Who Gets In and Why

Jeffrey Selingo is a multi-award winning journalist who has covered higher education for over two decades. His work has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal. He is a special advisor to Arizona State University's president and a visiting scholar at the Georgia Institute of Technology. There Is Life After College and College (Un)Bound are Selingo's best-selling books.

Getting into a top-tier college has never looked more difficult, with acceptance rates at some prestigious institutions in the single digits. In Who Gets In and Why, journalist and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo dispels established conceptions of how to compete and win at the admissions game, revealing both students and parents stand to benefit greatly from extending their definition of what constitutes a "good college." Hint: it's not all about the car window sticker.

Selingo, who spent time in three different admissions offices—a selective private university, a top liberal arts college, and a flagship public university—closely observed gatekeepers as they made frequently agonizing and often life-changing judgments. He also accompanied a select group of teenagers and their parents around the country, meeting with high school counselors, marketers, behind-the-scenes advisers, and college rankers.

While many people have long believed that admissions are merit-based, rewarding the brightest students, Who Gets In and Why reveals a more convoluted truth, demonstrating that "who gets in" is frequently determined by the college's agenda rather than the candidate. In a world where thousands of similarly qualified students compete for a limited number of spots at prestigious institutions, admissions officers frequently make split-second decisions based on a variety of factors, including diversity, money, and, ultimately, whether a student will enroll if accepted.

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

Author: Jeffrey Selingo

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Who-Gets-Why-College-Admissions/dp/1982116293/

Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 stars (from 894 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #5,249 in Books

#3 in Higher Education Administration

#5 in Education Assessment (Books)

#5 in Education Administration (Books)