From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-A look into the admissions process that may make high school students rethink their college choices. Toor describes her first year as an admissions officer at Duke from the summer campus tours and interviews to the final push in May to persuade the students who were accepted to commit to her university. Each section is prefaced with Toor's personal statements, which were columns written for the Chronicle of Higher Education or National Public Radio. Although they provide insight into the author herself, the real meat of the book is professional expertise. Readers learn that schools are so inundated with applications from BWRK (Bright Well Rounded Kids) that they just seem "boring." Now colleges are looking for students who are "angular-kids who have done all the typical stuff and then have pursued an interest or passion to an nth degree." Published median SAT scores are not in line with most of a school's admissions. Publishing a wide range works to the university's advantage, because the more individuals who are encouraged to apply, the more students it can reject, and the more selective it can appear. Although Toor talks about admissions at the most elite universities, these principles still apply to schools that are not as selective. Recommend this book to your BWRKs, but make sure it is read by the guidance counselors and the teachers who write recommendations as well.