Team Insight is excited to be celebrating World Book Day this April 23, 2019! 

Below is a selection of our favorite books to read and recommend. 

Sarah’s Pick: “Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists”

I don’t think minimalism is for everyone (or is it? 😉), but I related deeply to questioning the subconscious motivations rooted in a culture of consumerism that so often drive our actions and major life decisions. When we get down to the “bones” of our life and realize how little we actually “need”, we create space to consider what we actually value in the people we surround ourselves with, the work we put out into the world, and the core values that define a life of meaning and substance.  

Casey’s Pick: The Giver, by Lois Lowry” 

I first read this in grade school when we were given the option of selecting from an assortment of Newberry-award winning books, and I have found myself periodically re-reading it over the years. It was my first introduction to dystopian fiction and I’ve been hooked ever since. Long before the Hunger Games or Divergent series, The Giver provided an in-depth look at a society that was painstakingly crafted to function as smoothly as possible but at an immense cost. As someone who eventually went on to study sociology/social psychology, I have always been fascinated by the ideology of the society’s founders, and this book certainly serves as a warning to anyone trying to provide blanket solutions to multilayered, intersectional social issues. 

Amy’s Picks: “Unlimited Memory, by Kevin Horsley” 

Think your ability to remember is just something we’re born with? Think again! Our brains are just like any other muscle, and in this book, Horsley walks us through a number of tips and techniques to show us how if we know how to work our brain properly we can remember far more than we imagine! 

Amy’s Picks: “Difficult Conversations, by Sheila Heen” 

This book helps us to gain empathy and insight to have better, more productive conversations with the most important people in our lives. Learn to differentiate between the words, the real meaning of the words, and the hidden needs revealed in our toughest yet most important conversations. 

Zach’s Pick: “Shoeless Joe, by W.P. Kinsella” 

On the surface, it’s a book about baseball, the infamous 1919 World Series, and American history. At its core, however, Shoeless Joe is about following your dreams, defining your values, and family.  It also mixes fantasy elements into an otherwise grounded story of an Iowa farmer, Ray Kinsella, who lives peacefully with his wife and daughter, until one day when he hears a voice in the distance that tells him, “If you build it, he will come.”  This mysterious message leads Ray to build a baseball diamond in his own cornfield. From there, ongoing clues lead him to meet important figures in Boston and Minnesota, before he returns home to find, much to his surprise, catharsis.  

Shoeless Joe was also the inspiration for Field of Dreams, which is its equal in many ways.  It’s one of the all-time great stories about fathers and sons.

Christina’s Pick: “The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S Lewis” 

This series stole my heart and mind as a child and this was the first set of books that I remember truly loving. The whimsical aspects swept me into this world of talking animals, kings, queens, war, where good conquers evil took me away into another world that I felt I was a part of. After falling in love with this series, my obsession with reading took on a whole new dimension

Purvi’s Picks: “The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho”

This is a beautifully written book that makes you think about your life’s journey and how where you started from can often be more important than anything. This book demonstrates that the journey is as important as the destination and life happens in the moments when we are taken “off course”.

Purvi’s Picks: “Becoming, by Michelle Obama” 

This book has captured by heart and I cannot put it down. The truth and vulnerability shared by the past FLOTUS reminds us that perfection is not the goal nor is it actually attainable. Obama worked hard despite the obstacles in her way and relied on her village to help her realize her dreams. I think this is a testament that any person from any background can end up anywhere, including the White House. More than that though, I love that even in all her success, she talked about her fears, her self-doubts, her need for help – hopefully giving others the confidence to believe that you don’t always have to be perfect and you don’t always have to be strong.

Jenny’s Picks: “Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen” 

This is a book I re-read regularly.  It shows a picture of strong women in different situations in a time when a woman having her own opinions and expressing them were not common.  It also addresses how biases and judgments can cloud your perception of another person, but also how you can change your mind and create a friendship with someone who you may not have fully understood when you first met. 

Jenny’s Picks: “The Chosen, by Chaim Potok” 

A book that explores how friendship can help you find and express your voice in an environment that doesn’t always encourage it.  

Helena’s Pick: “The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin” 

Out the outset of this book, the author is very clear that she is not trying to change the world or give someone else a “how to be happy” guide, but rather it is her experiment to see if she can get more out of her own life to be happier and feel more whole. I love the idea of measurable goals that take place within a specific time frame and then being able to evaluate how much they have or have not made a change. Often in life, we may try something once or twice maybe even for a week – and if it doesn’t create lasting change we dump it and move on to the next thing. 

