Booksellers freely admit it: sometimes it's difficult to get teenagers interested in reading, when there are so many high-tech gadgets vying for their attention. How about if booksellers start talking up that lifelong readers typically fare extremely well in terms of college admissions? That's what mother-daughter college admissions consultants Lillian Luterman and Jennifer Bloom tell Show Daily. Luterman and her daughter are the authors of In! College Admissions and Beyond: The Experts' Proven Strategy for Success (Abbeville), a handbook that explains their strategies in the increasingly competitive world of college admissions.
"It is absolutely more difficult to get into college now," Luterman declares. "There are more kids applying, and colleges generally have the same number of seats for incoming students. It's also easier to apply, and there's a huge inpouring of international students. Everyone want to come to American schools; we have the best educational system in the world."
Their advice? College-bound students should take advantage of any opportunity to improve their odds of getting into the college of their choice. Reading provides students with an excellent advantage over their peers who prefer other leisure activities. "Every time I have a student sitting on my couch, and they tell me they love to read, I know a couple of things: they're going to do very well on the verbal sections of the SAT or the ACTs, and they're naturally curious," Bloom says.
Luterman and Bloom explain that success in getting into college boils down to applying to colleges where applicants are on par with other applicants. But make sure to stand out from the rest of the applicants in one area. They work with clients to identify and develop each student's unique hobbies or pursuits, and claim a 95% success rate in helping clients get into their preferred schools.
Luterman and Bloom will sign copies of College Admissions and Beyond today in Abbeville's booth (4406), 2–3 p.m. Abbeville is also sponsoring a card drop/sign-up giveaway for a one-hour free college consulting session with Luterman and Bloom.
