• Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be

  • An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania
  • By: Frank Bruni
  • Narrated by: Frank Bruni
  • Length: 5 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (452 ratings)

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Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be  By  cover art

Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be

By: Frank Bruni
Narrated by: Frank Bruni
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Publisher's summary

Over the last few decades, Americans have turned college admissions into a terrifying and occasionally devastating process, preceded by test prep, tutors, all sorts of stratagems, all kinds of rankings, and a conviction among too many young people that their futures will be determined and their worth established by which schools say yes and which say no.

That belief is wrong. It's cruel. And in Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be, Frank Bruni explains why, giving students and their parents a new perspective on this brutal, deeply flawed competition and a path out of the anxiety it provokes.

Bruni, a best-selling author and a columnist for the New York Times, shows that the Ivy League has no monopoly on corner offices, governors' mansions, or the most prestigious academic and scientific grants. Through statistics, surveys, and the stories of hugely successful people who didn't attend the most exclusive schools, he demonstrates that many kinds of colleges - large public universities, tiny hideaways in the hinterlands - serve as ideal springboards. And he illuminates how to make the most of them. What matters in the end are a student's efforts in and out of the classroom, not the gleam of his or her diploma.

Where you go isn't who you'll be. Americans need to hear that - and this indispensable manifesto says it with eloquence and respect for the real promise of higher education.

©2015 Frank Bruni (P)2014 Hachette Audio

What listeners say about Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be

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A relatable and relevant book for our time

I really enjoyed listening and reading this book. I can certainly relate to the stories in this book even after 20 years ago going through the insane process of applying for colleges. The outcomes related in Bruni's stories are what I have seen happen to peers and others who I have met. The secret to Ivies is to not attend them as undergraduates. I learned when I went to an Ivy as a graduate student that revenue derived from undergraduate tuition was really applied toward supporting research and graduate programs. At the end of the day, I was happy to have gotten a lot out of my small state university education and to walk out without debt.

The performance was good overall, although it was slightly confusing that midway through chapter 5 Frank Bruni stopped reading and some other narrator started reading the remainder of the book. I wonder why that person wasn't credited and why Bruni stopped midway.

I am certainly going to share this book with peers.

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Conflicting Messages

This book is a mixed bag. It reads like a collection of witty newspaper articles, yet undermines its own message. The title of the book should really be “Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be: As Long as You End Up Attending an Ivy School Down the Road.” For this lack of a cohesive theme, I give the book a low rating. Of note is that this book was originally published in 2015, but in 2020 it already feels outdated. For example, Bruni argues convincingly that Ivy schools are for rich kids who are one-dimensional. Apparently, Ivy U took note because in 2020, Ivy U now boasts that its typical financial aid package is over $57,000; 20% of families pay nothing; over 50% of students are of color; and there’s more diversity on campus than a tropical rain forest growing on a coral reef. And yet…has anything really changed? Not really. One could argue that the Ivys are even more one-dimensional than ever before. Who hasn’t volunteered 500 hours in a leadership role, started a club of three, is a concert violinist who is also a junior-level rodeo champion, all while claiming to be humble? Also, just ask the countless lost souls who’ve become cannon fodder in the highly selective admission’s game. The true story today is even more bleak than even Bruni could have imagined, and unfortunately his book does little to break the public’s stereotype.

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Too long

Any additional comments?

I did not finish it. The point of the book seems to be that ivy league school are way over-rated. This I already knew. I don't need an entire book to tell me that.

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Required reading for all parents of juniors

Reading this book can help to restore the sanity of the school application process. The unnecessary pressure created by the process today is nuts. So happy to hear a voice of reason.

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I now have excitement about the college search

This book appeared at a most opportune time as we set out on college visits. I am working with my daughter to broaden her search and expectations about prospective schools. Many exciting options if one steps back and looks at what it is you really want college to be. This book confirmed my sense that a different approach to and assessment of the schools we look at will pan out to a richer experience. I am going to relax a bit and trust it will play out well.

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Sleeping

I am a 16 year old high school student and had to read this for an ap english class. Although the idea of a book like this is cool all it really ended up being was 240 pages of examples. The only reason I am using audible is because I have never been more bored by a book in my entire life and needed to listen to it. I would not recommend. Although I wouldn’t recommend it I definitely agree with points that were made in the book. However for a 16 year old this book was the most annoying and boring thing to be written.

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The entirety of the book is summed up by the title

If you need proof at nauseam that students can be successful anywhere, you can find examples in this book. The first few chapters were a lot of listing of where president, ceos, etc went to school in order to make the point you can go anywhere and be successful - a good point but it became monotonous. The examples are unimportant since just as many could be found to highlight the talents and skills of ivy league students. The overall premise that society is over concerned with the reputation of schools is good but I didn’t feel the book offered too much other than explaining that singular point.

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Excellent resource for the whole family

Wish i would have read this earlier in the process. This is a must read for kids and parents at the very beginning of the college process Freshman year!

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Spot on perspective

A must read for all parents of high school aged children intending to engage in the US university admissions process

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Super helpful

Ideas you think and should follow as opposed to getting caught up in the hype. Thank you for making it make sense and backing it up with details and metrics.

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