In her book, the author demonstrates that by changing little things or in little increments we have the power to make a lasting and impactful change in our own lives, and therefore the lives of those around us. The key isn’t something that the author dictates, rather a tool to see your own life as ever evolving and adapting according to the perceptions and personal rules you allow yourself to be governed by. 

Happy Reading! 

Many people reached out to us at Insight because of our work in the admissions industry, particularly admissions consulting, to ask us our thoughts on the recent college admissions cheating scandal. 

First, let me start by saying that not all consultants follow unethical and/or illegal practices. Most actually care about impacting the lives of teens and helping them to make good decisions especially in the crazy and complex world of college admissions. Our motto is Apply to College, Prepare for Life, because that is what we see ourselves doing. William Singer doesn’t represent us or the industry as a whole. In fact, so many people and colleges are doing such GOOD work to make the process more equitable, to invite in students that are so capable but don’t have the resources to understand the process, and to make this entire rite of passage less daunting and stress inducing.

We have never and would never condone any of this kind of illicit or illegal behavior. It doesn’t align with our values and our goals for our clients. While I have often disagreed with it, I have always taught my families that it is best to understand the landscape and then work within it. The process is not a pure meritocracy. This is not new or news.

Why did these families (of substantial means) have to go the illegal route? I don’t know. But I do know they didn’t have to. They were not driven by desperation or a lack of options. Their kids could have gotten into college on their own merits and hard work. Rather these families taught them that they could not.

But parents – is this who you want to raise your children to be? What are these kids being taught about life and how to succeed? What about what they are being taught about their own self-worth? Their parents don’t trust them to take the SAT. Their parents don’t even trust them to try. Their parents don’t think they can succeed on their own. Their parents needed to fake mental illness, at a time when actual mental illness for teens is at an all-time high, in order to get extra time on a test. These parents and others involved are not teaching kids the essential skills to actually be successful in life. We talk often about non-cognitive factors in our office: grit, care for others, ability to overcome adversity, awareness of other cultures and religions, etc. These are essential skills for life.

College acceptance is not the end goal. It is not the point at which parents are relieved of their parental duties. It is a milestone. One that should be worked towards. One that should be celebrated.

While this is a scandal that tarnishes the admissions process, let’s not be naive about it. I often say that the admissions process is going to one day buckle under the pressure. But in the meantime, it is our teens that are buckling under the pressure. So rather than letting this be sensational news that will diminish in the coming months, let us use it as an opportunity to talk to our teens about the process and expectations and values. Let us use this as an opportunity to evaluate what this process actually signifies for you and your family. Your parental worth does not ride on their acceptance letters. And more importantly, how they engage on campus, how they pursue their opportunities in college, the relationships they will form, the experiences they will have – all of these will shape their future so much more than on which campus this happens.

This week, I spoke with NBC Bay Area and NPR KQED about the scandal. NBC Bay Area also attended our 20th Anniversary seminar and spoke with our counseling team, you can watch that interview here. Insight Counselor Sarah de Sousa also spoke on the radio show “Good Morning Monterey Bay” and gave some great advice on how families can stay true to themselves. 

If you have any questions about the scandal, please reach out to your counselor to discuss it further or email our co-founder Ajit Jain at ajit@insight-education.net

All the best, 
Purvi Mody on behalf of the Insight Team

Co-founder and Head of Counseling 

We return to our Insight blog series “Insight Alma Mater” with counselor Zach Pava. Zach attended Trinity College in Hartford Connecticut and is our Newton-based counselor! Set up a meeting with Zach by emailing us at info@insight-education.net 

I didn’t know my first choice college the summer before my senior year of high school. Come to think of it, I still didn’t know my top choice come November 1st, the most common early deadline for freshman applicants. 

But even though my plan at the time involved waiting for January 1st to submit apps to keep my options open, I knew that one of the favorites on my list, Trinity College, offered the opportunity to receive a binding offer through Early Decision 2, less common at the time but an option more colleges now seem to be adding each year.

