What You Don't Know Can Keep You Out of College: A Top Consultant Explains the 13 Fatal Application Mistakes and Why Character Is the Key to College A

Dunbar offers sage advice on what to do-or, more specifically, what not to do-during the often daunting college admissions process in order to ensure a more successful (or at least less painful) outcome. Dunbar's first tip for getting through the ""marathon"" of application is simple: ""Pace yourself... commit to one work session per weekend."" The steps that follow are equally manageable, designed to guide even the least prepared to the halls of higher learning. All the usual ins and outs are explored: essays, extracurriculars, interviewing and getting waitlisted. More specific advice steers applicants away from dangerous essay topics and explicates the value of social sensitivity, while boxed asides (""First Aid,"" ""Steps to Success,"" ""Revising the Rule"") provide spot treatment for mid-interview faux pas and winning strategies for asserting independence and positivity. Though he spends perhaps too much time on interviews-a step not every applicant will have to take-his background in prestigious East Coast prep school admissions makes this a top-notch resource for students applying to small private colleges or Ivy League institutions.