Expert Admissions in the News

Reviewed by Bari Meltzer Norman, Ph.D
By Marty Nemko, Ph.D
Barron's (Hauppauge, NY) 2004

Marty Nemko is a straight shooter. He tells it like it is—the good, the bad and the ugly.

Nemko's guide is aimed at high school students transitioning to college and intends to give a broad-based overview of applying to, going to, and graduating from college to become a respectable and happy adult. It's a tall order by any standards, but Nemko does a respectable job with the task at hand, tackling everything from selecting high school courses to dealing with roommates to confronting substance abuse.

Nemko writes a no-nonsense, humorous and helpful guide, which will surely resonate with adults and many students. But some students may find the tone a bit off-putting. One example, from a section on binge drinking:
"But much more than [a drink or two here and there] can reduce your social life to hovering over a toilet, acting like an ass, or passing out and missing the fun. It can turn you into a permanent loser and maybe even cost you your life in a car accident."
He's harsh—but he's also right.

Counselors will find Nemko's approach helpful, and may refer to it as a way to open up dialogue with students and parents. Only about 30 percent of the book is devoted to the college search and application process; 10 percent is devoted to financial aid, while the remaining 60 percent deals with the college experience itself.

In the first part of the guide, which deals with preparing for and applying to college, Nemko spends a good portion of his time chipping away at the notion that "designer-label" colleges and universities are necessarily better than their lesser-known and more reasonably priced peers. While this is a point well-taken, Nemko seems to have an axe to grind here.

He often refers to a survey of 1958 Harvard University (MA) graduates that reported that these graduates were laid off and unhappy—just like everyone else. Plus, Nemko has little to say on the positive side about those "designer-label" colleges and universities, which are excellent places to receive an education. And while I agree with the author that lesser-known names offer stellar educational experiences, name-brand colleges and universities do have redeeming qualities that should at least be recognized for a more balanced review.

Nemko also offers tips, reminders, and online and print resources throughout. Some of the tips are sound, but unlikely to be heeded by an adult, let alone a teenager. For instance, while researching schools, Nemko encourages students to get a copy of the college's accreditation report, even if that means contacting the president's office to request one. Some of his useful advice: Only interview if adults generally like talking to you. He also offers helpful tips for dealing with writer's block and the pervasive feeling amongst many of my counselees, who feel like they've led uninteresting lives because nothing tragic has happened to them.

The section on financial aid delves into plans for saving, how to arrange assets, and other important aspects of the financial aid process. Here, the author offers helpful tips and advice (like keeping savings out of the student's name) that will be eye-opening to students, as well as counselors who are not as versed in financial aid as they'd like to be. He also offers some basic calculators and examples to help clarify this often overwhelming process.

Nemko also offers general advice and guidance on the overall college experience. This part of the book moves quickly, doling out advice and posing self-reflective questions on any number of issues that are bound to come up over the course of an undergraduate career. This chapter takes the reader through 22 "Critical Decisions," asking everything from "How Can I Get Course Credit the Easy Way?" to "Should I Smoke Cigarettes?" Nemko begins the chapter on the college experience with what he calls "the most important statement in this entire book." That is, "The key to a great college experience is not where you go, it's what you do there." I couldn't agree more.

Despite covering so much terrain, the book is still digestible. It's a quick read and, save for the tedious chapter on financial aid, is informative and entertaining simultaneously. "Parental Notes" and "Insider Secrets" are littered throughout the guide and are separate from the main text. Each chapter also ends with a "Remember!" section, lest the reader's attention wanders. A lengthy appendix offers additional information and resources.

Because the book is intended to be such a broad overview of many different topics, it does gloss over issues and topics that undoubtedly require further clarification. But this is a limitation of the all-in-one genre, and not of this particular guide. Buying this guide for college is like buying a Europe travel guide for a trip that will only take you to Spain, France and Italy: it's not as in-depth as an individual guide, but you'll still get the basic, important information, as well as helpful tips and advice for your journey. Regardless, this is a valuable book and one that can rest on a student's bookshelf from high school to college without collecting dust.