Getting In is a novel about 5 families in Los Angeles with seniors who are applying to college. 3 of the 5 are private school students, 1 is a former private school classmate who is now at the local high school, and 1 is the daughter of immigrants who is the valedictorian of the local high school. I recommend the book to students (and their parents) who are applying to college or will be applying to college, mostly to demonstrate the poor parenting, cyncial college counseling, and selfish student attitudes that are so prevalent today among those who believe there are only a handful of colleges worth going to.
I realize this drama plays itself out every year at every private and public school in the nation. But the fact is, most students could not even think about attending that “handful” of schools because of grades or money or a million other reasons. The truth is, there are many wonderful colleges who can give you as good of an education as the “handful”. This book brings the machinations of parents, students and counselors to the fore. What should be an exciting and honest process of finding the right school for the student becomes a competition between parents and students on who gets the prize. A worthwhile read….as I said, an example how NOT to act!
