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Quintessential Reading:
Career and Job Book Reviews

 

Book Review: Roundup of Books for the College Bound

 

From time-to-time, as we receive career-related and job-hunting books and other resources from publishers, the staff of Quintessential Careers will review them to help you make better decisions about the best books to use in your career and job search.

 

Get Into Any College: Secrets of Harvard Students, by Gen S. Tanabe, Kelly Y. Tanabe, $16.95, Paperback, 288 pages, Supercollege, LLC., ISBN: 0965755657

 

Gen and Kelly Tanabe (read our Q&A with them) should certainly know how to get into any college. Between them, they got into every Ivy League school, plus a number of others, and earned more than $100,000 in merit scholarships. Their handy book covers all the bases. It offers a timeline for college planning and a brief guide to picking schools to apply to (even tells how many you should apply to). The Tanabes tell how to craft an application that will really get noticed. It is noteworthy that they tell how to do an online application; we've noticed that most colleges offer online forms, and many prefer applications to be zapped to them through cyberspace. The authors spend four full chapters on writing application essays, including one with sample essays. We like their list of "totally dumb" essay topics to avoid, including sex, crimes you've committed, drunkenness/getting high, your bad grades, why the university you're applying to is perfect, your dysfunctional family, your mental imbalance or insecurities, your plan to bring peace and harmony to the world, and The Big Game.

 

We have found that not all colleges place great importance on interviews, and the Tanabes acknowledge that sometimes the interview is more of a sales pitch for the school than a screening device for the student. Still, the authors arm college-bound students with tips for interview success. Probably cognizant that there are vast resources for success on SAT, ACT, and other pre-college tests, the Tanabes don't spend too many pages in that realm. On the other hand, they had so much to say about how to gain "free cash" for college that they expanded on their "free cash" chapter in another book (reviewed below). Tips on admissions for special groups, advice on starting the college admissions process early, and a special section for parents round out this helpful book, along with a chapter on how to make the final college choice, and a resources guide.

 

Get Free Cash for College by Kelly Y. Tanabe, Gen S. Tanabe, $26.95, Paperback, 432 pages, Supercollege, LLC., ISBN: 0965755649

 

Free money for college is defined as merit-based scholarship cash that you don't have to make back. As the Tanabes notes, the $100,000 they earned between them to go to Harvard enabled them to graduate debt-free and their parents guilt-free. This book is based on the premise that "you don't have to be an academic, athletic, and extracurricular superstar to win scholarships." (We can vouch for that; we know of one scholarship at our college aimed especially at B students.) As the authors note, their book is really two books in one; half is devoted to developing a comprehensive scholarship strategy, while the other half is a detailed scholarship directory.

 

Part I covers finding scholarships, avoiding scholarship scams (rampant on the Internet!), shining at completing scholarship applications, getting recommendations, writing scholarship essays, acing scholarship interviews, developing strategies for specific scholarships, obtaining financial aid, using the Internet in the scholarship search, and keeping the money you win. Also included is a chapter about cash for grad school and a chapter aimed at parents.

 

Part II is exceedingly comprehensive and even includes the Top 100 Scholarships with the Best Odds of Winning. Any student who needs help going to college -- and with today's price tags, most do -- would be remiss in not checking out this valuable book. Your parents will love you for it!

 

 

Quick Guide to College Majors and Careers by Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., $16.95, Paperback, 304 pages, Jist Works, ISBN: 1563708345

 

What to major in is a question usually asked after one enrolls in college, but we are constantly amazed that more students don't consider their prospective major as an important part of choosing a school in the first place. After all, if you have some idea of what you want to major in, wouldn't you want to choose a school that is strong in that major? Many students not only don't investigate the strength of their prospective major departments, but don't even ensure that the school offers their would-be major. I once supervised a work-study student who wanted to be an animator and chose our college because it is near Walt Disney World. Only trouble was we didn't offer a major in animation (and very little animation was done at the Florida Disney location anyway). He transferred after one semester. We should add that it's perfectly OK to go to college without knowing what you want to major in, but if you do know what path you want to pursue, that choice should be part of your college selection process.

