Customer Reviews
Harvard Schmarvard 
2007-01-03
A must read for all parents of prospective college goers. This book removes all the marketing ideas of what we have been led to perceive a college "should" be for our children. Very freeing. This book will pay for itself!
No Sour Grapes Here 2006-08-09
If this was written by a Harvard-reject, credibility would be the central issue. This author, however, received his undergraduate and graduate degree from Harvard and is one of the few insiders who is qualified to reveal the secret: Harvard, etal are great institutions because of the kids they get and not what they do for the kids.
This is an important book for kids and parents of children who are considering the highly selective schools, particularly those with the out-sized reputations.
Very good, but not my first choice 
2006-04-01
Harvard Schmarvard is an excellent resource although it is not my favorite book on the college admissions process. The author, Jay Mathews, is funny and insightful, but doesn't always make the best case against brand name schools as his many stories of where students happily ended up include schools which really are pretty well-known powerhouses like Tufts, UCLA, or Columbia.
Here's where this book is indispensable: Wait-lists. If your student is wait-listed, things really don't look that rosy, but Mathews has some excellent advice on how to handle the ever increasing phenomenon and ways to get in that involve starting school during the summer or spring semesters instead of the fall. His information about how to analyze "college visit weekends" for admitted students and his advice to potential transfer students is also very good stuff. His position about the US News rankings seems very smart. He notes they can actually hurt students since they force colleges to panic about selectivity and yield, factors which can lead to wait-listing or rejecting strong candidates. In addition, Mathews' stories of students and parents he's known are excellent examples of what the college search can be like. Overall, this is a book I recommend picking up.
However, Mathews occasionally gives some odd advice. He suggests that visiting colleges in a student's junior year isn't a good idea because the schools will be too busy worrying about seniors. I can understand waiting to interview until senior year, but just about every other resource will tell you that students need to begin visiting colleges by, at the latest, the second semester of their junior year or they may face a bit of a time crunch. Mathews also suggests buying "all the textbooks" of the classes that interest you at a prospective college. What?! I can see that it would help to review the texts to see if the school chooses books that are compelling reading, but who has that kind of money? Mathews also claims to favor big state schools, which also flies in the face of what many of the other college experts say. Mathews cites the numerous activities, the top-flight professors that rival Ivy League offerings and the ability to choose and switch around many different majors. I feel he's neglecting facts that others frequently bring up. Competition for leadership positions in extracurricular activities is often very intense at big state schools, the top-flight professors are often too busy with research and graduate students to be available to undergraduates, and layers of bureaucracy can make it very difficult to switch majors or take classes outside of one's field of study. It's interesting to note that in his list of one hundred schools he thinks are worth giving a good look, the vast majority of them are small. I only saw three that were over 15,000 students and a total of five over 7,000. Also, I feel Mathews book is geared to families that don't need much information about financial aid, so if that's not true for you, you'll need another resource.
I did say this book is worth getting, but if you buy only one book to guide you through the admissions process, right now my recommendation would be Fiske's Guide to Getting Into the Right College. Its information is very clearly and intelligently written, especially their portion about financial aid, and I feel the advice it offers is generally the wisest. Still, the Fiske book (not to be confused with the Fiske Guide To Colleges - also very good) does not discuss individual schools to any real degree. In this case, I'm still not sure Harvard Schmarvard would be my first pick even though he discusses a hundred underrated schools as his blurbs about each are usually too brief. Many schools on his list are actually quite well-regarded, such as Bates, Bard, Kenyon, Macalester, Davidson and Grinnell so information about them is readily available in other guidebooks. For a better look at underrated schools, I would suggest Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives. Even though Pope's book is a bit dated, Mathews reconfirms Pope's choices by including most of the same schools including Rhodes, Goucher, Austin College, Eckerd, Hendrix and Millsaps, but the reviews in Pope's book are much more thorough.
David CollegePlanGuy@aol.com
Life Outside the Ivy League 2006-01-18
There certainly is life and there certainly are alternatives outside the Ivy League. You can get an Ivy League level of education plus so much more in the way of building leadership and character for your future life at a college like West Point, a college that, believe it or not, everyone has a good shot at getting into despite its reputation. You can learn the real story of the West Point way of education by reading "West Point: Thomas Jefferson: Character Leadership Education" by Remick.
