The college admissions scandal that erupted yesterday in which federal prosecutors charged 50 people in a scheme to buy spots in the freshman classes at Yale, Stanford and other big-name schools has exposed the lengths to which rich, entitled parents — including Hollywood celebrities and prominent business leaders — are willing to go to get their progeny into the “right” university.

But it was also a reminder of just how filled with mystery and anxiety that process is — so much so that unlocking it was worth millions to those who could afford it. For a more affordable price — or for free at your public library — check out these books that provide a glimpse into to those back rooms where college admissions take place in America today.

‘Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life,’ by William Deresiewicz

Image

In this scathing takedown of higher education, Deresiewicz, a former professor at Yale, accuses our country’s most elite schools of fostering a learning environment devoid of creativity and critical thinking. In his review, Dwight Garner noted that Deresiewicz “spends a long time considering college admissions because a vast number of crimes, he suggests, are committed in its name.”

Read our review.