Colleges: An Endangered Species? A well-written review that refers to a number of recent books on the subject of college education:"Every middle-class American family with a college-age child knows how it goes: the meetings at which the high school counselor draws up a list of "reaches" and "safeties," the bills for SAT prep courses ("But, Dad, everyone takes one; if you don't let me, I'm screwed"), the drafts of the personal essay in which your child tries to strike just the right note between humility and self-promotion—and finally, on the day of decision, the search through the mail in dread of the thin envelope that would mean it's all over and that, as a family, you have collectively failed. ...
posted by Postroad on Feb 19, 2005 - 33 comments

November's Atlantic Monthly includes their First Annual College-Admissions Survey: a collection of articles intended to give "a realistic portrayal of the admissions system." The survey includes articles on the chaotic nature of the admissions process, the rise of "late-decision" admissions, a way to rank colleges that might actually mean something, whether selectivity actually means anything, and bias in standardized testing. Will this survey restore some sanity to the process (as the editors seem to hope), or is it just the equivalent of the U.S. News & World Report rankings for the cognac set?
posted by Johnny Assay on Oct 22, 2003 - 9 comments