Success Without College - Hardcover

Lee, Linda

3.4

10 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385496699 ISBN 13: 9780385496698

Publisher: Doubleday, 2000

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You don't have to go to college.

That's very easy to say, and very hard to believe. The expectation of a college degree has become a traditional aspect of American parenting. A college diploma has become such a popular symbol of personal success and culture that 66 percent of U.S. high school graduates go to college, up from 14 percent only sixty years ago. But out of all the college students in America, only 26 percent get degrees after six years. Why have we come to believe that college is right for everyone, or that our children should go there right after high school? With a college education now costing an average of a hundred thousand dollars, maybe it's time for American parents to reconsider: do you really need college to succeed?

As a middle-class parent, Linda Lee assumed that her son would attend a prestigious college and graduate in four years with high grades. Isn't that what all children of intelligent, middle-class parents do? Fifty thousand dollars later, after having seen every grade from A to F--and a few more, including W and I--Lee realized that her son was not ready for college. She was shocked to discover that his experience is not an exception but the rule: only 26 percent of students receive a bachelor's degree within six years.

Why, then, are parents led to believe that their children must go to college right away? Why have we come to believe that college is right for everyone? Why isn't there as much focus on the alternatives to college as there is on getting into a good school?

Success Without College is a landmark book. Linda Lee, an editor and writer for the New York Times, reveals the surprising facts of why many bright kids are not suited for college (or at least not right after high school), and she explains to readers why this is happening. She provides profiles of students and parents from around the country who have found creative, positive solutions to their college dilemma; she interviews deans, admissions counselors, and other experts from the most esteemed schools and organizations in the country; and she offers suggestions for what parents can do if a child doesn't want to go to college right away, or isn't ready to get the most from the college experience.

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From the Back Cover:

Praise for Success Without College:

"In this brilliant, brave, and oh-so-needed book, Linda Lee explodes the myth that all young people must stay on the same conveyor belt through college or perish. That myth has led to the demise of many a young person, and their parents along with them. Now Ms. Lee shows us another way. This book is a godsend. Millions of parents and their children will benefit from discovering the alternative paths explained in this book. Written with the warmth of a mother, and the research, analytic skill of a New York Times editor, Success Without College appears like an angel in the midst of massive suffering. At last, a guide to a better way."
--Ned Hallowell, M.D., author of Driven to Distraction and Connect

About the Author:

Linda Lee is an editor and writer for the New York Times. She frequently contributes to the Style, Arts and Leisure, and Business sections. The article she wrote for the Education Life supplement in 1998, called "What's the Rush? Why College Can Wait," was the basis for this book. In addition to contributing to the Times, Lee is the author of several books. She lives in New York City.

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