If you are a parent who sees your teenage child primarily as the embodiment of the youth you never had, as the realization of your unfulfilled dreams, as the carrier of your family’s legacy, as a pawn in fights with your ex, as the justification for your enormous sacrifices, or as the validation of your parenting skills, read Getting In by Karen Stabiner. Your teen is primarily none of the above.
The book contains lots of angst. Probably too much. This engaging novel provides, however, a valuable, cautionary message for ambitious parents who identify with any of the descriptions at the beginning of this post.
I don’t recommend Getting In for college applicants, because they will start to see all kinds of flaws that probably dont exist in their parents. And since most teens are keenly aware of their parents’ real shortcomings, there is no benefit to providing fodder for imaginary ones. While I have met a few parents who remind me of the characters, or caricatures, in Getting In, they are thankfully rare.
- How to Write Great College Application Essays and Stay Sane, an ebook.
- “Surviving Each Other During the Senior Year”
By Linda Abraham, President and Founder of Accepted.com.
Read the full article: Book Review: Getting In