In 2008, I went on a relaxing, stress-free eight-state spring break college tour with my older son. During that trip, I discovered that my child was in deep trouble because he would be competing against kids who had been padding their resumés since third grade, and he had not yet invented an antibiotic. This inspired my blog about the insanity of the college process, www.theneuroticparent.com.The blog was soon discovered by the director of admissions at Kenyon College, who published an excerpt in her book, I’m Going to College, Not You. (St. Martins Press, 2010). Now, after surviving a nine-state tour with my younger son, I am ready to reveal all…from when to start your preschooler in Kumon to whether to ask the Dalai Lama for a letter of recommendation.

Reviews

• If you need a good laugh at how crazy the college admissions process has become, this is a book for you. Rothman, a television comedy writer, subtly weaves good advice about encouraging students to strike a healthy balance, find their passion and communicate that to colleges.” — Charlotte Observer
• If you’re wide awake at night and worried about the college process, it would be great to be reading “The Neurotic Parent’s Guide to College Admissions.” — Jane Williams, Bloomberg Radio EDU
• “Add me to the long list of J.D. Rothman fans.” — Jackie Burrell, About.com
• “Smartly satirical, providing hilarious solutions to real problems and trends that pervade the admissions process.” — St. Louis Magazine
• “Laugh-out-loud funny… this book is going to be a huge success!” — Teen Vogue
• “It’s hilarious!” — Madeleine Brand, KPCC/NPR
• “Made us laugh out loud… Rothman is an acute observer of the road to the fat envelope.” — Admission Now
• “Playful… quirky… belly-busting… full of funny statistics and oddities.” — National Association of College Admissions Counselors