Inside the Ivory Tower

Countless books have taken us through the iron gates, walked us down Ivy lane, and escorted us into the Gothic halls. But the latest installment of Ivy League literature takes us inside the rarified admissions office. Admission, a new novel by Jean Hanff Korelitz, is the story of Portia Nathan, a 38-year-old admissions officer at Princeton, loosely based on Korelitz’s own experience there. She describes high school officers lobbying for their students, confrontations with overwrought parents, and the mysterious procedure inside the admission committee meetings. Writes one reviewer: “Admission is still a good read. And if you have any interest in the merry-go-round of big-time college admissions, it's even better.”