Director of the Chapman journalism program—and mother of four recent college grads—Susan F. Paterno leads you through the admissions process to help you and your family make the best decision possible.
How is it possible that Harvard is more affordable for most American families than their local state university? Or that up to half of eligible students receive no financial aid? Or that public universities are rejecting homegrown middle- and working-class applicants and instead enrolling wealthy out-of- state students? College admission has escalated into a high-stakes game of emotional and financial survival. How is the deck stacked against you? And what can you do about it?
Susan F. Paterno, a veteran academic and journalist, answers these questions and more in Game On. Paterno helped her four very different kids navigate the application process to a wide range of colleges, paying for their four-year educations on a finite budget. She incisively decodes the college admission industry—the consultants, the tutors, the rankers, the branding companies hawking "advantage"—and arms you with the knowledge you need to make the system work for you.
You'll learn how to narrow your focus, analyze who gets in and why, and look for the right financial fit before considering anything else, including geography, reputation, and, especially, ranking.
Among the tools and insights in Game On:
· Why forty years of failed free-market policies have led to skyrocketing tuition and historic levels of student debt
· Why applying to college has become a bewildering maze and how to find your way to a successful result
· Why college costs are more terrifying than you think
· How to read beyond the rack rate to negotiate the best financial package with the least debt
· Why merit is a myth, but merit aid is essential
· The difference between family debt and student debt and how to split it
A playbook for the Hunger Games of higher education, Game On explains the anxiety, uncertainty, and chaos in college admission, explodes the myth of meritocracy, exposes the academy's connection to America's widening gap between rich and poor, and provides strategies to beat—and reform—a broken system.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 15, 2021 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781250622655
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781250622655
- File size: 1173 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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April 26, 2021
Journalist Paterno (coauthor, Talk Straight, Listen Carefully) delivers a witty and informative deep dive into the “college admissions industrial complex.” Combining ample research with lessons learned from her own “stumbling” attempts to get four children into college, Paterno documents widespread corruption in the largely unregulated field of private admissions counseling, and explains how U.S. News & World Report’s annual college rankings pushed the competition to get into America’s wealthiest, most selective universities into overdrive. Paterno also investigates the standardized test preparation industry, highlighting the “shameful truth” that “scores correlate with income,” and describes how the Reagan administration’s free-market ethos and cuts to financial aid programs contributed to skyrocketing tuition costs (private college’s tuition is up more than 800% since 1980). Paterno’s tips for saving money on application fees and appealing financial aid decisions don’t amount to a methodology for “beat the system,” but her cogent advice is enriched by careful research and flashes of humor (“Pinpointing why elite colleges accept or reject students is like finding a kitten on a volcano at night with a flashlight”). Parents looking for a commonsense perspective on the admissions process will appreciate this accessible account. -
Starred review from June 1, 2021
Paterno (journalism, Chapman Univ.) offers refreshingly honest insights into the inscrutable world of college admissions and financial aid. As she shepherded her four children through college applications, she noticed that the admissions landscape has changed drastically in recent years, especially for her youngest child. She explains that the expense of college education inspired the creation of college rankings, which in turn fueled competitiveness and drove down acceptance rates at elite institutions. Paterno's observations are punctuated with compelling accounts of real students applying to private and public colleges, and she frequently references admissions scandals, particularly the 2019 case involving Rick Singer. This book dispels myths and offers practical tips for identifying affordable, best-value colleges; readers will appreciate the clear information about the relationship between grades and standardized test scores and financial aid, particularly for need-blind, no-loan opportunities. VERDICT This meticulously researched work is highly recommended for parents and guardians intent on understanding and navigating the college admissions morass.--Elizabeth Connor, Daniel Lib., The Citadel, Military Coll. of South Carolina, Charleston
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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