In a time when crossing guards are posted to prevent high schoolers from jumping in front of trains and parents shelling out $100K for packaged college applications, education has become a pressure cooker to grab the Ivy ring. Based on almost two decades in Ivy League admissions, emerging scientific evidence on mindfulness, and interviews with admissions officers, students, families, and high school counselors, this book picks up where Frank Bruni left off with his 2016 bestseller, Where You Go is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania. Whereas Bruni makes a compelling case for a reframing of a flawed system, Taking the Stress Out of College Applications is a guide on how to go through the existing, however brutish, process with less stress and more joy. Equipped with the powerful tools of mental and emotional intelligence training, it acknowledges the reality of what is, and challenges young people to reach for a more meaningful ideal. For those who question the use of mindfulness in what may seem a selfish purpose, as the peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh says, "we need not fear that mindfulness might become only a means and not an end because in mindfulness the means and the end are the same things."
The current model to getting accepted into elite colleges, what we call ATLAS 1.0 (Academics-Testing-Leadership-Accolades-Service), was set up decades ago and has led to many lost happy childhoods. MAP shares an insider's expertise on how ATLAS 1.0 really works inside admissions offices, and introduces an expanded model, ATLAS 2.0 (Awareness-Thinking-Listening-Alignment-Self-Compassion). This updated model shifts students' mindsets from the admissions process as a ruthless competition with one externally-prescribed definition of success to one step in a lifelong journey of wonder and possibilities by discovering their own North Star, building self-awareness and resilience, and navigating with authenticity, balance, and joy.
Recognizing that mindfulness practices can alleviate some of the points of pain that the competitive world of college admissions present, MAP attempts to equip young people on the edge of adulthood -and their loved ones - with an expanded model for greater mindfulness, self-awareness, and intention for a successful journey through the process and beyond.
Industry Reviews
Parents and counselors everywhere can be grateful for this compassionate book that invites driven and accomplished students to transcend the college admissions frenzy by cultivating mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and self-care. Incidentally, these practices will, in fact, make students stronger applicants-but this is the least valuable aspect of this helpful book. Without talking down to the adolescent reader or resorting to self-help platitudes, THE MINDFUL COLLEGE APPLICANT: CULTIVATING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR THE ADMISSIONS PROCESS guides students toward the confidence and resilience that will help them flourish as adults. Worth a hundred tutoring sessions, may it lead scores of young people to new perspective on their educations, their choices, and the possibilities of their lives. -- Lacy Crawford, Author of "Early Decision: A Novel"
I am completing my 18th year as Head of a hard-charging international school in Asia, where it seems as though every third parent in Kindergarten has eyes on the prize of Harvard and where the pressure and stress on students, families, teachers and counselors ratchets up yet another notch as each year passes.
Thank goodness for a book that seeks to demystify the college application process, debunk the notion that an A- on a report card equals a lifetime of regret, and discredit the all-pervading folklore that the most important month of one's youth is April in Senior year when college admissions results are posted.
Belinda Chiu hasn't just revealed some compelling facts about the process of applying to college; she has also told young people and their parents some home truths about what really matters in education, growth and development. Hurry up and get this book published. My high schoolers need to read it. -- David Toze, Superintendent, International School Manila
In today's hurried world, it is no wonder many students are on autopilot, going through robotic motions of what they mistakenly believe is a magic formula that defines high school success. With her insider knowledge of college admissions, Dr. Chiu courageously reminds us that selective colleges are deliberately choosing emotionally intelligent, resilient, and sociable students who genuinely know how and why they love learning. This book will make you think twice about the skills students should learn throughout their K-12 education, and what traits that define success are increasingly valued in a college community, as well as in adulthood. -- Grace Cheng Dodge, Deputy Head of School, Taipei American School; Former Director of Admission, Wellesley College
Chiu achieves something unique, in that she dispels the myths of college admissions from the perspective of a former college admissions counselor and also provides insight through the lens of an executive coach about the types of attributes these highly accomplished and successful individuals have in common.
The Mindful College Applicant elaborates on how to cultivate these very skills, which are collectively referred to as emotional intelligence, and which have been proven to be more predictive of success beyond the college years than even academic achievement. -- Debby Fogelman, M.A, Psy.D
Dr. Chiu's book provides exactly what students and their parents need to know about the pressures of the college application process. Her honest perspective on the harmful influence of stress and anxiety is vital to creating a strategy for success, as are her insights into working with neuroscience and mindfulness. -- Matthew Lippincott, Vice President of Research & Business Solutions, Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence Training Programs
This book is a must-read for every high school student applying to college--and every parent, too. It gives the student and the parent the best chance of going through the application process without turning stark raving mad. The wisdom in this book offers a pathway to long term happiness for the student, as well as better results in the application process. Read it, students and parents, because it is essential to the survival and joy of your entire family. It gives you hope of going this process without being damaged by it. If you want to go through the college application process without getting depressed and anxious, read this book. -- Geeta Anand, Pulitzer Prize-winning Journalist; Professor of Journalism, UC Berkeley School of Journalism; Author of "The Cure: How a Father Raised $100 Million and Bucked the Medical Establishment in a Quest to Save his Children"
The book helps one think more clearly through the admission process and positions one to lead a meaningful life.
A must read for all college applicants, parents and educators. Belinda is a unique person to pull this off due to her decade plus years in the college admission process, training in emotional intelligence and love for humanity. -- Tsewang Namgyal, The Tibet Fund Board member; Reimagining Doeguling Tibetan Settlement Advisory Board Chair
