlights them here clearly.
Profile Image for Beth Hommes.
398 reviews1 follower
June 18, 2021
As a parent and an educator I have read many books about college admissions. This is perhaps the best. Dr. Legatt gives many tips for prospective students on how to present their “true selves” to college admissions officers. Her suggestions, are practical, doable, and generally cost free. She illustrates all of her points with anecdotes from students she has worked with in her college counseling as well as stories of successful, sometimes famous, adults. She provides an excellent contrast to the ‘be the best at everything” philosophy some students adhere to. The earlier chapters also provide a series of exercises for students that help remind them of their goals and talents. The latter chapters include more helpful tips using examples of adults past their academic experience. This should be required reading for high school students (as well as their parents) and part of every college counseling library. I thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.
Profile Image for Nancy.
Author 7 books16 followers
August 3, 2021
Better that the Cookie Cutter Approach to College Applications

This book is a must read for anyone applying to college in the near future and for those parents and counselors helping them. The focus of the book is on being yourself. The author, who has experience in selecting college applicants, says colleges are not interested in seeing a stack of applications that can hardly be told apart. They’re interested in diversity and students who are doing things they care about. Her story in the opening pages illustrates this perfectly.

The book contains information on applying, stories of applicants, and questions for the reader to help decide who they really are and what they want. The author makes a good point that college is not the end of life; it’s the beginning. You get a better start if you’re at a place where you can pursue your real goals rather than trying to grab a place in a prestigious institution that doesn’t fit.

I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.
1,260 reviews
July 26, 2021
Dr. Aviva Legatt has years of experience in the academic world including her work in college admissions. She is well qualified to give advice about college selection, the admissions process, the college years and beyond. Her approach is logical, practical and creative. Applicants are encouraged to lean into their own strengths and interests, to be authentic, rather than completing a checklist that makes them appear to be the perfect student. Likewise, students should examine their values and priorities to find colleges that are a good fit. The real stories of recent applicants and people with established careers made this book even more interesting and valuable. If you are applying to college, you need to read this book. If you know someone who is, putting this book in their hands would be doing them an enormous favor. Get Real and Get In is a game changer. #BooksForwardFriends
Profile Image for Scout College Consulting.
27 reviews
August 1, 2021
Dr. Aviva Legatt’s book focuses on the current buzzword in college admissions: AUTHENTIC. I had the opportunity to review Get Real and Get In: How to Get Into the College of Your Dreams by Being Your Authentic this past spring - thanks to NetGalley. Like many other books and articles in the last few years, this one is designed to encourage a shift in the mindset of students. The focus falls on discovering your passion and using the impact of that passion to separate yourself from other candidates. The book is filled with exercises and inspirational stories designed to spur the reader to action. High school students in all grades will benefit from the ideas expressed in this book. Find your passion and use it for the greater good!
Profile Image for LJ.
614 reviews24 followers
September 15, 2022
This is an interesting perspective on a topic that feels really complicated as we are going through it currently with our 17 year old. I decided to read this now as he found out his dream school is a reach, though not impossible. I wanted to find out what it was that we didn't know about getting into college as it really feels like a crap shoot most of the time when you take away grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities. I ended up ordering the paperback version of this for my son to read because I found it really helpful and I think the exercises will be useful to him. The main take away that I received from this book was that you really need to be on the radar of a particular school rather than just another applicant in the pile. It helped me look at the process in a new way. I would definitely recommend this to anyone going through the college search process. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
Profile Image for Darya.
54 reviews18 followers
April 26, 2021
Thank you St. Martin's Press & Netgalley for sending me an ARC of Get Real and Get In by Dr. Aviva Legatt.

Get Real and Get In covers all things from the college process, applications and mental health during the season. Legatt offers an in depth and personal approach to such a crisis filled and worrying parts of teenager's lives. The book was educated and informative, but still interesting and heartwarming. Overall a great book for teens, in some areas a bit slow but really that's what is to be expected of books like these.
Profile Image for Jonathan H Pollak.
3 reviews
August 2, 2021
This is a must-read for all high school seniors (and their parents)! Dr. Legatt not only provides excellent insights and advice, she also gives exercises and tools to help figure out what one's true path should be. She utilizes interviews and stories with folks in all kinds of careers, and with all kinds of college experiences, to show that anything is possible once you know that you want it!

I wish that I had a book like this before I went to college - at least I can share it with my own kids, when they are old enough!
Profile Image for Amii Barnard-Bahn.
Author 1 book13 followers
August 10, 2021
As the mom of 2 teenagers, I've experienced firsthand the pressure so many young people feel during the college app process. They think they have to fit into a cookie cutter application to get into college. Dr. Legatt breaks through that concept with inspiring stories, practical advice, and reflection to get you through these milestones with your sanity and humor intact. I also love that she includes guidance and life lessons that will continue to serve all young aspirational leaders long after the diploma. A must read for anyone applying to college.
Profile Image for brittany.
72 reviews2 followers
May 10, 2021
I recieved an advanced readers copy to read and review. Even though I am an adult, and I am not in high school applying to colleges, I am looking to go to college and do what I could not right after college due to life issues. Anyway, this book breaks down what you should be exploring and how to make use of the best resource you have, yourself. I found the activities and the stories and reflection questions extremely helpful. This book is definately a resource many people can make use of.
318 reviews4 followers
June 11, 2021
I received a complimentary copy of Get Real and Get In from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book contains very sound advice. I would be inclined to believe that the guidance found within its pages would be quite successful for college admission, as well as for leading a genuinely happy life.
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
202 reviews8 followers
July 26, 2021
This book has some really great information for students looking for colleges and trying to make decisions for their future. There is also advice for life after college. The book is full of examples of successful people and clients of the author who show how her advice has worked in their lives. The author offers practical advice that would benefit any high schooler preparing for college.
Profile Image for Judy Cox.
3 reviews
August 9, 2021
Uplifting and inspiring! Dr. Aviva Legatt truly cares about our next generation, and the unique gifts that each person will bring (and how to cultivate these gifts). I couldn't put this book down, will likely re-read, and will then nudge my (H.S Junior) son to read it.
1 review1 follower
January 31, 2021
As a parent of a student who had high ambitions to get into an elite college, Dr. Aviva’s guidance and advice was priceless. He got in, and is thriving!
Profile Image for Margo.
140 reviews3 followers
June 8, 2021
What a fabulous written book. So much great information in this book, great reference for getting into the college of anyone's dreams. I loved reading this book.
6 reviews1 follower
August 21, 2021
The book has some good information I haven't thought about for college. It'll be helpful when setting up lists for what I still need to encourage with my son.
550 reviews
May 29, 2021
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This book is a great resource for high school students who are thinking about college. Getting into the "best" college really means getting into the "best" college for a particular student. The book includes questions for introspection and activities to help students understand who they are and what direction they want to follow. There are a lot of good ideas in the book.

It is also a valuable tool for parents, teachers, guidance counselors, or others involved with the college selection/admission process.

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