I didn’t come to an ironclad conclusion until my second visit for a follow-up interview at Trinity. After that interview though, I knew that Trinity, with just over 2,000 undergraduate students, and a 9:1 student/faculty ratio, was the right school for me.  It offered a beautiful, green campus within an urban environment. It offered a range of academic opportunities and majors, and mostly small class sizes that allowed students to get to know their professors well. It offered a series of extracurricular opportunities, from the school newspaper, The Trinity Tripod, to intramural sports each season. And though Hartford, Connecticut isn’t universally recognized as a beautiful city in the same way that, let’s say, Honolulu is, it nonetheless hit a number of appealing check marks. Notably, I had relatives that lived nearby, and Hartford’s proximity to both Boston (my hometown), and New York City was hard to ignore.

During my time at Trinity, I made lifelong friends, got my bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and took a range of writing courses.  I even managed to finish a full screenplay. My favorite course was Behavioral and Social Psychology, a class that inspired me to write what is probably still the best paper I’ve ever written – it focused on that old Snickers commercial in which an injured football player believes he’s Batman.

As I explored my independence, the little things became enjoyable everyday tasks, from trekking down the lower long walk to Cinestudio to carrying my sneakers through the February snow to play pick-up basketball at the Ferris Athletic Center. Even grabbing my mail was oddly satisfying, as Mather Hall always meant bumping into at least a few friends on their way in or out of the Cave. Freshman year was especially fun, as due to my North Campus residence, my roommate and I found ourselves near mostly dorms with older students, Greek life on Vernon Street, and the Bistro, which offered a create your own pasta station that was awesome! 

My closest friends and I later moved across campus and found a quad every year, eventually making our way from Cook to Summit Suites.  One of the nice things about Trinity is that you can walk from one side of campus to the other and rarely need to rely on transportation.

While Trinity was terrific, I do have a few regrets. Within my major, I wish it’d been easier to take more classes in areas I was primarily interested in without satisfying requirements that seemed like a reach (I’m still not entirely sold that a Biology class focusing on plant life needs to be part of anyone’s Psych curriculum). There are times I wish I’d experienced a bigger school with D1 football and basketball games to attend. And if I had to redo my college experience, I’d almost certainly study abroad for one semester. Still, during the middle of spring weekend, with 70-degree weather and music in the air, I definitely wasn’t thinking about any of this 🙂 

Go Bantams!

Zach and friends during college

Join Zach at our free family seminar at Newton South High School on Saturday, April 6, 2019!

Welcome back to the Insight Alma Mater blog series! Insight College Admissions Counselor Jenny Bloom attended The University of Texas at Austin.  

My time at The University of Texas at Austin – I loved my experience there.

I remember even getting to UT was work. I grew up in Texas and there were two perfectly wonderful universities right next to where I lived—in the same town where I went to high school. My immigrant-Indian parents expected that I would choose one of those universities and live at home and attend college like I was supposed to, like my older sister did.  But I had other plans, I wanted adventure, I wanted freedom, and I wanted to have a “real” college experience. 

When I was accepted to UT Austin I was determined to go, and I spent the whole summer making plans to get to Austin even though my Dad was adamant that I would not attend.  Eventually, when the time came around to get to college, my Mom, Dad, and my younger brother took the 3.5-hour drive to drop me off at UT. 

I spent my first two years living in the biggest dorm (with its own zip code). It is (was) probably the oldest and grossest dorm in the country. But I loved it.  I shared a room with a friend in my first year. Had my share of drama- learned how to go through conflict resolution, hear hard things about how I was not easy to live with, and also learned how to change and become a better person and friend.

My second year in the dorms I had a random roommate, and we had the best time together.  We were totally different people, her growing up in a small town in West Texas and me growing up in a mostly Indian community near Dallas. My last two years, I moved into an apartment near campus. All of my roommates in college are still close friends of mine and each of them challenged and helped me to grow and be a better person.

I joined student clubs and organizations that really shaped my academic and social experience.  In my four years in college at UT, I got my first bank account, started a job to pay for my own phone, planned events and conferences for my student organizations, learned to study well, and figured out my passions. I became a Longhorn sports fanatic and still bleed burnt orange, Hook ‘em! Some of my favorite memories is going to football games in Austin during the season when the Longhorns went to the BCS National Championship and beat USC in the Rose Bowl.  

I wouldn’t want to change anything about my experience at UT.  Yes, I could have studied more and smarter, but the memories I have with friends exploring the city and eating Kerbey queso after a late night is something I would not trade for anything!

Jenny and Friends at her UT Austin graduation

Jenny and Insight student Kalina applying to UT Austin in 2017!