LILLIAN LUTERMAN & JENNIFER BLOOM
IN! COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND BEYOND
THE EXPERTS' PROVEN STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS
(April 2011)
by Lillian Luterman & Jennifer Bloom
“Luterman and Bloom make the invaluable connection between who we are and getting where we want to go; as a former client, I know their message is equally applicable to careers over a lifetime. In! offers smart tools that can be employed successfully anywhere one wishes to excel.” - Jared Cohen, Director of Google Ideas, formerly of the State Department, Rhodes Scholar, Stanford University Graduate
“Luterman and Bloom offer an accessible, student-centric approach to preparing for college admissions and beyond. Clear examples demonstrate how to incorporate individual talents and energies into an effective strategy. In! will show you how to shine.” - Ray Kim, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Academic Advising, College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell University
Mother-daughter team Lillian Luterman and Jennifer Bloom have been helping high school students get into choice colleges and universities for more than twenty years. Proven experts in their field, Luterman and Bloom are about to reveal their coveted trade secrets to the public with the release of IN! COLLEGE ADMISSIONS AND BEYOND: THE EXPERTS’ PROVEN STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS (Abbeville; pb $14.95, hc $22.95, and e-book; April 2011).
“Be Alike but Spike”—this is the simple, yet overwhelmingly effective, method Luterman and Bloom have successfully employed with diverse students from around the world. This concept means that the applicant must perform on a par with other students applying to similar colleges, while working to stand out from the pack—like a spike on a graph—in one area. The authors explain that, ironically, it’s often the “well-rounded student,” an ideal many applicants strive for, who gets rejected. IN! shows students how to create an individual distinction by identifying a passion and “layering” it—showcasing their interest in many different ways and circumstances.
While instructing students on how to identify and develop their “spike,” Luterman and Bloom carefully guide teenagers (and parents!) through every step in the application process—including standardized tests, letters of recommendation, Early Decision trade-offs, AP classes, campus visits, the personal essay, interviews, financial aid, and much more. Not your average trade paperback book, IN! is enlivened throughout with instructive case studies, fill-in charts and checklists, sidebars for parents, and entertaining New Yorker cartoons.
Most unique about this approach is that it’s a four-year plan, one that starts the moment a student enters high school. And unlike most books about “getting in,” IN!’s lessons do not end at college acceptance. Rather than viewing college admissions merely as a hurdle to be quickly and painlessly cleared, Luterman and Bloom present the process as an opportunity for students to mature, expand their horizons, and discover what makes them tick. IN! gets students in, and gives them the tools and confidence they will need for future success.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A graduate of McGill University, Lillian Luterman has been advising students on college and boarding school admissions since 1989 and has expanded her practice globally. With a master’s degree in speech pathology and counseling, Lillian has worked with students of all levels and backgrounds, from those with learning disabilities to gifted students aiming for the top-tier colleges. She lives with her husband in Westport, Connecticut.
A graduate of Harvard University, Cambridge University, and Harvard Business School, Jennifer Bloom began working with her mother in 2006. Prior to that, she spent more than ten years in marketing and advertising. She lives in New York City.
Together, Luterman and Bloom founded Entryway, a provider of premier educational consulting services and specialized workshops (www.entrywayinc.com).