Book Review: Where You Go Isn't Who You'll Be

Confession:  I am a slow reader.  I have never, never finished a book over 100 pages in 24 hours, and I include Harry Potter in that list.  But every once in a while, I find a book that is more interesting than the average piece of literature and so well-written that I fly through it in days.  (Never hours--I'm still a slow reader, remember?)  This book is one that I finished in mere days:  "Where You Go Isn't Who You'll Be".  I didn't just read it, I inhaled it.  I bought it last Wednesday and finished it on Monday.

I think that most students and parents would not only find it interesting, but vital.  The reason why?  The author, Frank Bruni, a columnist for the New York Times, explains why students can be as happy, if not happier, attending a public state university or a small liberal arts college instead of a highly selective college.  These public universities have many great attributes going for them that are unadvertised, and this book chronicles story after story of exceptional people that have been happy with their college education at unheralded places as University of Rhode Island, ASU, University of Hawaii and (gasp) community colleges!

I know that many of our students are excited to just go to college, so it might not seem like this book would be for them.  But it is, and here is why:  instead of feeling like their college experience at a state college (like Weber State) is a low-level experience that they have to settle for because of limited finances or a lower-GPA than they'd like, they will see the college experience through new eyes.  As Bruni points out, many Utah Colleges are hidden-gems that allow students access to professors, programs, and internships that contribute to a personalized education as much as the big-name colleges.

These highly selective colleges are the ones we recognize even if we have never set foot on campus:  Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, MIT.  But the reality is that they only accept approximately 5% of their applicants.  That means that only 1 in 20 students will be accepted.  And these 20 students that are applying are not slacking:  they have great grades, test scores, are super-involved (probably over-involved) in sports, service, activities, and clubs.  Instead of running a race to be accepted to these colleges, this book argues that it is what you do during your four years that matters, NOT the name on the degree.

The book talks about real people--people that had to pay for college, lived at home, worked a part-time job and STILL felt like their college experience was the launchpad for their careers.  They didn't have full-ride scholarships or invitations to an Ivy-League school, but they came to understand that success can be hatched anywhere, including a state university.  So for that reason, I think this book is valuable to our students.  Because instead of thinking that Weber State or Utah State or the University of Utah are somehow beneath them, they will see that these colleges have fantastic opportunities that have been overlooked in search of the "brand-name" college.  

Read the book.  Inhale it.  Write in the margins.  Make this book your own manifesto for choosing a college that will be your passport to life, whatever the name.