Valedictorians at the Gate

Standing Out, Getting In, and Staying Sane While Applying to College

By: Becky Munsterer Sabky

Narrated by: Eliza Foss

An inspiring battle cry for sanity in the college application process that looks beyond the rankings to successfully determine what’s truly the best school for you or your child

After spending years as an admissions director at Dartmouth, Becky Sabky had seen it all. The perfect grades, the perfect scores, and the perfect extracurriculars. Valedictorians were knocking at the gate, but Becky realized that in their quest for admission many of these students were missing something. Their transcripts were golden, their interviews polished, but they weren’t applying for college, they were competing for it—and in the end they didn’t know what prize they were really striving for.

In Valedictorians at the Gate, Sabky looks beyond the smoke and mirrors of the intimidating admissions gauntlet and places the power firmly where it should be: in the hands of the students themselves. Offering prescriptive, actionable advice for students and their (hopefully not helicoptering) parents, Sabky illuminates the pathway to finding the school that is the ideal match. Witty and warm, informative and inspiring, Valedictorians at the Gate is the needed tonic for overstressed, overworked, and overwhelmed students on their way to the perfect college for them.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company

Great Information and Valuable Perspective

Great Book About College Admission and Valuable Perspective About What Matters in the End

Honest Account about how college admissions are made with thoughtful insight on how to help our children navigate the process. Validation that humanity and decency matter more than stats.

Insider’s View

A wonderfully illuminating Ivy admissions book from a former admissions officer. No hearsay or speculation. Only the facts from someone who’s seen it all.

Funny and wise

The book offers a lot of details regarding every aspect of the college application, admission and decision process. The many anecdotes and pearls of insight and wisdom keep the book quite enjoyable. I think it’s quite accessible to many high school students and it can be the most helpful to them, but as a parent, I learned much as well.

Must read !

Thank you for writing this very informative book! All my friends and family has been recommended!

So helpful!

This book gives great advice and perspective for both students and parents who are thinking about college applications. Two thumbs way up.