 

Students often choose majors based on interests, but then the age-old question arises, "What can I do with a major in ___?" Parents are especially fond of raising the "What are you going to do with that major?" question. Shatkin's book spends about 80 pages guiding students in ways they can choose a major. The bulk of the rest of the book offers brief profiles of careers that can spring from each major. Each profile features a career snapshot, related specialties and careers, typical college courses, suggested high-school courses, essential knowledge and skills, and other information sources.

 

The book is a helpful resource, though we've seen more comprehensive lists of careers for each major in other sources. The "What can I do with a major in ___?" question can also be answered by many free Internet sources, frequently highly reputed college career-service Web sites. Thus, the book's greatest strength is probably the early section that walks students through a valuable process, complete with worksheets, for choosing a major.

 

Making a Difference College and Graduate Guide, by Miriam Weinstein, Paperback, 432 pages 7th edition, 2000, New Society Pub, ISBN: 0865714126

 

Since the terrorist attacks on the U.S., volunteerism and making a difference have been at the forefront of many minds. If you'd like to pursue a college or graduate education that enables you to contribute to society, you may want to get ahold of this book, which describes college programs for those who would like to work for the environment, social justice, community health, peace, sustainable development, women, children, minorities, and other worthwhile causes.

 

The book kicks off with a small section by various contributors discussing aspects of a making-a-difference education, including how to choose a college. Next is a section on colleges that have programs for idealistic students who want to make a difference. The book also contains listings of making-a-difference field studies, summer institutes, travel programs, activist trainings, and grad-school programs.

 

Making a Difference Scholarships for a Better World, by Miriam Weinstein (Editor), $15.95, Paperback, 240 pages 2nd edition, 2000, New Society Pub, ISBN: 0865714150

 

If you'd like to make a difference in the world, you may well need help going to college to prepare yourself. Weinstein's book lists a wide variety of scholarships, fellowships, and even funds to help you start up a community-based non-profit.

 

Many of these awards are particularly appropriate for students who've volunteered in their communities during high school. It's refreshing to know that students who've worked selflessly with no expectation of a reward in fact can be rewarded with funds that will help them further their altruistic efforts.

 

 

The Adult Student's Guide, 2nd Edition, by Leigh Grossman (Compiler), Lesley McBain (Compiler), $18.95, Paperback, 400 pages, 2nd edition, 2001, Swordsmith Books, ISBN: 1931013020

 

This book provides a potent reminder that you can't judge a book by its cover. The cover design of The Adult Student's Guide is particularly hideous, but that doesn't negate the valuable information inside.

 

We would contend that a student above traditional college age (students over 25 are generally considered "nontraditional") can attend just about any college, which is important because, as the authors point out, almost half of U.S. college students are 25 and above. Where this book is helpful, though, is in pinpointing more than 600 programs that particularly accommodate adult learners by, for example, offering courses at night. The authors exclude any schools that offer some courses at night but not enough to enable the adult student to complete a degree.

 

Following a brief introduction that explores some of the major issues facing adult students, the guide offers a state-by-state listing of adult-friendly degree programs. Each school is described in an overview, with information on costs, admission particulars, and descriptions of programs geared to adults. Indexes at the end list all adult student programs, as well as religious adult student programs and women's adult student programs, which are often geared to women returning to college after raising a family. The authors helpfully provide their Web address so adult students can find updates to the book's listings (http://www.swordsmith.com).

 

Our one quibble with the book (other than its ugly cover) is that the authors have pointedly excluded schools that provide distance learning without some accompanying classroom options. Distance learning is controversial, and many educators would agree that this type of learning without a classroom component is much less valuable than a traditional degree program. But it's also the wave of the future. A number of reputable and accredited institutions are offering distance learning, and we feel that adults should be able to decide for themselves whether that type of program meets their needs and provides appropriate credentials.

 

 

Check out all our book reviews in Quintessential Reading: Career and Job Book Reviews.

 

 

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

 

 

 

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