The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College [Paperback]

"The Gatekeepers" is written in a wonderfully thoughtful and fascinating manner that it reads like a novel you just can't put down. The insight it provides into the admissions process is invaluable not only in the useful information it provides but also in the "shot in the dark" aspect to applying to a selective school. I think it may help my daughter and myself to relax a bit during this whole thing since so much of it seems random, especially for white middle class kids with great grades and scores.

My daughter is off right now on college tours with my husband and I keep calling her with advice I've learned from the book--she may start blocking my calls. But if you want to know what goes on, read this book, you won't be sorry you did.

That said, my analysis must be dispassionate since my oldest child is currently looking at colleges. So here it is:

1. The Wesleyan pie is first divided this way, 30% African, Latino and Asian students. Many deserve admission, without question, no matter who you measure them against. These are the HP (high priority) minority students. Others are in the generally acceptable population range according to averages, courses taken, class rank, activities, leadership etc.. Some are at risk students, as are some in the other applicant cohorts. True, these students may be cut a little slack but, remember they still must pass courses to matriculate at the university. The U.S. News and World Report is watching and will note the number of non matriculating students. They will also note the number of students who are accepted and decide to go elsewhere. And so the games begin!

2. Foreign students are given 3% of the pie. Diversity by ethnicity and country raised in and state of origin produce robustness. The rules for foreign students are very similar I suppose although the book does not go into great detail.

3. 67% is carved out for those with European ancestry. My only beef here is that there are significant cultural diversity distinctions even amongst Europeans! We are not all rolled out of the same batch of flour or using the same cookie cutter, so to speak. But, alas I digress.

Of this group an expectation of SAT = 1340 or so is expected. This is the benchmark. Quality points are given for challenging AP courses as compared to your peers. The harder the competition at your High School and the more people apply to the same university the lower the probability you have to be picked over your classmates. Unless, of course, you are the one to apply early decision and have all the goods. Subjectivity always is a confounding variable. A wonderful essay read by an Admissions Officer at 3am on Saturday may work as well as the car built by the worst crew on the last Friday of the quota month. But chance does favor the prepared mind so make your essay special for you.

Activities count, clubs, organizations, etc., but being an officer or say President of the Student body counts more for showing Leadership. Life experiences expressed in a well written essay could tip the scale, as well.

Sports are important if you are "the one" who is needed for the team, but usually not without the other components mentioned. A much needed Oboist should get the nod, sometimes even if some deficiencies need to be overlooked.

Diversity by domestic geographic origin also is a consideration. Schools want to recruit and report diversity from all 50 states. Obviously, East coast schools will attract more people from the east and therefore you compete with other east coast students for a subset of the seats to a greater degree than you think!

So, keep the grades up, take the most challenging curriculum, be a leader in school organizations, express yourself in your essays, note any ethnicity that is accurate and listed (or not listed), take an SAT prep course, grind through old SAT exams, know the TEST and how to take it. Take it twice unless you have exceeded the requirements of the schools to which you have applied or you dialed 800 verbal and 800 math. Check out the requirements for financial aid, this sometimes requires persistence. Make a list of schools prioritize them as, dream schools, desirable schools and safe schools. Visit as many schools as possible to be sure they are a good fit for your academic major, that you like the culture of the school, the feel of the campus and that the location makes it easy to get home to see the family...

Roll the dice! Then it all becomes the mathematics of probabilities. Good luck! Remember, the harder you work the luckier you get! And you may find yourself thinking the refrain from an old song which stated in self proclamation, "My future's so bright I gotta wear shades!"

On the bad side though it did scare me a little, because I realized that different students are put on different pedistals. It really goes to show you that school are look for diversity and they will take some pretty major steps to get it (for example a minority student that attends a Prep School with a 3.2 GPA and a 1150 on the S.A.T.'s got excepted with a full ride with a non-minority student at the same prep school with a 3.9 GPA and a 1350 SAT did not).

The Other complant about the book is that it describes the admissions mostly for IVY or IVY-like schools (NOT STATE SCHOOLS), which for the first hundred pages make for confusing calculations (like when they say they like to see scores higher than 1350, for a state school that means 1000).

But all in all I am glad that I picked up the book and started to read, it was one in a long time that I could not put down, and one that I am happy that I have to put on my ever growing book shelf (Thanks Mrs. H!).