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Successful College Application Strategies for Truly Exceptional Individuals
Paperback
College GuidesGeneral Education
Publisher Price: $22.95
Publisher: Princeton Studios
Published: Aug 14 2025
Pages: 162
Weight: 0.86
Height: 0.44 Width: 7.00 Depth: 10.00
Language: English
A wise and easy-to-read manual for thriving in Ivy admissions and beyond. -- Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice Selection
Dear High Schooler thinking about elite colleges -
The recommendations in this book aren't for everyone. And probably won't work for everyone. And that's the point actually.
This book is intended to help a handful of candidates employ specific tactics and strategies to distinguish themselves positively among playing fields of tens of thousands of other elite college applicants. The goal of this guidebook is to help individuals be recognized as absurdly unique, talented, and promising. This book is for the bright, the brave, and the bold (i.e., YOU).
We will leave the recommended test taking, grades, sports and extracurriculars to other books. You've already read them. The practical techniques shared inside go far beyond what most other advisors are doing and recommending. Those books tell you how to make a hamburger, this book shows you in detail how to create your special sauce that makes you the one every school will want.
If you are open-minded about pushing your proverbial boundaries beyond what you ever imagined you could be capable of, this book is for you. Daniel Farber Huang has helped courageous students get accepted into not only their dream schools but also other solid options by having students distinguish themselves in any number of significant ways, including:
- Developing genuine subject matter knowledge worthy of leading adults in their field;
- Teaching formal workshops and classes in their areas of subject matter knowledge;
- Giving major talks and presentations, including multiple TEDx Talks;
- Publishing articles and Op-Eds in respected newspapers, magazines, and online platforms;
- Exhibiting in solo and group shows at museums and galleries;
- Getting hired into highly competitive or custom-designed internships;
- Establishing and leading nonprofit entities that make a real impact;
- Joining editorial boards of respected publications; and
- Taking leadership roles and Board seats in established organizations and societies.
As a former admissions reader for a top school, Huang has reviewed hundreds of applications over time and understands the difference between an ordinary and an exceptional candidate. To put his approach in context, he genuinely enjoys working with students and helping them succeed wildly. The actionable steps that are explained here are the same ones Daniel Farber Huang has coached his mentees to take, with consistent and exceptional success over the last several years.
Let's get started!
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