Plenty of college admission guides promise to help studentscrack the Ivy League, but few of these have detailed knowledge to backup their advice. Michele Hernandez, on the other hand, is the ultimateinsider. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Dartmouth College, she alsoworked as Dartmouth's assistant director of admissions for four years.In A Is for Admissions, Hernandez describes the step-by-stepprocess Ivy League schools use to evaluate an application. Along theway she settles some ancient debates, including the comparativeimportance of SATs versus high-school grades, public versus privatehigh schools, and extracurricular activities versus part-timeemployment. She evaluates every possible factor affecting chances foradmission, including special categories of students such as recruitedathletes, minority applicants, and legacies. Most dramatically,Hernandez reveals the precise mathematical formula used by admissionsofficers to rank applicants. Using her guidelines, readers cancalculate their own AI (Academic Index) and--should their scores comeup short--learn ways to compensate in other areas.Refreshingly, Hernandez helps would-be Ivy Leaguers keep their goals inperspective. She strongly advises against "grade grubbing" or"working for the grade." If you think attending a top collegeis the key to success, Hernandez cautions that the Ivies may not be foryou. "If your goal is to make money, but you don't enjoy studyingor reading, don't waste your time by trying to get into an Ivy Leagueor highly selective college.... The beauty of an Ivy League/highlyselective education lies in the intellectual atmosphere.... It does notlie in the prestige of having a diploma from Princeton or Dartmouth onyour wall." Levelheaded and clearly written, A Is forAdmission is the perfect guide for the student (or parent) who hashis eyes set on the stars.