The Gatekeepers
Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College
Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · July 29, 2003
In the fall of 1999, New York Times education reporter Jacques Steinberg was given an unprecedented opportunity to observe the admissions process at prestigious Wesleyan University.
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- Who it’s for
- A close view of college admissions makes a high-stakes process feel unusually human.
- Themes
- College admissions process, Competition for elite college places, Anxiety about applying to college
- Genres
- Higher Education Administration, College Guides, Student Life
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In the fall of 1999, New York Times education reporter Jacques Steinberg was given an unprecedented opportunity to observe the admissions process at prestigious Wesleyan University. Over the course of nearly a year, Steinberg accompanied admissions officer Ralph Figueroa on a tour to assess and recruit the most promising students in the country. The Gatekeepers follows a diverse group of prospective students as they compete for places in the nation's most elite colleges.
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The first book to reveal the college admission process in such behind-the-scenes detail, The Gatekeepers will be required reading for every parent of a high school-age child and for every student facing the arduous and anxious task of applying to college. "[The Gatekeepers] provides the deep insight that is missing from the myriad how-to books on admissions that try to identify the formula for getting into the best colleges...I really didn't want the book to end." —The New York Times
Inside the Decision
A close view of college admissions makes a high-stakes process feel unusually human.
Come here for
- The human judgment behind elite-college admissions
- The tension of applications seen up close
Expect
- A year-long, behind-the-scenes look at one university’s process
- Prospective students facing consequential choices
Where it sits
| College Guides | 46% |
|---|---|
| Higher Education Administration | 45% |
| Student Life | 23% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Higher Education Administration
- Educational Assessment
- Higher Education
- Authors
- Jacques Steinberg
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Published
- July 29, 2003
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- College admissions process · Competition for elite college places · Anxiety about applying to college
- Reading lane
- Higher Education Administration