College Unranked: Ending the College Admissions FrenzyLloyd Thacker Stressed and sleepless, today's high school students race from school to activities in their most competitive game of all: admission to a top-ranked, prestigious university. But is relying on magazine rankings and a vague sense of "prestige" really the best way to choose a college? Is hiring test prep teachers and consultants really the best way to shape your own education? In this book, edited by a veteran admissions counselor, a passionate advocate for students, the presidents and admission deans of leading colleges and universities--like Dartmouth, Vanderbilt, Harvard--remind readers that college choice and admission are a matter of fit, not of winning a prize, and that many colleges are "good" in different ways. They call for bold changes in admissions policies and application strategies, to help both colleges and applicants to rediscover what college is really for. It's not just a ticket to financial success, but a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore new worlds of knowledge. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Time Out or Burn Out for the Next Generation | 22 |
Sanity Check | 35 |
Editors Stories I | 55 |
Our Numbers Are Up Is That Good? | 59 |
Faked Figures Make Fools of Us | 68 |
The Rank Lyrics of the Sirens Song 78 728 | 78 |
Editors Stories II 8888 | 86 |
The Status Game | 102 |
Editors Stories III | 121 |
Thoughts from an Admission Officer Mother | 129 |
Knowledge for Its Own Sake | 133 |
Editors Stories IV | 146 |
You Are Important and You Can Take Control | 155 |
Listening to What Matters | 161 |
Acknowledgments | 203 |