Book excerpt: Deluged with messages that range from “It’s Ivy League or bust” to “It doesn’t matter where you go,” college applicants and their families often find themselves lost, adrift in a sea of information overload. Finally—a worthy life preserver has arrived. The Enlightened College Applicant speaks to its audience in a highly accessible, engaging, and example-filled style, giving readers the perspective and practical tools to select and earn admission at the colleges that most closely align with their academic, career, and life goals. In place of the recycled entrance statistics or anecdotal generalizations about campus life found in many guidebooks, The Enlightened College Applicant presents a no-nonsense account of how students should approach the college search and admissions process. Shifting the mindset from “How can I get into a college?” to “What can that college do for me?” authors Bergman and Belasco pull back the curtain on critical topics such as whether college prestige matters, what college-related skills are valued in the job market, which schools and degrees provide the best return on investment, how to minimize the costs of a college education, and much more. Whether you are a valedictorian or a B/C student, this easy-to-read book will improve your college savvy and enable you to maximize the benefits of your higher education.