There Is Life Outside the Ivy League -- By a Harvard Graduate 2005-10-13
I agree with all the positive reviews of this book -- Mr. Mathews does a great job in convincing students and parents that all that glitters is not Ivy. In case you weren't sure, you can be happy and successful and not graduate from Harvard or Yale. The author includes several real life anecdotes and some statistics, and takes a good look at the admissions game. This is especially a must-read for overwrought parents and nervous students who face a lifetime of Prozac without an Ivy degree. Mr. Mathews does justice to the many other fine schools out there, many of whom offer comparable or superior academics. It isn't an indepth guide to particular colleges, and although Mr. Mathews offers pointers for the application process, it isn't a how-to guide for college admissions. I am puzzled, however. This is the second time a Harvard grad informed me that Harvard isn't the ticket I think it is. The first, an administrator of a private school, went so far as to suggest that a Harvard degree is a burden. Yet most of the administration at this school are Ivy. Mr. Mathews and his wife are both Harvard grads. His daughter attended one of the most prestigious private schools in the D.C. area, and his son, one of the most elite public high schools. So while I appreciate the reassurance that my public college degree isn't an impediment and that my public school son is on a fairly level playing field in the admissions process, I still don't quite believe it.
Jay Mathews knows what he is talking about! 2005-03-17
Smarten Up—It's Time to Choose the Right CollegeThink that your life's growth, success, and happiness depend on which college you attend? The higher-profile school, the better, right? Wrong! Neither is true.
Written by, yes, a Harvard grad,
Harvard Schmarvard rebuts the perception that image is everything when it comes to college and emphasizes this simple fact: What you will be measured by in life is your talent and energy, not your college's name. Packed with practical information and insider tips, this must-have guide will help you determine which school fits
you. Inside, you'll find:
·How to survive the application process without losing your sanity or sense of humor
·Tips on writing essays, visiting campuses, and keeping cool during your college interviews
·The truth about search letter scams and the early admissions game
·Plus loads of other invaluable insight!
So take a deep breath and exhale your worries and fears. Let
Harvard Schmarvard debunk the myths, expose you to the truth, and clear your mind so you can weigh what's really important.
Good Additional Resource 2004-06-11
The only reason I did not give this book 5 stars is because, as other reviewers have mentioned, it is somewhat superficial. More data would be very helpful, but in all fairness I don't think the author wanted to write a book like the Fisk Guide or the like. I was also somewhat put off by some of the inconsistencies between the theme of the book (elite schools aren't necessarily the best) and the student profiles used by Mr. Mathews -- people who run in crowds that consider Tufts a disappointment? Having to "settle" for Georgetown? Very few of the 100 schools listed at the back of the book as "hidden gems" figure in the actual body of the book. There, the discussion is all about William & Mary v. Harvard, etc. That's a real disconnect and frankly I didn't feel very sympathetic at all to most of the students.
Be that as it may, the actual guts of the book and the listed schools make this worth a read. I like the fact that Mr. Mathews has a broader focus than Loren Pope's "Colleges That Change Lives", with an understanding that a large university might actually be the best choice, both academically and financially, for somebody -- a view that Loren Pope doesn't entertain in his book.
This is a good resource for the college hunt, but not the only book you'll need. I would also suggest Mr. Loren Pope's books, despite my reservations, and at least on of the data heavy books like Fiske or Peterson's. At some point you'll WANT to have all that data at your fingertips.
One of the best contrarian college guides. 2004-01-05
This book could be subtitled "What the Ivy League and elite private high schools do not want you to know." Indeed, the author breaks so many myths about elite secondary and higher education that it is funny. The author has a great sense of humor. His writing style is very lively, and makes this book extremely easy to read. Yet, he conveys very insightful information that you rarely find within other college guides.
The author refers to a study by Stacy Dale, who found no difference in earnings between those students who had gone to Ivy league schools and those who had been accepted at those schools but had chosen to go elsewhere. She even found some indications that students who had applied and been rejected by the very selective colleges were doing just as well twenty years later as those who had gotten in. She named this phenomenon "The Steven Spielberg Effect." Indeed, Steven Spielberg was rejected by several of the top university film schools in Southern California. He graduated from a no name school. As they say, the rest is history. Thus, Stacy Dale in her study concludes that it is not the selectivity of the school that one attends, but the character, talent, intelligence, and drive of the student that really matters. The Ivies do not distinguish themselves by "what" they teach, but by "who" they teach. Given that the author is a Harvard graduate, he has instant credibility regarding his insightful criticism of the Ivies.
Elite private high schools and magnet schools do not have any advantages vs. other public schools in sending their students to the elite colleges. To the contrary, the author makes a case that they have a handicap. This is because one of the key factors within the Ivy league admission process is class rank. A student with a strong GPA in an average school will stand out, and earn a top class rank. The same student with the same GPA would be lost in a crowd of overachievers at a top private school. His class rank would be much lower, and will prevent him from being accepted at Ivy League schools. Along the same lines, top schools are not comfortable admitting a high number of applicant from any one high school. Thus, it is in your advantage to apply to the schools that your classmates do not apply to. If they all apply to Yale, apply to Princeton instead. This is tough, as it entails fighting the human herd instinct. But, it puts the probability of being accepted very much in your favor.
