First half of the book is great: the system is messed up, and I was raised as a part of it. I now have a better sense of purpose and worry less about pursuing a "prestigious" career when I graduate.

Second half of the book gets very theoretical and political: how the system can be fixed. That's not why I picked up this book. Parts 1-3 were insightful. I'd personally recommend skipping part 4.

There’s a lot more here than just an assessment of the current (well, 2014, but still more or less relevant) state of elite college admissions. It contains commentary on social justice and equality of opportunity, the life of the mind, and what we value in ourselves, our employees, and others. While it’s probably incomplete in its analysis, this book is a great source for discussion topics and for challenging what you think you know about the value, and values, of education.

This feels like several indignant tweets stitched together, I highly recommend Michael Sandel's The Tyranny of Merit instead. Not to mention a tad rac*st remarks midway (I remember he's using 'Chinese' to describe anything subpar), but understandable as the author is a sheltered conservative.

“We have tried aristocracy. We have tried meritocracy. Now it’s time to try democracy.”

A lovely, reasonable takedown of the systems that keep elite education in place. I was expecting a kind of snarky, student-blaming treatise but this was almost a tender plea.

Some choice features of this book are:
— an interesting history of how hereditary elitism became meritocracy in schools
— snippets from brief ethnographies of former elite students
— an impassioned argument for the classic “liberal arts education,” in a section called Great Books

While the premise may seem kind of tired / obvious, WD’s suggestions are not. How about we admit students to elite colleges randomly? — being one :)

Very lovely read. Indispensable for those trying to break out of a system designed to keep them rich, powerful but somehow still dispossessed.

Such a frustrating book - many good ideas mixed in with some major blind spots. A lot of his discussion of applying to top colleges and the people who graduate make sense. But he pushes a liberal arts education and much of the literature that he proposes was written by white men (there were a few exceptions). That was starting to irk me.

*reread 2022, review is from 2020*

Must read for all the university students around the world. Mostly for those in "elite" universities and with ambitious goals. This book gives you statistics and experiences from different people in the education system; it will give you the courage to find your own path and take bold decisions.

It helped me question the education I am getting and inspired me to take a different approach for the following three years that will lead to higher "success" than every part before.

It is very US-centric, but also relevant for non-US students. Also great to read while still in high school!

3.5/5. Strongly resonated with the criticisms of higher academia and the focus on liberal arts as a model for a meaningful education but some of the later parts (in particular the final chapter) fell flat for me.