Where’s My Wine Glass?!: Getting Your Kid to College Without Losing Your Mind

Presto, a college prep coach, falls short in this lackluster guide to the college application process. Parents often feel the pressure of applying to colleges more than their children do, Presto writes, and in trying to help them navigate the “triathlon of organizational skills, focus, and carefully worded braggadocio” required for the process, she offers a lot of airy advice. She does a fair job of covering the basics, whether helping teens choose where to apply (a narrowed-down list of 21 schools is “somewhat normal by today’s standards”) or doing campus visits (“College guides are the happiest people on Earth. They must be the leftovers from the Disney applicants”). As well, she explains how to decipher college ratings (“like National Geographic’s Field Guide to North American Birds, only for higher education”), write a personal essay (“the best way to help kids write their essays is to not help them unless they ask”), and deal with sticker shock (“Realizing a BA or a BS is not necessarily a ticket to a well-paying and stable position changes the game”). Unfortunately, the advice is too often crowded out with fluff (“Follow your heart... because your head will make you nutty”). Readers will be better served elsewhere. (Oct.)