The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions: A Conversation about Education, Parenting, and Race | Timothy L. Fields, Shereem Herndon-Brown, Bello Johns Hopkins University Press

Finding the right college is a challenge for all students, but Black families face additional challenges and questions when navigating the admissions process. Veteran admissions experts Timothy L. Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown demystify this complexity by advising families on when to begin the process, where to apply, and how to be a competitive applicant.

Fields and Herndon-Brown address specific concerns that are not often addressed by school counselors or other resources. They highlight how recent social justice movements and legal cases have amplified the necessity of considering both Historically Black Colleges and Universities and predominantly white institutions, while covering everything from athletic recruitment and artistic talents to financial aid and step-by-step instructions for how to search for colleges and then apply to them.

The second edition includes new chapters on
– prioritizing students’ and parents’ mental health,
– understanding the influence of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT on college essay writing,
– reviewing recent Supreme Court decisions about race-conscious admission and their likely impact on Black applicants, and
– navigating the admission process as a transfer applicant.

A list of the best colleges for Black students, a glossary of terms, a list of notable Black college graduates and their alma maters, a suggested reading list, and an FAQ section round out the guide. Having worked on both sides of the desk–as school counselors and as college admissions gatekeepers–Fields and Herndon-Brown are well equipped to give parents, students, and school counselors the information and inspiration to research a variety of schools, understand their choices, and define success on their own terms.

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