The author warns about marketing tricks colleges use. One of them is the "Search letter" that schools send to students with high PSAT scores. All it means is that a school views you as an attractive applicant who will allow the school to boost its selectivity (reduce its acceptance rate) and increase its average SAT score of the admitted applicants. Don't confuse this marketing gismo with a virtual guaranteed admission. It is not. The majority of search letter recipients are routinely turned down by the schools who sent these letters. Another trick is the Wait list. According to the author, the Wait list is a polite way for the school to tell you that they don't have room for you even though they acknowledge the outstanding caliber of your overall application.
The author offers a whole lot more information and guidance for both parents and students on how to survive and thrive through the stressful college admission process. He also gives you a lot of information to maximize the chance of customer satisfaction (that students will like their college choice, and perform well).
Among the information provided, he includes a list of 100 schools. Personally, I researched these and ended up selecting 43 as interesting prospects for our daughter. His list is more current and diverse than similar college lists provided by Pope ("40 Colleges That Change Lives").
Good but not great 
2003-06-20
This book is good--certainly better than many college admissions books--but it's far from being great. First, while much of the advice seems solid, the details are sparse. We could use more facts and examples to back up the advice. Second, while the author has some opinions on colleges, he doesn't explain many of them. Allen, in College Admissions Trade Secrets, has loads of strong opinions but usually explains them and gives facts to back them up. Third, what about the kids who just want to go to Harvard or Princeton? Taylor's advice is often more "why do you want to go to Harvard?" than helping kids understand how to get into Harvard. Once again, if you want insider tips for getting into a top college, you'll need to buy a book by Allen, Hernandez or perhaps Toor. Taylor's book does a great job of convincing applicants that being rejected from Yale isn't the end of the world -- but other books do a better job of explaining how to get admitted to Yale.
Harvard is not best for everyone 2003-05-26
Mathews' biggest points are to find a college that fits, be your self, and you can be, as many others have done, a success without an elite school degree. "A college, like a new suit, has to fit. I don't care if it is number one on the U.S. News & World Report list and has an endowment of $20 billion. If it does not offer the courses and activities that feed your soul, it is no good. If the dorms are awash in alcohol and you only drink tea, if there is no football team and you ache to yell your lungs out on Saturday afternoon, if the economics department is Keynesian and Milton Friedman is your man, go somewhere else."
"Unfortunately, many seventeen-year-olds don't enjoy analyzing their likes and dislikes in such detail. I was like that when I was their age, and the teenagers I know today are the same. They will latch onto two or three things that strike them as pleasing or annoying but not conduct a full audit. And they will let other people set their agenda for them, including the college recruiters and tour guides who want them to choose a particular school."
Earlier this week I was thinking about my early encounters with Bill Veeck, the outspoken White Sox owner and author, who had some unconventional fan-oriented ideas about improving baseball. I started this book with its challenge to conventional wisdom sounding title and its early telling of how the author had started out at Occidental and did not appreciate how good an education he was getting until he transferred to Harvard where his courses "were full of contradictory theories that gave me a headache."
Mathews continued his outspokenness with "Your friends may tell you being admitted to a college with a luminous name will guarantee a life of happiness, but all the available evidence suggests they are wrong. Getting into a brand-name school like Yale, Stanford, or Amherst will not alter your occupational, financial, and romantic future any more than buying that French colonial on Elm Street. As we shall see, the notion that the brand-name schools can guarantee high salaries and satisfying careers for all their graduates is a scam. The success of many graduates of Ivy League schools is a matter of qualities established long before they ever got to college and has little, if anything, to do with what they learned or whom they met at those great universities."
Even if what he says is true about Harvard, his being a Harvard alumnus makes his statements more credible. If he was a state university graduate criticizing Harvard he might be regarded as jealous. While he continues
"While at Harvard I learned that many Ivy Leaguers, including me, assumed that we would one day wield great power. But once out in the real world, I've learned that my faith in the triumph of the elite was not well founded. Elite school graduates are not more immune that anyone else to the widening gap between youthful expectations and adult lives."
Mathews quotes a Harvard professor about the great importance of learning outside classes: "When we asked students to think of a specific, critical incident or moment that had changed them profoundly, four-fifths of them chose a situation or event outside of the classroom."
Mathews openly admits some biases: He prefers larger schools because they offer more surprises although he preferred the education he received at Occidental to that at Harvard. He dislikes the SATs although he does suggest that they might help a student with weaker grades.
Some of Mathews' theories I agree with such as the importance of fit. His theory that colleges are looking for students with a passion.
Some the aspects of college admissions that outrage him are not very well known such as the massive wait lists with very little movement off of them at many elite schools.
A former Harvard professor, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, died this week. He like Mathews had a provocative effect on many as he "never shrank from following evidence wherever it led and speaking his mind when he got there." Some of Mathews' comments about elite schools and the disadvantage of going to elite high schools will enrage many who are deeply invested in those institutions.
