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In describing my background, I joke that I entered college at age 16 and never left. In some ways that is true. After attending Brooklyn College as a commuter student, I ventured across the country to Stanford University to pursue my Ph.D. in psychology. I then held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford Medical School before heading back east once again to join the psychology faculty at Stony Brook University. I later moved back to California, this time to Davis, where I held faculty and administrative appointments at UC Davis for over 20 years. So in many ways I never did leave college!
The idea for Admission Matters emerged while I was in the Chancellor's Office at UC Davis. My son was a high school junior and I thought it was time for him to think about where he might want to go to college. That, of course, was what I thought -- he had no interest in that topic at all at the time. So I channeled my nervous energy into what I knew how to do best -- read and do research. I began by reading all of the books written on college admissions for students, and then began reading all the books for parents. I became intrigued by what I was reading from the perspective of what someone who knew much less about higher education than I did would learn from all those books.
No book did what I hoped it would do -- provide, in one place, a comprehensive overview of college admissions that would demystify the process, explain the why as well as the how, and put the whole process into proper perspective. Sure, there was some useful information in those books, but a reader would have to pick and choose bits and pieces of information and then try to put it all together. And too much of what I read was incorrect, out of date, or just plain cynical. I decided to try to do better and write the kind of book that I would want my son to read and that I would want to read myself.
That is how Admission Matters came to be. I have had the good fortune to work with terrific co-authors, each of whom has brought distinctive expertise to the book. For the thoroughly revised and expanded Fourth Edition, I have been joined again by Jon Reider and Joyce Vining Morgan who share my background in higher education and who also have many years of first-hand experience counseling high school students about the college admissions process. Jon also has extensive experience as an admissions officer at Stanford University. Together, we have written a book that is informed by our background as education professionals who have devoted our entire careers to helping students both before and during college.
Admission Matters was written for parents and students and we have been delighted by the very enthusiastic response from our primary audience over two previous editions. We were surprised (but also delighted) to learn that Admission Matters is also regularly used as required reading in courses on college admissions for those studying to be counselors themselves. This tells us that we have succeeded in producing a book that is rich in insights as well as how-to advice, and that it can be read at many levels. If you have little background, the book will meet you where you are and give you what you need to move forward confidently and successfully in the admissions process. If you already have basic background, the book contains a wealth of nuanced information to help you gain an even deeper understanding of the admissions process.
We have established a website, www.admissionmatters.com, to provide additional information, worksheets and questionnaires, a blog, and updates to keep the book as current as possible. Please visit it regularly and let us know your thoughts!
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