The Princeton Review - College Admission 101: Expert Advice for the New Challenges in Admissions, Testing, Financial Aid, and More

This book would not have been possible without the following individuals at The Princeton Review and beyond: Pia Aliperti, Kristen OToole, Emma Parker, Suzanne Podhurst, Aaron Riccio, Laura Rose, and Deborah Weber. My continued thanks to our data collection masters David Soto and Stephen Koch for their successful efforts in amassing and accurately representing the statistical data that informs parts of this book.

Most of all, thank you to my readersI hope this book proves useful in your college searches, applications, and overall college admission journeys. Keep asking the tough questions. Good luck!

Robert Franek

Hands down, what I love best about my job here at The Princeton Review is spending direct, quality time with college-bound students and their families. It sounds like a canned talking point, right? The head of content for a global educational services company likes working with students and their families? But, Im not fibbing, not even a syllable. Heres whyevery day you teach me how to be better at my job.

I spend most of the academic year speaking to students, parents, counselors, and educators alike. Whether Im teaching students and parents the basics or the more advanced lessons around the college process, the most motivating part of that exchange is always the privilege of listening to each of you. Heres the logic: if I can understand your college goals along with the stuff that stresses you, confuses you, and plain-old scares you about the admissions process, then I can create the right kinds of resources to put you on the path to achieving those goals. Meeting and talking with you only reinforces my overall mission to assuage anxiety around the college admission process and create the next class of informed and fearless college seekers. Now, thats awesome, indeed!

The last several years have been more tumultuous and uncertain than ever, but though the effects of the coronavirus pandemic linger on, students and faculty alike are finding ways to press forward. This book presents the clearest answers I can provide to the most frequent, savvy, and urgent questions that Ive been getting, including through our YouTube channel: concerns about remote learning, test-optional schools, and changes to standardized tests. I havent just been reaching millions of people this year alone through TV, radio, and online sources: Ive been listening, and I want to give you actionable next steps, now more than ever.

Wondering how to handle applications if your extracurriculars were canceled? How to get the most out of a college tour whether youre on the physical campus or online? Which standardized tests to take? Have nitty-gritty questions about your high school schedule? How about the financial aid process? Ive got you covered for each of these key questions, and so many more. My goal, and ours at The Princeton Review, is to help you succeed in each step of your educational journey. Consider College Admission 101 your primer to do just that.

The information in this book is up-to-date for students graduating in 2023 (and weve already got our eye on upcoming changes to the SAT in 2024), but its also a useful guide for any student in high school, parents of high schoolers (and even middle schoolers), parents who attended college themselves, parents who didnt attend college, families new to the United States, and more. In short, no one should ever feel excluded or unprepared for the college search and application process. From SAT scores to scholarships, this book provides straightforward answers to questions about college topics and is meant for anyone and everyone interested in attending college.

Thanks to each of you for putting your faith in me and our full team at The Princeton Review. I very much hope you find this book a great resource in your college admission journey. Its been a genuine pleasure bringing it to you.

Robert Franek

About the Author

Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief at The Princeton Review, is a nationally recognized expert on higher education and a college aficionado. He visits more than 50 colleges a year. Over his 28-year career in education, he has served as a college admissions administrator, test prep teacher, author, and lecturer. He is lead author of The Princeton Reviews annual book, The Best 388 Colleges, as well as The Best Value Colleges. He is also author of Colleges That Create Futures: 50 Schools That Launch Careers by Going Beyond the Classroom, and co-author of If the U Fits: Expert Advice on Finding the Right College and Getting Accepted. Rob gives dozens of presentations a year to audiences of teachers, parents, and students on trending education and college topics. Follow his tweets at @RobFranek.

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