Tanya

Fascinating Details of Admissions @ Elite Colleges

Revisado: 08-03-16

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

A must read for parents who think they want their children to apply to elite colleges or anyone who might want to be a college admissions officer or high school guidance counselor. While Steinberg follows the graduating class of 2004, as the parent of kids who are Tufts Class of 2015 and Trinity College Class of 2020, the process has changed if only to become even more competitive. THE GATEKEEPERS won't teach you how to get your child into an elite college, but it will help you - and your child - understand the numbers game. I am solidly middle class and this book helped me learn things that children from wealthy families do to make themselves more appealing to elite colleges. There is a lot of "filler," but I found that the backstories of all the participants in the book, from the counselors and admissions officers to the applicants, helped round out and give a real face to the facts. I even enjoyed the history of colleges and college admissions that Steinberg included.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the second epilogue Steinberg added to THE GATEKEEPERS, which is from 2012. It is interesting to find out where the major players are now and how their admissions experience and time at college shaped them. The applicants are now approaching 30. Steinberg also discusses how wide use of the Common App has changed admissions as well as the waning value of the SAT and how foreign students are being actively sought as applicants.

Have you listened to any of Jacques Steinberg’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

What insight do you think you’ll apply from The Gatekeepers?

Although my youngest won't start thinking about college for another 5 years, I am going to approach it differently with him, from the colleges he considers to when we start looking at them to visiting campuses early.

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An Instant Classic

Revisado: 11-08-15

Laura Amy Schlitz is a favorite author of mine and THE HIRED GIRL is now my favorite of her works. The narrative voice is unforgettable, reminiscent of Anne Shirley from Lucy Maude Montgomery's classic. Set in 1911, Joan/Janet is an intelligent, fourteen year old girl with a fierce desire to educate herself and be more than a housekeeper and farm hand to her brutal father and three brothers. She runs away to Baltimore where she lies about her age and finds herself taken on as the hired girl in the Rosenbach household. There, she is educated in so many disciplines, from literature to philosophy to religion, art and love. Her diary recounts all her painful, childish mistakes and her exuberant joys over the course of six months, picking up a year later as she is about to begin a new phase of her life. Schlitz's writing is magnificent and so authentic and Rachel Botchan's reading captures Joan's voice beautifully. All girls need to read THE HIRED GIRL.

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Funny, Suspenseful and Full of Heart!

Revisado: 08-27-12

What made the experience of listening to The Fourth Stall the most enjoyable?

Actor Mike Rylander, brother of author Chris, is full of voices, which is great because Chris's book is packed with crazy, quirky, compelling characters. I especially liked Mike Rylander's characterization of the girl characters in the book.

What did you like best about this story?

Chris Rylander has written the perfect book for boys who don't like to read fantasy. "The Fourth Stall" is a mystery, a comedy and an action story all-in-one. The story is layered and complex, as are the relationships between the main characters, Mac and Vince. One of the best books I've read/listened to in a long time. This is a book that the whole family can enjoy listening to.

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