Before, During and After the College of Your Dreams

Introduction

When a high school student visits the local bookstore, she can find numerous books dealing with the college admissions process.  These include SAT prep materials, college profiles, personal essay guidebooks, application strategy manuals and even a collection of commentaries by admissions officers.  In addition, there are private tutoring institutions throughout the country that provide assistance with standardized exam preparation, personal essay development and even admissions interview coaching.  Indeed, an overabundance of resources is available to help her to gain admission to a competitive college.

But . . . what happens after she gets to the college of her dreams?

I recently read a New York City newspaper article entitled, “Does Gaining Admission to a Prestigious University Equal Prosperity?”  With the aid of thought-provoking examples, the article implied that there does not necessarily seem to be a connection.  These examples mentioned a frustrated mother whose son graduated from Harvard but could not find a job and ended up moving back in with his parents for a year.  Unfortunately, there are many other graduates of competitive colleges who are in similar situations.

What went wrong?  How could such promising young students work so diligently throughout high school to get into a prestigious university, spend four years studying at schools like Harvard, Duke or Wellesley and end up graduating without a job (or a decent-paying job) or even plans for graduate school?

After much reflection, it is my opinion that these circumstances arise mainly because these individuals focused too much of their energies on getting into the prestigious schools and not enough time thinking about what they should accomplish during their college years and how they should accomplish it.  I should know.  I was one of these students.

From eight grade to twelfth grade, my sole purpose in life was to get into Harvard.

“If you get into Harvard, you are guaranteed a successful life!”

“Harvard educates the leaders of tomorrow.  If you want to be a leader, and not a follower, you must go to Harvard.”

These and other “words of wisdom” entranced me.  I worked hard and made numerous sacrifices during my years at the highly selective Stuyvesant High School in New York City.  As a result, I got into Harvard University.  In September 1990, I showed up at Harvard . . . CLUELESS about what I should do next.  Within a month, I finally admitted to myself that I was lost at Harvard.

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I wrote this book to provide practical advice on three critical issues:

How to get into a competitive college;

How to use one’s time wisely while at top-tier school; and

How to develop one’s long-term career upon graduating from a prestigious university.

These three issues combined form the actual overall challenge that confronts students (everyone from those in junior high school to those in college) and their parents.  I have overcome this challenge over the past thirteen years and I want to impart to the readers how they can as well.

For convenience, I have laid out the content of this book in a question and answer format.  In my responses to these questions, I also share various personal stories for illustrative purposes.  These Q&A entries are based on numerous coaching sessions with consulting clients, friends, colleagues and of course, relatives.  In addition, I make references to persons, organizations and literary sources which I believe add value to the discussions at hand.  Please note, however, the contents of this book reflect only my personal views and not necessarily their views.

Furthermore, my advice is based on personal experiences and observations gathered through a “dual perspective.”  For example, I have seen the university admissions process over the past decade from the angle of a successful applicant as well as an alumni admissions interviewer for Harvard University and for Columbia Business