Who Gets in and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions

From award-winning higher education journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Selingo comes a revealing look from inside the admissions office--one that identifies surprising strategies that will aid in the college search.

Getting into a top-ranked college has never seemed more impossible, with acceptance rates at some elite universities dipping into the single digits. In Who Gets In and Why, journalist and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo dispels entrenched notions of how to compete and win at the admissions game, and reveals that teenagers and parents have much to gain by broadening their notion of what qualifies as a "good college." Hint: it's not all about the sticker on the car window.

Selingo, who was embedded in three different admissions offices--a selective private university, a leading liberal arts college, and a flagship public campus--closely observed gatekeepers as they made their often agonizing and sometimes life-changing decisions. He also followed select students and their parents, and he traveled around the country meeting with high school counselors, marketers, behind-the-scenes consultants, and college rankers.

While many have long believed that admissions is merit-based, rewarding the best students, Who Gets In and Why presents a more complicated truth, showing that "who gets in" is frequently more about the college's agenda than the applicant. In a world where thousands of equally qualified students vie for a fixed number of spots at elite institutions, admissions officers often make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors--like diversity, money, and, ultimately, whether a student will enroll if accepted.

One of the most insightful books ever about "getting in" and what higher education has become, Who Gets In and Why not only provides an unusually intimate look at how admissions decisions get made, but guides prospective students on how to honestly assess their strengths and match with the schools that will best serve their interests.

Author: Jeffrey Selingo
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
Published: 09/15/2020
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9781982116293


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/22/2020
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2020
Booklist 08/01/2020 pg. 10
Library Journal 09/01/2020 pg. 77

About the Author
Jeffrey Selingo has written about colleges and universities for more than two and a half decades and is a New York Times bestselling author of three books. Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions takes readers inside the admissions offices of three selective universities and was named among the 100 Notable Books of the year by The New York Times. Dream School: Finding the College That's Right For You is based on two-plus years of research and an original survey of more than 3,000 parents. A regular contributor to The Atlantic, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Jeff is a special advisor to the president and professor of practice at Arizona State University. He also writes a biweekly newsletter on all things higher ed called Next and cohosts the podcast, Future U. He lives near Washington, DC, with his family.