Game On:

Why College Admission

Is Rigged and How to Beat the System

​

How is it possible that Harvard is more affordable for most American families than their state universities? Or that up to half of eligible students never receive financial aid? Or that public universities are rejecting home grown middle- and working-class applicants and enrolling 25 to 50 percent wealthy out-of-state students? Is the college admissions game really stacked against you? Is it getting tougher to get into top schools—into any school—or not? What are the right things to consider when deciding where to spend your time—and money—applying?

Susan F. Paterno, a veteran academic who knows what it takes to get the best candidates enrolled in her institution, answers these key questions and many more in Game On. Paterno is also a mother who helped four very different kids navigate the application process to a wide swath of colleges, paying for their four-year schools on a finite budget. She smartly decodes the college admissions process from the big picture to the nitty gritty forms-and-scores-and-disclosures. You’ll learn how to use a sorting hat of your own devising—narrowing your focus, figuring out who gets in and why, looking for the right financial fit before considering anything else, including geography and reputation and, above all, ranking.

An insightful and practical book, Game On not only provides a smart, seasoned insider’s look at the complicated admissions process but simplifies it, cutting through the noise and distractions the schools throw your way. It will become your efficient and indispensable guide on how to understand and beat the system.
 

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