Unlike any book written about higher education, Surviving the College Admissions Madness is a complete takedown of a deeply flawed and thoroughly broken system. Unconventional, irreverent, and entertaining, Kevin Robert Martin argues that elite universities do not care about their applicants.
College admissions is highly undemocratic and dehumanizing. University bureaucracies alienate applicants from their humanity and sense of self. Reading essay advice books might help you get in, but they won’t help you stay sane. Surviving and even thriving depends on digging deep into your beliefs and understanding your behaviors within the broader context of society.
This isn’t another Admissions 101 “how-to to write a killer essay” book or a promise of “six easy steps” for Ivy League acceptance. Instead, Admissions Madness is the first of its kind to integrate applicant psychology with the sociology and economics of higher education. Martin writes for families and high school educators who want a deeper understanding of the truth.
He provides helpful advice for avoiding application mistakes, building a reasonable college list, minimizing debt, identifying cognitive errors and distortions, and helping applicants reframe their college applications. Martin equips readers with the vocabulary, frameworks, and tools to make sense of America’s broken higher education system, starting with the admissions gatekeepers. Free on Kindle.
