''The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College'' is a 2002 nonfiction book, written by education reporter Jacques Steinberg, that examines the inner workings of the
admissions committee at
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...
. The book expands upon a series of articles Steinberg wrote in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. Steinberg follows six college applicants through the admissions process.
The book covers issues such as
affirmative action,
recruiting,
standardized testing
A standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a predete ...
and the significance of the
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
s.
[
]
Reception
''The Gatekeepers'' was not a best-seller and received mixed reviews.
The ''Harvard Education Review
The ''Harvard Educational Review'' is an academic journal of opinion and research dealing with education, associated with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and published by the Harvard Education Publishing Group. The journal was established ...
'' considered that it would offer little help to parents trying to get their children into colleges.
Beth Provinse, in the ''Journal of College Admissions
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period
*Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...
'', criticized Steinberg for focusing on one school, which she said did not reflect "the current realities of college admission." She argued that in contrast to Wesleyan's admissions practices, many colleges emphasize a numbers approach in evaluating a candidate. She cited the University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
's highly publicized point system as an example.
''Publishers Weekly
''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'' reckoned it would not be of interest to students, but parents might buy it.[
Shannon Bloomstran of '']The Book Reporter
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,'' said it was a "fascinating peek behind the curtain" and said that before reading she "really had no idea of the extent of agony and debate that takes place in the admissions offices of these highly selective schools."
Edward B. Fiske, editor of the highly popular ''Fiske Guide to Colleges
The Fiske Guide to Colleges is an American media company that publishes, ''inter alia'', descriptions, ratings, and analysis for more than 320 U.S. colleges and universities. It is the best-selling college guide in the United States, although it r ...
'', praised Steinberg for reporting on a "distinctly American rite of passage".
John Bundris of the ''Christian Science Monitor
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
'' described ''The Gatekeepers'' as a "fitting denouement after the college applications are in the mail - for parent and student alike".
See also
* College admissions
University admission or college admission is the process through which students enter tertiary education at universities and colleges. Systems vary widely from country to country, and sometimes from institution to institution.
In many countries, ...
* College application
College application is the process by which individuals apply to gain entry into a college or university. Although specific details vary by country and institution, applications generally require basic background information of the applicant, such ...
References
External links
*
Wesleyan University Office of AdmissionsCollege Board
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gatekeepers
2002 non-fiction books
Wesleyan University